Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Kristin Quirk, Education Father's Day is almost here, a good time to take a closer look at the many forms of fatherhood in the animal kingdom. While its natural for fathers of some species to be entirely absent, other animal fathers fill all sorts of roles: protector, companion, provider, disciplinarian, partner and even playmate. Let's explore the world of animal dads. Golden lion tamarins Golden lion tamarins often have twins so dad’s help is very important in raising the baby monkeys. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. A male golden lion tamarin takes his role as father very seriously. The typical tamarin dad grooms, feeds, plays with and gives his infants piggyback rides. Hey dads, does this sound familiar? Hornbills With a big, long beak dad is able to slip food to mom living within the tree. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Hornbills will find a cavity or hole in a tree to make their home. The mother hornbill stays inside the t

Posted by: Kristi Dodds, Education Photo: Mat Hayward/Woodland Park Zoo. It was ten years ago that Zoomazium first opened its doors and I still remember the hustle and bustle to prepare vividly. We were working late into the night to take care of any last minute changes and put on all those finishing touches to make sure everything would be perfect for the grand opening. After all, this place would be the destination of some of the most opinionated and strong-willed visitors that come to the zoo—children. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. I can recall opening day like it was yesterday,  picturing all the kids wide-eyed with anticipation and noses glued to the toddler door just waiting for us to open and let them in. Video: A look back at opening day of Zoomazium, 2006. This year marks the milestone of Zoomazium’s 10th year since opening in May of 2006. Over 3 million visitors later, the look and feel of the building has not changed drastically, but the progra

Posted by: Jessie Maxwell, Education Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. The number of days left in the school year are dwindling, and soon summer will be upon us! I am the Alpha Dog of our summer camp program, and my favorite time of year is nearly here. Our zoo camp programs are a terrific blend of learning and fun and have been providing immersive zoo experiences for children for several generations. One program in particular, Discoveries Day Camp, not only offers fun, exploratory science learning for kids ages 5–7, but expresses it all though the world of creative drama in partnership with the Seattle Children’s Theatre . Discoveries Day Camp incorporates drama and science in a week-long adventure through interactive storytelling and animal-based games and tours. In I Spy , we will travel around the zoo gaining knowledge and finding clues to use in our special assignment as a group of secret agents solving animal mysteries. No case is too difficult for us! Photo: Seattle Chil

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications VIDEO: Get up close to all-star animals at Woodland Park Zoo. The stage is set for awesome animal encounters this summer. Head to the all new Alvord Broadleaf Theater just behind Zoomazium to meet the all-star ambassador animals featured in a new 1:00 p.m. daily program through September 30. These animals have been training with zoo staff for months to prepare for the experience. The program showcases the animals’ natural talents, from the flight of a hornbill to the surprisingly agile climb of a porcupine. A child has an up close experience with an ambassador animal. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. Ambassador animals have a unique role at the zoo, interacting with the public through education programs designed to bring people and wildlife closer together—not just physically, but in our hearts and minds too. We believe that empathy is at the core of conservation attitudes, and ambassador animals offer a great opp

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: Caitlin Potter, Education For young minds, learning doesn’t stop when the school bell rings and subjects like biology and engineering can really come to life in hands-on experiences beyond the classroom. The projects and advisors behind ZooCrew, our after-school program serving middle school age students through schools and community centers, give students early and positive exposure to how STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) can improve their world, like in our most recent quarter that tackled a pressing conservation issue: poaching. For 8 weeks last fall, ZooCrew students at three Seattle middle schools, Asa Mercer International, Washington and Denny International, studied the African savanna. In addition to playing educational games, meeting live animals and learning about careers in science, ZooCrew students delved into the topic of poaching. We learned about this complex issue by exploring the different perspectives of people involved in poaching,

Posted by: Jenny Mears, Education Advanced Inquiry Program students reflecting on their experience in Northwest Wildlife Conservation, a regional field course in which students traveled to the Oregon coast to meet with stakeholders in the Oregon silverspot butterfly conservation program.  Interested in pursuing your degree through the Advanced Inquiry Program ? Join us for an informational forum on November 17 or January 21. The Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) is an exciting Master’s degree offered by Woodland Park Zoo in partnership with Project Dragonfly at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. This program is designed for a broad range of professionals from education, conservation, business, and government settings, and offers a groundbreaking graduate degree focused on inquiry-driven learning as a powerful agent for social and ecological change. The Advanced Inquiry Program combines graduate courses at the zoo with web-based courses, and provides students with hands-on, rea

Posted by: Eli Weiss, Education Adapted from a blog post that first appeared on The Ocean Project . Woodland Park Zoo, along with our partners the Seattle Aquarium and Pacific Science Center are working together to build the Seattle Youth Climate Action Network (CAN). The goal of this project supported by The Ocean Project’s Innovative Solutions Grants+ is to train and support teen leaders, helping them create a campaign that encourages their peers to take measurable action on the issue of climate change. In collaboration with partner staff and community agencies and organization, we are beginning to build local support and enthusiasm for the project. Seattle Youth CAN is picking up momentum—we have had a handful of successful events and have already learned a lot about starting a local youth network. Our training model for this effort has included engaging teen participants in hands-on action; a full day of instruction on climate science, communication strategies and loc