Woodland Park Zoo Blog

A young orangutan, known to conservation researchers as Mamai, playfully spies on us. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. In the forest, you’re likely to hear an orangutan long before you see one. A rustling in the leaves. A tree limb snap. A crisp lip smack to warn you if you’re getting too close. Tracking these sounds, Mislin and her team of wildlife researchers know they are in the right place when they spot mounds of broken branches and piled leaves in the canopy—fresh orangutan nests. There’s a stirring in one of them. A treetop toddler pokes a red head through the leaves. The team’s data logger records the behavior. “We take note, every three minutes,” Mislin explains. Peeling away from mom, the four-year-old orangutan climbs out on a limb for a closer view of us. It would seem she’s conducting her own primate study. Mislin recognizes the young one, whom they’ve named Mamai and keep regular track of in their study. Composed entirely of local community m

Posted by Carolyn Sellar, Animal Keeper Photos by Carolyn Sellar, Woodland Park Zoo “So today was a glorious day, again it was HOT and my legs were tired, and I can’t wait to get a full 8 hours of sleep, but being in the forest is so... incredible. It breathes, it’s so alive, and there is just such an amount of peacefulness while I am in here.” With beads of sweat dripping down her face, animal keeper Carolyn Sellar records into her video diary after a day of trekking in tiger forest. She never wants to forget how it feels to be seeing firsthand the habitat and wildlife she works so hard to protect. “ The heat the humidity, the fatigue, the trekking… doesn’t matter. There is something about being in the forest. All the life—being where tigers and elephants are just roaming in their own habitat—it’s so inspiring and it makes you want to help.” Carolyn works with Malayan tigers and orangutans here in Seattle at Woodland Park Zoo, and is a passionate advocate for endangere

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Mountain goats Daisy and mom Bluebelle shortly after Daisy's birth in June 2018. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo  We've spent a year watching this kid grow up, and now it's time for her and her mother to move to a new home! Last summer, Woodland Park Zoo hailed the birth of a mountain goat, the first one born at the zoo in 23 years. The female goat, Daisy, sparked excitement and her cuteness made us gave us all the feels. Now it's time for Daisy and mom Bluebelle to move to a new home. Mother and daughter will be heading to Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, N.D., where they will join a male mountain goat in a newly remodeled exhibit—but you can still come see them here through September 30.  Their departure will leave two mountain goats remaining at the zoo: Atlin, half-sister of Bluebelle, and Zeus, a young male.  Daisy (left) here with Zeus (right) in January 2019. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Guests enjoy a keeper talk while watching the hippos at the east edge of the African Savanna. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo A horse is a horse, of course of course, but a hippo is … well, let’s start with the fact that it’s larger than a horse. Technically the word “hippopotamus” comes from ancient Greek words meaning “horse of the river” but while both animals are four-legged mammals the similarities seemingly end there. A hippo's body is perfectly adapted to life in the water, with eyes, ears and nostrils at the top of their heads. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo The common hippo (as opposed to the pygmy hippo) is native to sub-Saharan Africa where they spend hot days submerged in rivers, lakes and mangrove swamps. Their bodies are perfectly adapted to life in the water, with the location of their eyes, ears and nostrils at the top of their heads. This allows a hippo to see, hear, breathe

Posted by: Peter Zahler, Vice President of Conservation Initiatives “Connectivity: the state or extent of being connected or interconnected.” An aerial view of the Cascade mountains offers breathtaking glimpses of forested habitat. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo The definition of connectivity feels incredibly simple, yet there’s something strangely insightful in there. Small children immediately understand the idea—putting together puzzles, linking construction toys to make bigger toys, drawing lines to bring different images into contact with one another. That simple concept of connectivity extends into adulthood, as we begin to connect ideas to one another—which is when deep understanding and inspired solutions often occur. Connectivity in its simplest form is what first really attracted me to the natural world. I was, and continue to be, spellbound by how the natural world is interconnected. Ecosystems immediately struck me as enormously complicated jigsa

Posted by Jim Watson, Wildlife Research Scientist, Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Jim Watson is a friend of the zoo and works with our Living Northwest Conservation Program's Raptor Ecology of the Shrub-Steppe Project. Jim has partnered with us for years and we are excited to share his most recent adventures in raptor research: When Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Woodland Park zoo started our cooperative raptor studies in the shrub-steppe of the Pacific Northwest 20 years ago we probably didn’t envision we were embarking on such a long-term journey. This productive relationship has delved into important projects including migration studies of ferruginous hawks and golden eagles, and how human activities like construction of wind turbines and lead contamination in prey are affecting these iconic raptors. We took advantage of a recent opportunity to look in a little different direction for our cooperative studies within the shrub-steppe raptor commu

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications These are the conservation stewards of tomorrow and we salute their dedication and passion for protecting endangered species like the Matschie’s tree kangaroo. Photo by Chris Banks, Zoos Victoria Young people are the future of our communities and the future stewards of our planet. There is no better example of this than the Junior Rangers of Papua New Guinea. An integral part of the success of Woodland Park Zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program , these youth are the real conservation heroes who are learning about and working towards a sustainable and balanced ecosystem in their own communities. Looking to the future with Junior Rangers. Photo by Lisa Dabek, Woodland Park Zoo. Photo by Chris Banks, Zoos Victoria The Yopno-Uruwa-Som (YUS) “Junior Ranger Program” is based around activities designed specifically for children who live throughout the YUS Conservation Area, a protected area on the Huon Peninsula in Papua New Gui

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications That's a face we will never forget. Rest easy, Junior, thank you for letting us love you and inspiring millions to save jaguar habitat. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Jaguar Cove won't be the same without the presence of our favorite male jaguar, Junior. The geriatric cat had been off view, living behind the scenes where keepers could keep a close watch on him (spoil him) since late in 2017. Junior was humanely euthanized on May 31 due to a major decline in health and quality of life. Junior was 20 years old.  The life expectancy of jaguars in zoos is 18 years. The big cats live longer in zoos than in their natural range because of the evolving field of zoo medicine, including improved husbandry and management techniques, excellent animal care, better nutrition, increased medical knowledge, and diagnostic and therapeutic techniques.  Sweet cat naps on his favorite hot rock made Junior a happy boy. Photo by Ry