Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Flashback to last year: Mama Valkyrie is surrounded by her four pups, Tucker, Nooksack, Piper and Tahu. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo We’re coming up on a milestone for our four youngest North American River otters. Almost one year ago, on March 16th 2019, our resident female, Valkyrie, gave birth to her very first litter of pups—two males and two females. Tucker, Nooksack, Piper and Tahu are nearly full grown now and almost ready for their next adventure. Happy birthday, baby! Throwback to one year ago when the N. American River otter pups had their first wellness exam. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo  In nature, young North American river otters might stay with their mother for up to a year while learning to swim, dive and hunt for fish. So it’s no surprise that by 10 months, boys Tucker and Nooksack were ready to separate from mom. Soon, these youngsters will be moving on to other accredited

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Sarah and Cygmond share a bond (and a pond) in the Temperate Forest habitat. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a beautiful trumpeter swan is getting a second chance at life, and at love. Meet Sarah and Cygmond. Sarah, who is estimated to be 6 or 7 years old, was rescued after flying into power lines. Cygmond is 8 years old and recently came to Seattle from Kansas City Zoo to be a companion for Sarah. Together, they’re making their debut in a pond in the Temperate Forest habitat. Trumpeter swans are the largest native waterfowl in North America, weighing in at more than 25 pounds with wingspans between 6 and 8 feet in length: Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Sarah's rescue and recovery is a conservation success story—and it was a team effort. Wildlife rescuers came to her aid on Whidbey Island last summer. The Northwest Swan Conservation Association headed up her

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications It's going to be a watermelon-themed summer! We have some extremely exciting news. We are proud to announce that Ulan, our 8-year-old Malayan tapir, is expecting her first baby between May and June this summer. The last tapir born at the zoo was in 2007.  Ulan is our gorgeous Tapir who is expecting a little watermelon this summer! The expectant father is of course 19-year-old Bintang, who was also born at Woodland Park Zoo. Bintang has sired two offspring when he lived at other zoos before he returned to Seattle in 2014.  Ulan and Bintang share a dip in the pool, the love is real! Tapirs are among the most primitive large mammals in the world, changing little in appearance for millions of years. This prehistoric-looking animal looks like a massive pig with a long snout. However, because they have an odd number of toes (four toes on each front foot, three on each back foot), their closest relatives are horses and rhinos.

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications This image of an Aplomado falcon feather belongs to Mark, a Woodland Park Zoo curator who is passionate about birds. Photo: Elizabeth Bacher It is said that those who wear their hearts on their sleeves are open and willing to share their feelings for something they feel strongly about. For some members of our Woodland Park Zoo community, that means wearing their passions in other places, like on their shoulders, legs and backs. Jill has worked with many different species in her carreer. Photo: Elizabeth Bacher/Woodland Park Zoo Many staff at the zoo are here because of the mission—they care deeply about animals, the environment and conservation. And for quite a few, that passion runs so deep that they’ve decided to make it permanent by getting tattoos to represent the animals they care deeply for and the commitment to protect and save species in the wild. Jill has elephants and tigers that she cared for etched across her

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher with Stephanie Jacobs 12-year-old Uzumma is pregnant with her first baby. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo In part one of this blog, gorilla keeper Stephanie Jacobs told us how first-time expectant-mother Uzumma is doing and filled us in on all the work that happens behind the scenes to prepare for a gorilla pregnancy. So let’s pick up the conversation with questions about getting ready for a birth and everything that comes next. WPZ: Thanks again, Stephanie for giving us a behind-the-scenes peek into the gorilla unit. So what happens while we all wait for this baby to be born? Obviously you and the other keepers are watching and waiting, but what else needs to happen before a baby arrives? Stephanie: So much happens! Really, we’re all over-the-moon excited [about Uzumma’s pregnancy by Kwame], but there is a lot to do. To begin with, keepers and the Animal Health Department make sure Uzumma’s BMP (birth management plan) is all ready to go. This

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher with Stephanie Jacobs Uzumma, who is pregnant with her first baby due next spring, is doing really well! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo We recently announced that Uzumma, our 12-year-old western lowland gorilla, is expecting her first baby next March. The father is 20-year-old Kwame and this baby will be their first offspring together. Kwame arrived at Woodland Park Zoo in 2018 following the unexpected death of Leonel . The absence of a silverback (a male leader and protector) can be very destabilizing for a gorilla family, but Kwame’s confident leadership has unified the whole family group over this last year—enabling Uzumma and her whole troop to be ready for this exciting new chapter. We chatted with animal keeper Stephanie Jacobs to find out how our gorilla team prepares for a gorilla pregnancy and why they think Uzumma has what it takes to be a great first-time mother. Kwame—silverback of the family, and father of Uzumma&#