Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications The new colony of Humboldt penguins was introduced today for the first time to Woodland Park Zoo’s new penguin exhibit , and boy was it a thrill to watch! The 20 tuxedoed birds waddled outdoors onto the beach and naturally did what penguins in the wild do—go swimming! Up until today, the penguins (10 males and 10 females) had been in standard quarantine in the interior enclosure of the new exhibit as part of our excellent animal care program. They arrived three weeks ago from five other zoos and aquariums, and had been behind the scenes getting used to each other, their keepers and their new daily routine. After showing great signs that they were adjusting well , the penguins were ready to take their first steps outside since arriving—and what a day for a debut with the sun shining and the water glistening blue! The birds wasted no time in exploring the depths of the pool, the sunny beaches and the shady nooks of their exhibit. Some even built

Posted by Collection Manager Shawn Pedersen Well, yes, the nine penguins that will soon call the new Humboldt penguin exhibit home did fly here, but by way of airplanes, not their own power. Five females and two males arrived yesterday afternoon from SeaWorld San Diego and St. Louis Zoo. They join a pair from Aquarium of Niagara that arrived earlier this week and 11 more penguins arrive later last night from Brookfield Zoo and Rosamond Gifford Zoo. The 10 penguin pairs will be quarantined for 30 days before they waddle out into their brand new exhibit for the first time. The penguins arrived at the airport in “kennel cab” style dog crates, safely screened to keep them calm. Zookeeper Celine Pardo and I loaded the crates into the zoo’s van and whisked them to the zoo and the off-exhibit area constructed for them behind the new exhibit. One-by-one we opened each kennel at which time a penguin head poked out, wondering where they were. Like the penguins, we didn’t know quite what to expec

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications and Jona Jacobson, Field Conservation Humboldt penguins nest in poop. No, really. In the wild, Humboldt penguins dig their nests into guano, the accumulated droppings of sea birds. These nesting burrows protect eggs and chicks in the unique yet unforgiving desert environment that is Punta San Juan, Peru—home of Peru’s largest Humboldt penguin population, and the inspiration for Woodland Park Zoo’s new penguin exhibit opening in May. But this tidbit is important not just because it’s a great “Did you know?” to pull out at your next party, but because it’s also a significant factor in the conservation of this endangered species. You see, one of the greatest threats to Humboldt penguins is the overharvesting of guano as an agricultural fertilizer. Take away their nesting material, and penguins lose the ability to safely hatch eggs and add chicks to their already depleted population. To mitigate this threat, a guano reserve was created in Punta S

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications With most of the penguin exhibit construction out of the way, our exhibit fabrication team is now shifting focus to adding the details that make the exhibit feel truly immersive. A 2-ton anchor was dropped into the exhibit space yesterday to add a visual cue that the exhibit takes you from the penguin-filled shoreline of Punta San Juan, Peru to the underwater ecosystem where penguins find their food. Underwater viewing "bubbles" in the new penguin exhibit Here you'll also learn about the commercial overfishing of anchovies--penguins' favorite food--and how some conservationists believe changing our food habits can help save the endangered Humboldt penguin species. You see, anchovies are primarily overfished to be ground down and used as farm feed. To encourage Peruvian fisheries to harvest fewer anchovies, consumers would need to create a profitable market for anchovies beyond their current, wasteful use as feed for farms. B

Looks like Woodland Park Zoo's new female siamang has taken to the trees after her recent introduction to the outdoor exhibit. Volunteer photographer Dennis Dow, who snapped these shots, said "She seemed very comfortable as well as athletic as she swung through the branches." You can find the siamangs in the Trail of Vines exhibit in Woodland Park Zoo's Tropical Asia biome. Photos by Dennis Dow.

Posted by: Eric Kowalczyk, Zookeeper The national bird of Nepal has now made its way to Seattle. New to the zoo is a pair of Himalayan monal ( Lophophorus impeyanus ) pheasants, donated by a private aviculturist from Burien. This species is endangered due to habitat destruction and overhunting for food. Himalayan monals are typically found at elevations 9,000 to 14,500 feet from east Afghanistan eastwards through the Himalayas to Bhutan and northeast India and northward to Tibet. During the non-winter seasons, they prefer steep, rocky terrain with occasional grassy and scrub openings interspersed with woods. In the winter months, the birds descend to forested areas at lower altitudes where there is dense undergrowth. These birds are on exhibit at the Conservation Aviary in the Temperate Forest biome of the zoo. The very colorful male is adorned with iridescent plumage that shows best on sunny days. Ironically with this rainbow of colors, what is most prominent during courtship display

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Looks like I wasn't the only one kicking up my heels to bring in the New Year... Volunteer photographer Dennis Dow snapped some terrific photos of the gazelles pronking and the zebras in action out in the zoo's award-winning African Savanna this past week. "I was walking past the African Savanna on Friday Jan. 2 in the late afternoon and noticed that the gazelles were playing and running after each other. Within a minute or so the oryx and zebras followed suit and were kicking up their heels and bounding around the savanna," said Dennis. What a fun start to the new year!

