Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Andrea Barber, Education If you plan on coming to the zoo this summer, you may see me pushing a cart filled with a colorful array of plastic fruits and vegetables. The cart is taken on a journey nearly every day this summer to different locations around the zoo. This special cart is our Animal Farmer’s Market, the scene for the summer education program, “Shop like an Animal.” Grab a basket and one of our summer program presenters will show you how to shop. There are 5 different animals from the zoo that you can shop for: a tiger, gorilla, meerkat, brown bear or giraffe. Each animal has different dietary needs in order to be healthy, and a shopping list shows you the quantity and types of food these animals really eat in one day. Depending on the animal you pick, you are assigned a budget with a certain amount of “Carbon Bucks” with which to shop. There are a variety of fruits, vegetables, meats and treats in our Animal Farmer’s Market. Each food is assigned a Carbon Buck am

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Zoo Corps teen interns Garrett Brenden and Ariel Thompson stood at the edge of a pond in a south Puget Sound protected wildlife area yesterday and released from their hands something precious…hope for the endangered western pond turtle. Garrett (shown above) and Ariel have been working alongside zookeepers to raise 76 western pond turtles behind the scenes at the zoo as part of a headstart program to recover their wild population. Turtle hatchlings are collected from the wild then raised here until they are around 2 ounces—large enough to escape the mouths of bullfrogs and large-mouth bass—giving them an edge on surviving in the wild. Each summer, we take trips to several protected wildlife areas and release these headstarted turtles back into the wild where we continue to monitor them. Since starting the program in 1991, we’ve seen the population of western pond turtles grow from a dangerously low 150 to now 1,500—a positive sign that this c

Posted by: Kathryn Owen, Education When it comes to enjoying fresh fruits and vegetables, what could be better than being able to pluck a ripe tomato or crisp head of lettuce out of your very own garden? For Woodland Park Zoo’s gorilla troops , fresh-off-the-vine produce is just that accessible. In the winter they may be dining on evergreen elaeagnus leaves, and in the summer they may be stuffing themselves with grape leaves and tender vines. A wide variety of animals at the zoo enjoy fresh produce from the zoo’s browse program, which provides fresh leaves, stems and flowers for gorillas, red pandas, colobus monkeys, orangutans, elephants, tree kangaroos and many others. You and I use the term “browse” to mean sampling and exploring—like browsing the shelves of a bookstore in search of something appealing. But the term also refers to the plant materials eaten by browsers—that is, herbivores or plant-eaters that eat the leaves, stems and flowers right off the tree or bush instead of gra

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications If you enjoy the beauty of the Woodland Park Rose Garden , here’s your chance to get the secrets of this garden… Check out the free rose pruning demonstration at the garden this Saturday, February 27, from noon to 3:00 p.m. Hosted by the Seattle Rose Society , the demonstration will include many annual rose pruning practices such as where to cut, how much to cut, how to use your tools properly, and respective pruning techniques for different types of roses. We’ll also be on hand to discuss Woodland Park Zoo’s organic management and integrated pest management techniques used in the Rose Garden. The Rose Garden is free to visit year round and located near the zoo’s South Entrance at N. 50th Street and Fremont Ave. N. Get info on hours and parking on our website . Photos by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications If you have seen celebrity naturalist David Mizejewski from National Wildlife Federation on any of his regular radio or television appearances—including the Today Show, Martha Stewart, HGTV and Animal Planet—you know he is committed to making the world a better place for wildlife. And now he is coming to the zoo to show you how you can do the same while having fun with your family. David will be joined by several animals that live at the zoo for a special free event at Zoomazium on February 5 from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. He’ll share great ideas on creating wildlife-friendly gardens in your own backyard and community, and fun ways of getting kids outdoors and connecting with nature. Hope to see you there!

On November 12, the zoo lost a beloved staff member, Sammy Kiako Ole Sipoi, to a tragic motorcycle accident in Kenya. Sipoi had worked as a Maasai cultural interpreter at the zoo for two summers, sharing stories about his life on the savanna with zoo visitors, and bringing to life the real conservation issues of his homeland. Paula Eggertsen, a close friend to Sipoi and former member of Woodland Park Zoo’s education staff, writes this tribute. We welcome you to share your thoughts and memories of Sipoi in the comments section. Tribute to my “olalashe,” Sammy Kiako Ole Sipoi Posted by: Paula Eggertsen The interpretation of cultural values and traditions is nearly impossible, particularly when you’re comparing cultures as different as a pastoralist and a capitalist society. What can easily translate are the qualities of human kindness. Sipoi embodied kindness. When I first met Sipoi in Kenya in 2004, he rode the bus to Nairobi to greet my sister and me. It took Sipoi three hours of bus t

