Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Today, March 4, is a very special day—the day we wish little Kitoko a happy 1st birthday! What better way to celebrate than to share with you some highlights from this very special western lowland gorilla's first year! 1. Birth and first days Kitoko was born on March 4, 2020 to first-time mother Uzumma and silverback male, Kwame. Instantly our collective hearts melted seeing how quickly Uzumma took to her new role —doting on her new baby, nursing him, cuddling him and patting him to sleep. No doubt, she has given him the very best start in life… and given us more memories to treasure! Watch here:  https://youtu.be/pZGHsWWaslo "I only have eyes for you!" Uzumma gazes lovingly at her newborn baby. 2. Growing, climbing and exploring! Kitoko was a bright-eyed and curious baby right from the start and he has met every milestone while growing and learning about the world around him. H

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications We have some wonderful news to share! Western lowland gorilla Nadiri and her new baby girl are now together bonding and the baby is thriving. The newborn is the second baby for Nadiri—who marks her own 25th birthday today—and the first between Nadiri and dad, 21-year-old Kwame. The newborn gorilla—the 15th gorilla born at our zoo—doesn't have a name yet, but that is coming soon. Nadiri's new daughter, at only a few days old. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Nadiri  gave birth to her second daughter two weeks ago,  on January 29th, but didn’t immediately pick her up to nurse or keep her warm. So shortly after birth, gorilla and veterinary staff stepped in to provide round-the-clock care for the baby including bottle feeding her human infant formula, keeping her warm and providing her with short visits with her mother. Nadiri holds her baby close to her and the two are now together 24/7. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo  “During the f

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Hello sweetness! We're thrilled to welcome the newest member of our western lowland gorilla family. After an eight to nine month pregnancy , 24-year-old Nadiri gave birth at 10:25 a.m. on January 29, 2021! The newborn is the second baby for Nadiri, and the first between her and dad, 21-year-old Kwame.  Watch footage of the new baby:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m8MpNh0y4k&feature=youtu.be Shortly after birth, zoo gorilla and veterinary staff had to step in and place the baby under round-the-clock care in the gorilla building because Nadiri had not picked up her baby to nurse or keep her warm enough the first day. Staff are nourishing the baby by bottle feeding her human infant formula, keeping her warm and providing her with short visits with her mother; the baby is doing well. The first 72 hours of life are the most critical for a newborn gorilla. “We will continue to provide hands-

Posted by Meghan Sawyer, Communications Malayan tiger, Azul, is making herself right at home in her Banyan Wilds habitat. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo has a new queen of the jungle: 5-year-old Azul recently arrived in Seattle all the way from the Bronx Zoo in New York City and now she’s ready to meet all of you! The beautiful young Malayan tiger spent 30 days in standard quarantine under the watchful eye of Woodland Park Zoo’s veterinary care team and is now ready to roam through the zoo's naturalistic Banyan Wilds habitat. 5-year-old Azul was born at Bronx Zoo in New York City. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Azul was born at the Bronx Zoo on January 5, 2016, and had to be hand-raised in the days following her birth because her mother was not giving her proper care. That kind of upbringing means that Azul has an especially calm and mellow nature—she’s taken very well to her animal keepers here in her new home! Azul! Photo: Jeremy

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Woodland Park Zoo said goodbye to Mr. Sea, a male Humboldt penguin. Due to a decline in health, he has been humanely euthanized. The geriatric penguin was two months shy of his 32nd birthday. Mr. Sea was the oldest penguin at the zoo and one of the oldest of his species in North America. Forty penguins remain in our zoo’s colony. Mr. Sea was not only our oldest penguin, he was one of the oldest of his species in North America. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Because of his advanced age, our dedicated penguin keepers and animal health team members have been closely monitoring Mr. Sea for some time. They noticed during the last several weeks, that his appetite and activity level were down. The median life expectancy for Humboldt penguins that survive their first year is 17.6 years for both males and females. Mr. Sea has been part of our penguin colony for 11 years. He fathered nine offspring at his former home and at the zoo; he lea

Posted by Rebecca Whitham, Vice President of Engagement with Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, WPZ  A female proboscis monkey and her baby in Borneo’s Kinabatangan region. The boat driver cuts the engine. We slowly bob and drift along the river toward the direction of what has caught the observation team’s eyes—a sight found nowhere else in the world: the improbably proportioned proboscis monkey. Researchers with HUTAN’s primate observation unit have spotted a small family group. With the aid of binoculars and a clipboard, they take note of juveniles playing, female adults nearby at rest. A dominant male on a branch all his own watches over us, potbelly flopped over almost as characteristically as his nose.  Our team recognizes a male proboscis monkey by his signature nose. That signature nose is meant to signal his attractiveness, and possibly act as a sound enhancer for better group management. It also has given the proboscis monkey its name and its prominence in the eco-story of Bo