Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Guest scientist post by: Marc Ancrenaz, PhD, HUTAN, a Woodland Park Zoo Partner for Wildlife Courtesy of HUTAN. Orangutans are now one step closer to extinction. Based on an assessment led by Borneo Futures, scientists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have officially downgraded the status of the orangutans living in Borneo to Critically Endangered , the last step before reaching the dreadful status of Extinct in the Wild. Scientists have proven that the number of orangutans will decline by about 80% between 1950 and 2025 given current development plans by the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia. These numbers are hard to fathom. To put them in perspective, an 80% decline is equivalent to losing four out of five people you know ; it is equivalent to the disappearance of a staggering six billion of the current global human population in 75 years with no new births. Actually, many populations of orangutans have already disappeared in Borne

Posted by: Bettina Woodford, PhD, Communications Alejandro Grajal, PhD, our new president and CEO, has a big goal: to make conservation for everybody. He’s convinced that Woodland Park Zoo is the best place to achieve it. Alejandro is an internationally recognized voice for the power of modern zoos. He believes they are essential to help humans embrace their biggest challenge to date: developing a new relationship with nature and all beings with whom we share the planet. To the challenge he brings deep and global expertise in conservation science, environmental education, and animal welfare advocacy. In this interview with Alejandro, we explore what brought him to the Great Pacific Northwest—via Venezuela, Florida, New York and Chicago—and his vision for Woodland Park Zoo. You began your career as a biologist in the field. How did your trajectory turn to leadership roles in zoos?  I’m a water man—I love anything in the water. I graduated with a degree in marine ecolog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Malayan tigers are on a thin line between here and gone, but there is hope. If we protect their habitat and keep them out of the hands of poachers, tiger populations can rebound. On a recent trip, Woodland Park Zoo animal care, field conservation and communications staff joined a MYCAT volunteer patrol deep in the tiger’s forest realm. They placed a 360° camera in one of the planet’s most ancient rain forests to show you what’s at stake. Use the controls to peer around this slice of tiger habitat located in a critical wildlife corridor along the edge of Taman Negara, Malaysia’s premier national park. Video: 360° View of Malaysian Tiger Forest.  NOTE: 360°-view enabled browser required to explore full view of the video. The fact that you can barely see much in the distance is a good thing—the density of this forest supports incredible diversity of life. When we fight to protect tiger forests, we’re saving the home of so many more, from lich

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications The summer air is almost still, delicately scented with a sweet, seasonal bloom. Brilliantly winged creatures flit and float between lupine, spirea and honeysuckle. Here in the Molbak’s Butterfly Garden , speak softly and step carefully as you enter another world. Opening Sat., July 2, the new exhibit takes flight with 500 free-flying butterflies from at least 15 native North American species. You’ll get a full sensory introduction to the fragility and resilience of nature as flowers bloom and butterflies emerge around you. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Photo: Brittney Bush Bollay/Woodland Park Zoo. The presence of a single butterfly is enchanting—tiny, delicate and fairylike. Their littleness can be measured in grams, their adult lifespan sometimes just months, weeks or days. Yet butterflies are also grand in scale. In the Lepidoptera taxonomic order, there are at least 15,000 butterfly species and 250,000 moth species.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Video: TT for the Bears. Things got very Seattle at Woodland Park Zoo when the world-famous fishmongers from Pike Place Fish Market helped us kick off Bear Awareness week and the big event, Bear Affair: Living Northwest Conservation Day presented Brown Bear Car Wash coming up Sat., Jun. 4. Photo: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. Grizzly brothers Keema and Denali could smell the salmon long before the fishmongers sent the fish flying over to them, shouting "TT for the bears" as in "test toss" in fishmonger-speak. Photo: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. In true Keema and Denali style, the bears let gravity do the work for them and then dined contentedly. Photo: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. Don't let the beautiful exhibit design fool you—the fishmongers were a safe distance from the bears with layers of containment between them, all under the watchful eyes of our animal care crew. That'

Posted by: Bridget Dunn, Communications Christine Anne behind the scenes with the zoo's Malayan tigers. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. As a tiger keeper, Christine Anne is used to seeing tiger brothers Eko, Liem and Olan playing, eating and stretching out their claws. They’ll be on her mind this summer when she travels across the globe to explore wild tiger habitat. The forest realm of the Malayan tiger. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. Christine is joining other zookeepers from around the world on Realm of the Tiger, a trip hosted by Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT) to explore peninsular Malaysia. Realm of the Tiger is a five-day program designed especially for zookeepers and docents to enhance their understanding of tiger habitat and the big challenges facing Asian rain forest conservation. Seeing signs. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. To accomplish this, Realm of the Tiger guides participants through an important wildlife corridor that connects Mal

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Is your yard a stomping ground for cougars, coyotes, raccoons, skunks or bears? Would you like to see what passes through your yard even when you’re not around? We’re looking for community members like you to allow us to place a remote camera on your property to collect data for our new research study: the Washington Urban–Wildland Carnivore Project. A black bear's image caught by a remote camera in the study. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. A collaboration between Woodland Park Zoo and the University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, the Washington Urban–Wildland Carnivore Project is exploring ways to promote coexistence among humans and carnivores in King County. The research explores how carnivores respond to urbanization and human activity by studying where and when they occur, what they eat, and what happens to the system when apex carnivores are absent. Bobcat. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. We’re

Posted by Ryan Driscoll, Education Climate change can be a messy subject, but that didn’t stop Woodland Park Zoo’s ZooCrew students from diving right in.   This past winter, students from three middle schools (Asa Mercer International, Washington, and Denny International) used a combination of games, activities, and research to explore the complexities around the causes and consequences of climate change in the Pacific Northwest. After examining the perspectives of various groups including climate scientists, mayors and oil companies, the students developed a variety of projects to help advocate for climate change action. The projects these students completed included creative artwork, presentations and good old fashioned digging in the dirt. Here are examples of some of the great work the ZooCrew students accomplished. Chickadee Houses As the climate changes, the species of plants that thrive in an area also change.  This can have a major impact for birds l

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications Inspired by Star Wars Day, May 4, we'd like to share our own epic tale filled with action, drama and high stakes. This story is far from a fantasy however, as it highlights the very real plight facing tigers all over the world. But there’s reason for a new hope thanks to an alliance known as the Tiger Team! Join the alliance today and “May the Fourth Be With You!”

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. The mane news of the day: we're preparing to say goodbye to lion brothers Tandie, Gandia and Mandla as they get ready to move to Oakland Zoo next month. They'll be living there together as a bachelor group. The departure date is not yet final but we expect to see them off sometime in mid-to-late-May. Please come see the brothers before they leave! The move is based on a recommendation made by the Species Survival Plan (SSP), a conservation breeding program across accredited zoos to increase the genetic diversity and enhance the health of species populations. A lion pride typically consists of one adult male and young males often form bachelor groups while they develop the skills to have their own pride. The accredited Oakland Zoo offers them a place to thrive together in that natural structure. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. They've grown so big and now each sport a shaggy