Posted by: David Schaefer, Public Affairs Savvy parents know all about coming to the zoo when it rains in Seattle. They visit Zoomazium , Woodland Park Zoo’s award-winning, LEED-certified indoor play area for kids to learn about nature – and have a great time doing it. But Zoomazium is another great choice now that the weather is in the 90’s. It’s air-conditioned! In this all-season space, children 8 and under connect with the wonders of the natural world. Kids discover a new favorite animal, star in a nature play, or climb, slide and explore their way through a magical world. What’s more, after pretending to be a big cat or an ape, they can walk outside and in just a few short steps, meet a real live jaguar or a gorilla in a beautiful, naturalistic habitat. The building is designed to LEED-gold standards, the first in a North American zoo. And for those trying to beat the heat in the Seattle area this summer, it is still a great idea to come to the zoo. Zoomazium is open daily and is

( Parents’ Night Out childcare is available at upcoming ZooTunes concerts on 7/1 and 7/2-- please register online to guarantee your child's spot . Read on to hear one five-year-old’s experience at the first ever Parents’ Night Out…) Posted by: Janel Kempf, Education While our almost-five-year-old daughter, Elena, has come with us in the past to many ZooTunes concerts (her first live music experience ever was They Might Be Giants when she was just six weeks old), WPZ was offering an interesting new option the night of The B-52s concert: Parents’ Night Out childcare ! I knew I’d be more willing to dance embarrassingly to an 80’s band without any chance of grandma hearing the next-day report of how weird I am. Elena was excited too—why hang around with mom, dad, and their friends when you can play all evening at Zoomazium ? So, I signed her up, and dropped her off at 5:00 p.m. the night of the concert. (In plenty of time, by the way, to meet my husband and friends back in line and

Posted by: Robin Christy, Zoo Adventure Instructor What goes on at the zoo after the gates close? Wouldn't you like to know? Well, here is your chance to find out—sneak on in to the zoo to have a peek behind closed doors at a Zoo Overnight Adventure . Ok, so I work at the zoo and you might think that spending the night here would be, well, just a few too many hours! Oh, but you would be wrong! I recently had the opportunity to become one of the few elite members of the Wilderness Survival Skills Zoo Adventures Overnight Special Services Team (yes, it’s a mouthful). And let me tell you, this small group of carefully selected individuals puts on an evening to remember! There is nothing like grabbing a special red-lens flashlight and heading out for a private adventure on zoo grounds as the sun slowly disappears from the sky. Imagine visiting the animals and taking your time to relax and observe without the thousands of other zoo visitors who have now gone home for the night! This, as

Posted by: Ric Brewer, Communications This past Saturday we celebrated the fourth Bear Affair, our annual event that provides tons of information about bear species around the world. The centerpiece of the event, and perhaps the most highly anticipated activity by zoo visitors (and maybe the bears!) is the non-safe campground demonstration. This entails recreating a human campsite within the brown bear exhibit in our Northern Trail zone. The campsite is complete, including a tent, barbeque equipment, clothing, sleeping bag and a cooler---basically all the equipment one would take along on a camping trip. The twist is that instead of storing food safely away from bears--in airtight bags 15 feet or more up in a tree, in bear safe containers--everything is left casually around the site. And this is what happened... Julie Hopkins, a field coordinator from our conservation partner, the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project , narrated as the bears were let out to discover the bounty left strewn abou

Posted by: Nicole Aragon, Education Up against the lure of TV, video games and computers, it can be hard to get kids to replace screen time with green time. But it’s more important now than ever to help our kids connect with nature, so we can inspire and nurture the future conservation stewards of our planet. Here are some special opportunities Woodland Park Zoo has created this summer to connect kids of all ages with nature and get them involved in real conservation. Ages 2–4 Young Explorers With eight individual classes offered at Zoomazium during the summer, you and your child will have plenty of opportunities to explore nature themes with stories, puppets, animal contact, and nature exploration. Click here for more information or to register. Ages 4–9 Zooper Day Camp: One Can Make a Difference We are very excited to present a day camp theme this year that lets kids discover how they can make a difference in the world and improve their environment. Campers will not only engage in ec

Posted by: Jenny Mears, Education Programs Coordinator Have you always wanted to attract more wildlife to your yard, but need a little help? Looking for local resources on backyard habitats including events, workshops and websites? Then check out Woodland Park Zoo's Backyard Habitat blog ! This blog is updated weekly with local resources on everything from native plant sales and backyard habitat festivals to updates on bird feeders from Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. You'll also receive seasonal updates on such topics as when to clean out nestboxes, when to look for mason bees, and when to prune trees and shrubs! Photo by Dennis Connor.

