Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Happy Leap Day to you on this Wonderfully Wild Wednesday ! A clucking frog? During the breeding season, the Oregon spotted frog’s call is a series of clucking noises. We’re doing our part to keep them clucking. At Woodland Park Zoo, we raise Oregon spotted frogs until they are large enough to survive on their own, then release them into protected wetlands here in Washington. The Leap Day celebration continues at the zoo today and Sat., March 3 . We’re celebrating amphibian conservation success stories through frog-themed crafts, keeper chats on frogs and amphibians, puppet shows and interactive activities. Hear from national experts, including our curator of herpetology, Dr. Jennifer Pramuk, about what is being done to save amphibians. Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society members also will be on hand to discuss frogs and other amphibians. On March 3, kids ages 3-12 dressed in green or other frog-themed gear will receive

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Cold rain showers or accumulated snow in the suburban highlands didn’t deter 40 volunteers from trekking to Carkeek Park on Saturday for a training session on identifying eggs laid by local amphibian species. Volunteers inspect possible egg masses underwater at Carkeek Park. Photo by Stan Milkowski. Outfitted in knee-high boots or hip waders, the volunteers carefully treaded in Carkeek’s ponds under the guidance of biologists and naturalists from Woodland Park Zoo, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Seattle Parks and Recreation. The industrious scene was a practice session for a new amphibian program that teams ““ citizen scientists ” with Woodland Park Zoo, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park to survey amphibian egg masses in ponds and wetlands in western Washington. Hand-held GPS units, digital cameras, field identification guides and, for som

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications PNG YUS coffee is now available at Woodland Park Zoo ZooStores and Caffe Vita locations. Seattle is about to taste the first ever coffee made available in the U.S. from a remote part of Papua New Guinea—the Yopno Uruwa Som region of the Huon Peninsula—home to the endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroo, the little known animal that inspired this whole effort. So how did we get from ‘roo to brew?  Tree kangaroo joey Yawan in his mother's pouch, behind the scenes at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. To protect an endangered species like the tree kangaroo, you need to protect its habitat. Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Woodland Park Zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program helped make that possible in 2009 when we worked with Papua New Guinea villagers in the remote Huon Peninsula to protect 180,000 acres of their land in the nation’s first Conservation

Posted by: Matt Mills, Zookeeper Did you know that rhinos used to roam wild in the United States? There were even water rhinos that would swim in the lakes of central Washington! Six million years ago, during the Miocene, there were over 50 species of rhinoceros around the world! Today, five species are still alive, but their numbers are dwindling and they will only continue to exist if we act quickly. Have you ever thought about what you could do to help? Baby and mother white rhinos at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. (Photo by Matt Mills) The zookeepers and staff of Woodland Park Zoo care about rhinos. The Puget Sound chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK) is having a bowling party and fundraiser for these special animals at Spin Alley in Shoreline on May 10, and you are invited to join us! AAZK began Bowling for Rhinos in 1991 as a way for chapters to raise funds for conservation and increase awareness of current rhino populations’ challenges. In th

Posted by: Diane Yoshimi, Zookeeper, with Linda Uyeda, Zookeeper Recently born Chinese crocodile lizard. Photo by Ryan Hawk /Woodland Park Zoo. Woodland Park Zoo recently had two female Chinese crocodile lizards ( Shinisaurus crocodilurus ) give birth to two litters of 11 babies in total. The crocodile lizard is an unusual reptile that gives birth to young after 9 to12 months of gestation. The newborn babies, weighing approximately 4 to 6 grams, are independent at birth and litter size ranges from 1 to 9. Since WPZ acquired a pair in 1993, there have been 70 crocodile lizard offspring born at the zoo. In December 2010 there were 115 individuals living in 22 North American institutions held in a managed program, meaning a studbook keeper recommends which individuals should be bred in order to maintain genetic diversity in the captive population. Adult Chinese crocodile lizard (left) in a tank next to a baby Shinisaurus (right). Photo by Ryan Hawk /Woodland Park Zoo.

