Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications …49…50! Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. With two late-in-the-season Humboldt penguin hatchings, Woodland Park Zoo has hit a new milestone— 50 chicks hatched since 2010, the first breeding season in our new penguin exhibit. Over the last six breeding seasons at the zoo, penguin chicks have typically hatched between April and May. While the two chicks are latecomers, they are genetically valuable to the North America population. They are the first offspring for 3-year-old father Maximiliano and numbers 11 and 12 for 8-year-old Dora. Video: Tiny penguin chicks mark 50th hatching at Woodland Park Zoo. The chicks are off exhibit in nesting burrows where they are under the care of the parents. To ensure the chicks are achieving growth milestones, staff weighs them as they develop. Staff minimizes intervention to allow the parents to raise their chicks and gain parental experience. Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park

Posted by: Marie Manguette, Mbeli Bai Gorilla Study , a Woodland Park Zoo Partner for Wildlife At Mbeli, we follow twenty-one groups of gorillas that come to feed in the clearing. The number of individuals in a group ranges from just two to around 13. In gorillas, it is generally only the mother that takes care of her infant, with no assistance from the other members of the group. Mom Dinka carrying her male infant Duma on her back.  Photo by Marie Manguette On rare occasions however, we have observed juveniles carrying their siblings on their back or helping them when they are climbing trees. These altruistic behaviors have been observed in only two of the groups followed at Mbeli, and in both female and male juveniles. While rare in the wild, this phenomenon seems quite common in habituated or captive groups of gorillas.  Zulu’s group is one of these groups where juveniles have been observed caring for and supervising their siblings without interruption from the

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Malayan tiger at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Malayan tigers have officially been reclassified from “Endangered” to “Critically Endangered” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature , the leading authority on the risk of extinction. The change reflects the reality of dwindling population numbers coming in from research data. What it doesn’t reflect is the hope that we can turn this around. We know what we need to do to save tigers—protect their habitat, protect their prey base, and protect them from poachers. And thanks to your support, we have boots on the ground in Malaysia implementing these key strategies. Now the work must continue at home. Washington residents can help protect species facing extinction by voting #YESon1401 this November . The initiative seeks to curb the wildlife trafficking trade and sets a new model for citizen-driven conservation. It’s never been more critical.

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications All the way from Wisconsin, a very special delivery has turned into a very special new addition—Woodland Park Zoo’s first hooded crane chick. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Our hooded crane pair has been producing infertile eggs over the past several seasons. When we learned a fertile egg was available to foster from the International Crane Foundation, we worked together along with a Denver Zoo Curator and Species Survival Plan coordinator to give our pair the chance to rear a chick here at Woodland Park Zoo. Packed in a little cooler, the egg flew to Seattle and upon landing at the airport was welcomed with a special sign we drew up. Photo by Erin Sullivan/Woodland Park Zoo. We brought the egg back to the zoo and candled it to assure it was still viable. Candling is the process of holding an egg up to a high powered, focused light source for a few seconds to see if an egg is fertile or to check the health of a d

Posted by: Fred Koontz, Vice President of Field Conservation This morning, I joined our Initiative 1401 partners, Vulcan, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Seattle Aquarium, to announce that 348,627 people signed the petition to get this groundbreaking initiative on the November ballot. We’re one step closer to taking this critical issue to the people of Washington state. Woodland Park Zoo Vice President of Field Conservation Dr. Fred Koontz at today's I-1401 press conference. If passed, I-1401 will strengthen laws that ban the trafficking of products made from endangered animals—animals that are being poached or exploited so much, they are facing extinction. Woodland Park Zoo is proud to join the thousands of Washingtonians who signed the petition sheets in support of I-1401. U.S. Fish and Wildlife confiscated ivory. Photo by Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society. Earlier this year, Woodland Park Zoo drafted and advocated for legislatio

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo In the company of wolves and grizzlies, Castle actor Jon Huertas came to Woodland Park Zoo today to announce his new role as Celebrity Ambassador for Wildlands Network , advocating for carnivore conservation. Jon spoke to a crowd of carnivore enthusiasts made up of zoo visitors, ZooCorps teen volunteers, a local boy scout troop and more than a few starstruck zoo staff! Jon spoke about his passion for all things wild, but especially his enthusiasm for protecting large carnivores in North America. He had a special message for the young audience, “Please educate your parents, your grandparents and your friends. If we lose carnivores, we lose our habitat.” The actor and animal lover told the teens that he is passionate about educating others on the importance of nature corridors and protecting wild spaces. Huertas reiterated that living in harmony with carnivores is possible, a message he

Posted by: Katie Ahl, Zookeeper This World Giraffe Day , coming up June 21, stick your neck out for these amazing animals by coming to visit them at Woodland Park Zoo. Here you can meet our four giraffe up close during the Giraffe Feeding Experience or watch them wander our African Savanna among zebra and oryx. Then talk to one of our keepers or volunteers about how Woodland Park Zoo and you can help save giraffe in Africa. Zookeeper Katie Ahl with giraffes Olivia, left, and Dave, right. Photo by Stan Milkowski/Woodland Park Zoo. A Who's Who Here’s a who’s who of our giraffe and how to tell them apart by their spots. Olivia. Photo by Katie Ahl/Woodland Park Zoo. Olivia is 8 years old and the mother of our little guy, Misawa. She has been an excellent first time mom to Misawa and is very independent. She is lighter in color and has several spots above each eye. She also has a cool crown spot on her right shoulder. Her ossicones (horns) are smooth and slender.

Posted by: Bobbi Miller, Conservation Their gentle but steady gait across the African savanna would seem to indicate the land’s tallest mammal hasn’t a care in the world. With a neck and legs that help to elevate it to anywhere between 14 and 17 feet tall, the giraffe snacks from the tops of acacia trees and should easily be able to see predators approaching on the savanna. Angolan giraffe are well adapted to their harsh desert environment. Photo by Julian & Steph Fennessy But giraffe are under increasing pressure in their homeland, causing their population numbers to have dropped by more than 40% over the past decade and a half. Despite the fact they can run at speeds of 31 miles an hour for a sustained period, they can’t seem to outrun the threats that are impacting the 9 known subspecies. In particular, giraffe are subject to poaching, disease, fragmentation and degradation leading to loss of habitat, and the expansion of human populations. Today, when you add up al

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Quick, name a zoo animal with black and white stripes… Chances are you said “zebra.” But soon you might consider another possibility after you meet the newest Woodland Park Zoo additions, a colony of ring-tailed lemurs! Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Their debut marks the return of this endangered species to Seattle for the first time in nearly 20 years.  Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. That long tail striped with black and white rings gives the lemur its name and serves as a counter balance when leaping from tree to tree.  Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Ring-tailed lemurs use trees as a place to eat, nap, and interact with their troop mates, but this species can also be spotted on the ground more frequently than other lemurs. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. That’s where you might find them sunbathing in the morning, sitting in a yoga-like pose with limbs outstretched to ma