Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications UPDATE | Dec. 30, 2015 Sad news: At just over one week old, our baby sloth bear passed away overnight. The baby had been under mom’s care in a private maternity den. This is the second cub to pass from Kushali’s December 19 litter—the first cub was not viable and did not survive past the first 48 hours. Though we hoped for a happier outcome for the second cub, and its first days were encouraging, the cub passed during the night as mom slept. It is not uncommon for first-time sloth bear mothers to lose their litter. Sloth bears are born tiny and blind, and the first few days are always critical. Kushali was an attentive mom and will have other opportunities to breed in the future.  It’s hard to lose a gift as beautiful as new life especially for a species at risk, and we want to thank you all for your support.  ORIGINAL POST | Dec. 28, 2015 We’re excited to share some wonderful news; our young female sloth bear, Kushali, gave birth to

Posted by: Bridget Dunn, Public Affairs As a little holiday gift from us to you, here’s our official Woodland Park Zoo Shopping Guide to Certified Sustainable Palm Oil products to help you have a sustainable holiday season and a renewable new year! The guide provides an easy way to identify products that contain palm oil which has been grown and manufactured in a way that is safer for rain forests and their inhabitants. Choosing products that are better for the environment helps keep the holiday season bright for animals around the world. Protecting tiger forests is a gift that keeps on giving. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. It is vitally important to support certified sustainable palm oil agriculture that is deforestation free. In Malaysia, Indonesia and Borneo, conventional palm oil agriculture is decimating tropical rain forests and their inhabitants, including orangutans, tigers, hornbills and Asian elephants. Old growth forest and peatlands (also known

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications We have some very wonderful news to share! Woodland Park Zoo's international field conservation initiative, the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP), will receive $2.6 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG) facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support its efforts to protect endangered species and improve the livelihoods of the indigenous people in the Pacific island country of Papua New Guinea. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo plays a major role in protecting wildlife and biodiversity through its many field conservation projects that span the globe; one, in particular, being the zoo’s collaboration with the national government of Papua New Guinea through its Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) and UNDP under its long-term partnership with the award-winning Tree Kangaroo Conservation Prog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor with Gigi Allianic, Communications A wolverine is caught on camera as it approaches a noninvasive hair snare designed to snag a hair that can be used for DNA testing. Photo: Robert Long/Woodland Park Zoo. To study elusive wolverines in the wild, you need to know where they occur. To figure out where they occur, you need wolverines to trigger remote research cameras. To get wolverines to trigger the cameras, you need to attract them with a strong scent, which naturally fades after two to four weeks. To keep that scent refreshed after it fades, you need to hike into backcountry terrain with deep snow and dangerous avalanche conditions in the winter— and that’s where it gets tricky . Senior conservation fellow Robert Long installs a new device that could revolutionize his wolverine research in the Northwest. Photo: Roger Christophersen. Extreme winter conditions can make the small but critical task of refreshing scent lures or baits difficu

Posted by: Fred Koontz, PhD, Vice President of Field Conservation On behalf of Woodland Park Zoo Society Board of Directors and staff, I congratulate the citizens  of Washington for passing Initiative 1401, making Washington the first state in the country to help save 10 endangered animal species groups from extinction by a vote of the people. By creating tough new penalties for trafficking products made from these animals, Washington joins other major port states like California, New York and New Jersey in passing laws that close loopholes allowing the black market to thrive for endangered species products. As Washingtonians, we should be tremendously proud of what we have achieved. Tuesday’s overwhelming election result shows that when asked, Washington voters will stand up to protect species from the cruelty of poaching and illegal trade. This is a groundbreaking, grassroots effort – especially significant is that passing I-1401 undoubtedly will inspire other states

Posted by: Bridget Dunn, Communications In and around Taman Negara National Park in Peninsular Malaysia, we’re working with our field conservation partners Panthera and Rimba to find and protect critically endangered Malayan tigers. This effort was established in 2012 as the WPZ-Panthera Malayan Tiger Conservation Partnership  with a $1 million, 10-year commitment to collaborate with Rimba and Malaysia’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks. One of Rimba’s most important tiger detection tools is a series of remote cameras, known as camera traps, set up around the forest. The traps are motion and heat sensitive, and the images they capture help us understand where tigers are so we can focus our protection efforts in those areas. One great thing about these cameras is how they are documenting that there are more than tigers to discover in this spectacular jungle! Photo: DWNP-Rimba Camera traps aren’t picky—they’ll snap a photo of any warm-blooded animal that moves withi

Posted by: Bobbi Miller, Conservation When we think of October, we think of bright, cool days and brisk nights; early, golden sunsets; things that are scary and go bump in the night; and Halloween with the kids all dressed up and ready to go door to door looking for candy and treats. It’s a time of creepy, spine-tingling excitement for young and old alike. Your Halloween candy choices can be a treat for wildlife, no trick! Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. But while we’re enjoying those crisp, clear days and chilly evenings, the people and wildlife in Borneo, Indonesia and nearby countries are dealing with thick, choking smoke. People there are wearing masks for a very different reason this Halloween, and it's all related directly to our candy. Borneo's Gunung Palung National Park shrouded in smoke. Photo courtesy Tim Laman. Wait, what? How does our Halloween candy relate to fires halfway around the world? Simple: most candy includes palm oil, and

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, communications Photo and Video by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren On September 17, three tiny white birds hatched in a quiet behind-the-scenes area of Woodland Park Zoo as part of the zoo’s conservation breeding program. The chicks, downy fluff balls with snow-colored plumage, are a big deal: they represent the first successful hatches of the critically endangered Bali mynah here at the zoo in 22 years! They also act as a powerful symbol of hope for their species. This shy chick gave our photographer a run for his money. The nest box is the perfect hiding spot. A curious look outside of the nest gives us a better view of a chick. Endemic to Bali, Indonesia (an island smaller than Rhode Island), Bali mynahs are threatened primarily due to illegal pet collection and trade. Their stunning white feathers and gorgeous cobalt blue patch around the eyes make this beauty especially attractive to bird collectors, despite their endangered status. On top of

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Video and photos by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren It is music to our ears to hear newly paired siamangs Sam and Briony developing their sweet duet together. We caught a few notes of their very first outdoor song. Video: Siamang pair sings first duet notes at Woodland Park Zoo. High in the canopy, this treetop symphony at once strengthens the bond between the pair of siamangs and declares their territory to others in the area. The song can be heard from over a mile away even in our urban environment and, as they develop their tune, the bouts may last up to 20 minutes. How do they project their voices so far? Those ballooning throat sacs act like a resonating chamber and amplify the sound. Briony’s tune with her former long-time mate Simon was known by not just zoo visitors, but also neighbors in Phinney Ridge, Fremont and Wallingford, all within earshot of their morning song. Hearing the treetops come to life in siamang song once

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications Photos by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo An Oregon spotted frog is released into wetlands. Nearly 750 Oregon spotted frogs reared at Woodland Park Zoo were released yesterday into marshy wetlands at a protected site in Pierce County. Gathering the frogs from their behind-the-scenes area at Woodland Park Zoo. Nearly 750 frogs were packed up for transport.  The frogs were collected from wetlands as eggs and placed at the zoo for hatching and rearing for approximately seven months in a predator-free home as they transformed from tadpoles to juveniles, increasing their survival by giving them a head start until they were large enough to avoid most predators. Unloading the containers of frogs at the protected wetlands site. The protected site provides marshy wetlands habitat for the frogs and future frog generations. Head starting and releasing the frogs is part of a cooperative program with Woodland Park Zo