Posted by: David Schaefer, Director of Public Affairs Want to know what we’ll be up to next year? The zoo’s draft plan for 2009 operations is now posted on the zoo’s website and is available at the zoo’s administrative offices and with the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation. The annual plan is made public as part of the Woodland Park Zoo Society’s operations agreement with the city of Seattle. Among the highlights planned for 2009 are the new Humboldt penguin exhibit—the most significant new animal exhibit in a decade at the zoo—and a new food concession contract. Other changes include expansion of the education programs offered to the public, changes to accommodate additional guest parking and further incentives to reduce auto use by our staff. New animals expected to join the collection in 2009 include a silverback lowland gorilla, a giraffe and zebra. We will exhibit a tree kangaroo, representing one of the zoo’s ambitious field conservation efforts. We also will participate in

Posted by: Jona Jacobson, Woodland Park Zoo Conservation Department Did you know in the 1970s, only 75 Rodrigues fruit bats were left on the island of Rodrigues, a district of Mauritius? But thanks to concerted conservation efforts, those numbers are now approximately 5,500. This number can drop, however, by as much as 50% during a major cyclone, which occurs every 5 to 6 years. The Rodrigues Environmental Educator Project (REEP) was formed in 1998, and for the first two years the emphasis was on the bats themselves. Starting in 2000, REEP expanded their focus to include environmental issues and school programs. REEP visits 13 schools about every two weeks to conduct lessons with 5th and 6th grade children. The lessons are interactive and hands-on to bolster the teachers' standard curriculum. REEP teaches the scientific, English and Creole names for plants and animals, and takes students out on field trips: 1 to 2 trips per student, per year, during which time the students visit th

Every year, the Association of Zoos & Aquariums holds its national convention in order to allow zoo professionals to network, learn from one another and hold award ceremonies for the best exhibits and educational programs created during the previous year. This year's convention, held in Milwaukee, is no exception and we were pleased to just be awarded top honors for our Cultural Interpreter Program for last year's Maasai Journey. This program brought four Maasai gentlemen from Kenya to teach zoo visitors about their lives, and how they intertwine with African wildlife, on the savannas of Kenya. Thousands of people took part in their various programs, learning about the importance of water, thrilling to stories of their interactions with giraffes, zebra, and dozens of other wildlife species. We can't thank these four men enough for their contributions to this program: Kakuta Ole Hamisi, Sokoine Ntalamia, Kobole Partisan Ole Parsala, and Sammy Kiako Sipoi. They were able

Dr. Brady Barr, the enigmatic host of National Geographic's Dangerous Encounters: Countdown Croc, appeared for a special presentation in Zoomazium yesterday. The celebrated herpetologist (that's someone who studies reptiles, for those of you not in the know!) visited prior to his National Geographic lecture held at Benaroya Hall. Thanks to spring break (and before the torrential hail storm), more than 100 kids were treated to a talk about reptiles and got the chance to meet a blue-tongued skink, tortoise and ball python up close while Brady filled them in on lots of info about their natural history, conservation status and his adventures in the field. We hope that Brady can come back and visit longer---though we're glad he didn't bring one of his 23-foot-long crocodile friends!

This summer the zoo launched its Maasai Journey, a presentation that highlighted the animals of East Africa. Part of Maasai Journey is the opportunity to meet and speak with four Maasai in person. Kibole, Kakuta, Kenneth and Sipoi are four Maasai hailing from a small, rural community in Maasailand in southern Kenya. The Maasai in their village, Merrueshi, are pastoralists, raising cattle for food. Because of this they live in very close proximity to African wildlife including giraffe, lions, zebra, hyenas and other animals that live on the savanna. Kakuta Ole Hamisi, a junior elder at Merrueshi, has worked at the zoo the past six years, giving presentations about life in Maasailand, the challenges to his people and to the wildlife they share the land with. This summer, Kibole, Kenneth and Sipoi joined him at the zoo to give presentations that help paint a fuller picture of life in Kenya in a rural setting, which is mimicked in our African Village exhibit. The Maasai here are educators,