Woodland Park Zoo Blog

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&#

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Salem & Knox: These handsome corn snake brothers are besssssst buds! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo  We’d like you to get to know two snakes that are very special to us: Salem and Knox. These 5-year-old corn snake brothers joined our zoo family as youngsters and they’re still as close as can be! Corn snakes are non-venomous and come in many different colors and patterns. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Corn snakes are a North American species of rat snake that subdues its prey by constriction or squeezing. They are not venomous. They can come in many different colors and patterns which allows for occasional misidentification as a more dangerous species, but are generally harmless to humans. In nature, corn snakes are very important for pest control. It is thought they got their name because they can often be found near corn and grain storage areas, where they help control rodent populations. Sa

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 Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Photos by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Two white-naped crane chicks hatched at Woodland Park Zoo—a first in the zoo's history for this species. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo We are proud to announce the hatching of two threatened white-naped crane chicks—a first in the zoo’s 119-year history for this species. These two chicks, which hatched July 9th and 10th, are the first offspring for parents Cal, who is 9 years old and Laura who is 8. While Cal and Laura have only been at Woodland Park Zoo for five years, we have had white-naped cranes living at the zoo for around 30 years. But none successfully produced offspring until now. The sex of our two new chicks hasn’t been determined yet, and they do not have names yet. White-naped crane parents keep a watchful eye on their chick. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Cranes are monogamous and can be very picky when choosing a mate. Even the slightest incompatibility betw

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Heeeeeere's Bumi! This handsome Malayan male tiger is getting comfortable behind the scenes at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo: Courtesy of Audubon Zoo Today is July 29, Global Tiger Day! To celebrate, we give you the first glimpses of our new boy, Bumi (pronounced Boom-y). This strappingly striped 9-year-old recently arrived here from Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and he is currently getting comfortable with his new digs behind-the-scenes at the zoo’s Malayan Tiger habitat in Banyan Wilds. Stay tuned for when he makes his debut later this summer. In the meantime, you can still see our other Malayan tigers, Olan and Eko, in the habitat area. Adult tigers are usually solitary (except a mother with cubs) so you’ll likely see one of them at a time.  "Are you looking at me?" Bumi is chillin' behind the scenes, getting ready for his debut. Photo: Carolyn Sellar/Woodland Park Zoo All subspecies of tigers are critically e

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Kookaburras are known for their laugh-like vocalizations. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Listen carefully. Do you hear laughter? If you’re visiting Woodland Park Zoo’s Australasia area, you just might … and it could be coming from an unexpected source. Our laughing kookaburra family has just doubled in size thanks to these two newly-fledged chicks. Mama, Tamani, and Dad, Murray, are the proud parents of two young females who recently took their first hops—and flights—from the nest, just a few weeks ago. Two kookaburra chicks hatched in May. Photo: Amanda Dukart/Woodland Park Zoo The laughing kookaburra is the largest bird in the kingfisher family (think large head related to body size and long beak for catching prey like rodents, insects and lizards) and is so named for its distinctive vocalizations which sound like a mix of cackling laughter, chuckles and hoots. Each chick was regularly weighed, enabling keepers to

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications All photos by John Loughlin, Woodland Park Zoo It's a big, wonderful world out there. Especially when seen through the eyes of a curious youngster ... Two-month-old Hasani eyeballs the green savanna. This past week was an exciting one for baby giraffe, Hasani. He is doing really well, doesn't need his therapeutic shoes anymore, and is reaching all the milestones that a healthy little (not so little) giraffe calf should reach at two months old. The two-month old giraffe gets a taste, literally, of life on the savanna. Hasani explores the savanna with his family. https://youtu.be/euu4WYTw4Ic Hasani's most recent adventures involve wandering beyond the barn and the corral area to explore the savanna. Like many babies, he is curious and seems to enjoy taking in new sights, sounds, and tastes. He is also making new friends, in the form of a group of helmeted guineafowl. Exploring new areas means making new f

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications There are hundreds of animal species that call Woodland Park Zoo home—animals that are native to many different remote habitats around the world. This includes species ranging from orangutans of the Asian tropical forest and penguins from the Pacific coast of South America to hippopotamuses and ostriches of the African savanna. But there is another community of animals that rely on the green spaces found right here at home—on our grounds and in other neighboring Seattle area parks. You may have seen them here or in nearby habitats. Or maybe you haven’t noticed them at all... but they are here if you look. We share much of our green space with local and native wildlife. A wild blue heron takes advantage of the lemur's pool. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Set on 92 acres, Woodland Park Zoo offers a lush canopy that is made up of more than 90,000 plants, trees, flowers, shrubs and other greenery representing more than 1,