Posted by: Martin Ramirez, Mammal Curator A month after arriving to Woodland Park Zoo via FedEx from Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas, 7-year-old, female sloth bear , Tasha, underwent her quarantine exam on Tuesday. At Woodland Park Zoo, the quarantine exam is the last major step in the process to clear a newly arrived animal out of standard 30-day quarantine and prepare them to move into their exhibit. Dr. Darin Collins, the zoo’s director of Animal Health, inspects Tasha's teeth. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Tasha received a full physical examination by our expert Animal Health staff that included blood work, radiographs and weight—essential baseline data that we keep on file to reference as we track an animal’s health over their lifetime. Close up of Tasha's claws. Sloth bears dig out insect mounds with their long, sharp claws. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Weighing in at 215 pounds, Tasha received a clean bill of health and has been approved to

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Big news: Your votes have made a difference for wildlife! We are proud to announce our conservation partner , Snow Leopard Trust, has won 1st place in the BBC World Challenge ! Thanks to your votes, they will receive $20,000 to help protect wild snow leopards and will have their story told on the BBC's international news outlets to spread the word about big cat conservation. Congrats to the Snow Leopard Trust and our many, many thanks to you all for voting throughout October and November and helping them win this incredible global honor. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.

Posted by: Fred Koontz, Field Conservation; Sue Andersen, Zookeeper Since their arrival last April, Woodland Park Zoo's new gray wolves have been delighting visitors with their majestic appearance and playful behavior. The four canids , all female, are an important way for the zoo to help tell the story about this important and endangered species from the Northwest. It also very timely, as the state Fish and Wildlife Commission is considering a state-wide wolf conservation and management plan—a proposal that Woodland Park Zoo supports. Why Conserve Wolves? Gray wolves, also called timber wolves, historically were found throughout North America, but they were relentlessly pursued and killed so that by the mid-1930s wolves were on the verge of extinction in the lower 48 states. Following their 1973 listing as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act, wildlife management efforts have enabled wolves to make a comeback in the Great Lakes and northern Rockies. Bio

Posted by: Peter S. Miller, Zookeeper “Is it safe to come out yet? Not yet, maybe tomorrow.” These are the thoughts that might arise in the brain of a Louisiana pine snake hatchling. It is a chance decision that could mean your life or death in the wild. Such is the beginning of life for an endangered Louisiana pine snake. Next thoughts: hide or eat. When your serpentine undulations would signal a nearby predator that a tasty meal has just emerged from a clutch of eggs under the soil, stealth is critical…but so is breakfast! As the old adage goes, “eat or be eaten.” The Louisiana pine snake, Pituophis ruthveni , is a species under threat from habitat alteration of its native longleaf pine forest in the southeastern United States. This species has just increased its numbers on planet Earth by two, thanks to hatchlings that emerged late this summer at Woodland Park Zoo’s Day Exhibit. This accomplishment might not sound like much, but when your species is rare in the wild and

Posted by: Brad Rutherford, Snow Leopard Trust – a Woodland Park Zoo conservation partner Dear friends of Woodland Park Zoo and wildlife— One of our conservation partners , Seattle-based Snow Leopard Trust, has an opportunity to win $20,000 for conservation as a finalist in the BBC World Challenge. Your vote can help them win this incredible prize that will protect endangered snow leopards and improve the lives of the people who share snow leopard habitat throughout Central Asia. Here’s Snow Leopard Trust’s executive director, Brad Rutherford, with the story behind the Trust and this exciting opportunity for zoo fans to vote and make a difference… - Woodland Park Zoo Across the vast mountains of Mongolia, snow leopards have been seen as an enemy by herders for generations. However, this all started to change in 1998 when two researchers sat down with herders and really tried to understand their challenges. While drinking tea and listening, it became clear that as long as

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications More than 1,000 endangered frogs started their journey back into the Washington wild yesterday. Populations of the native Oregon spotted frog have been decimated by 80 to 90 percent in our own backyard. But thanks to a multi-institutional recovery project , nearly 1,200 frogs were released yesterday into the wild at a protected site to help restore their populations in Washington state. These frogs start their lives as eggs collected from wetlands by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists. The biologists send the eggs to us and other rearing facilities including Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Oregon Zoo, and Cedar Creek Corrections Center. Our role is to hatch and rear these frogs to give them a safe, predator-free home during those crucial first months when they transform from tadpole to full fledged frog. We’re essentially giving these frogs a head start on survival, allowing them to grow in safety until they are la