Posted by: Ric Brewer, Communications The champion of snow leopards, Helen Freeman, was remembered over the weekend at a private ceremony held at Woodland Park Zoo that paid tribute to her tireless efforts toward protecting snow leopards and establishing the Snow Leopard Trust. Family, friends, the Snow Leopard Trust, and the zoo unveiled an ensemble of bronze sculptures that illustrates the lifetime passion of Freeman who passed away in 2007. The commemoration to Freeman is located near the zoo’s snow leopard exhibit. Members of the Snow Leopard Trust (SLT), Freeman’s family, and local artist Gretchen Daiber collaborated with the zoo to create the sculptural vignette: a clipboard detailing Freeman’s observations of snow leopards, a leaping snow leopard and a small plaque. Freeman’s interest in snow leopards began in the early 1970s as a volunteer docent at the zoo where she began studying the zoo’s pair of snow leopards from Russia. She discovered a new passion for the endangered cats

Uzumma, who turned one year old this October, has been boldly venturing away from her mother and exploring the new trees recently installed in the gorilla exhibit. Many of us have spotted her playing around the base of the trees before, but this weekend, one of our photographers caught Uzumma testing her climbing skills on the 30 ft tall trees. Word is she made it about half way up several times! Have you seen her go higher? Let us know! Photos by Dennis Dow.

Here's video of six-year-old western lowland gorilla Calaya mastering the new upright trees and vines recently installed in the gorilla exhibit. This footage was taken at the very first moment Calaya encountered the new structures, and as you can see, she wasted no time in checking them out! The new artificial trees and vines installed in the exhibit will stand up to the rough and tumble of playful (and heavy!) gorillas for years to come. Come check them out!

Calaya took to the trees last week as our gorillas were treated to their newly "decorated" exhibit. Two custom-made metal and concrete trees were the main reason for the exhibit makeover. Created by our talented Exhibits crew, the trees--one weighing more than one ton--were installed both for safety and durability. As you can imagine, a 300-pound gorilla jumping on a rotting tree branch can have consequences, so these realistic trees were made to allay any fears of gorillas raining from the trees! Part of the funding for this project came from 3-year-old Lucas Engles-Klann, who, with the assistance of his mom, held a vegetarian meal fundraiser and brought in $1,200 for our gorillas. We were fortunate to have Lucas here when the gorillas first were let into the newly renovated exhibited. Despite his shyness, Lucas seemed to enjoy the fruits of his generosity almost as much as Calaya enjoyed swinging in her new playground! (Photo by Tianna Klineburger)

UPDATE: Our exhibit crew is putting the finishing touches on the new upright trees recently installed in silverback Vip’s gorilla group . They are adding deadfall and hanging vines and hammocks to make the trees more accessible and usable for the gorillas. Then the horticulture team will bring in soil and finish planting the area. We hope to have the gorillas back out and exploring these exciting new environmental enrichment items within the next few days. If you catch any photos of the gorillas checking out the new trees, please share! You can add them to our flickr slideshow by uploading them to flickr.com and tagging them with the phrase “woodlandparkzoo” or you can email them to us at webkeeper@zoo.org . Photo by Ryan Hawk.

At the zoo today you may have seen this type of crane: And also this type of crane: This 250-ton crane using a 160-foot boom was on hand today to lift three 30-foot tall trees into the gorilla exhibit for silverback Vip’s group . You might not guess it, but gorillas are adept climbers, often building nests in trees in the wild. And though you’ll find lots of other trees and vegetation already in the gorilla exhibit, these trees are a bit different—they are made of steel pipes with reinforced concrete. Skillfully built, painted and installed by our talented exhibits crew, the new trees will serve as safe climbing structures for the gorillas’ enrichment, and they’ll resist rot and damage for years to come. Check out the trees’ creation and installation: Pete’s group in the adjacent gorilla exhibit will likely be back out this week, but Vip’s group will remain off view while the installation crew puts the finishing touches on the tree installation. We’ll report back on how the gorillas t

Like her elusive wild relatives, Helen—Woodland Park Zoo’s newest snow leopard—made herself hard to spot during her official debut this morning at the snow leopard exhibit. TV and newspaper cameras scrambled to catch a glimpse of the beautiful feline as she crept around trees and hid behind rocks, shyly exploring her new home and the different scents her keepers scattered around the space. Helen, a 3-year-old snow leopard, joins us from Tautphaus Park Zoo in Idaho . Here at WPZ, she’ll make her home with two other snow leopards, 14-year-old Nadia, and 2-year-old Tom. The cat’s name carries on the legacy of devoted snow leopard conservationist Helen Freeman (1932-2007), founder of the Snow Leopard Trust , a WPZ partner for conservation. Together with the Snow Leopard Trust, we’ll be hosting the second annual International Snow Leopard Day event at the zoo this Saturday, August 23, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. At the event, learn all about snow leopard research and conservatio

Posted by: Zoo Corps The flamingos are doing great in their new exhibit! They are slowly becoming accustomed to a constant stream of curious visitors. Flamingos are a gregarious species, meaning they like to live in large groups. Our flock currently has 27 members, but will soon grow when we add six new hand-raised female flamingos to the exhibit. We hope that the flamingos will be more comfortable in a larger group and begin breeding. Look out for breeding behaviors like nest building or synchronized group “dances,” which eventually lead to eggs and then a crèche (a congregation of baby flamingos separated from the adults, except for feeding). Babies don’t resemble the adults as closely as you might think; instead of being pink with a long curved beak, they spend their first two years fluffy white and straight-beaked. Already, our flamingos have begun building nests from mud, sticks, and sometimes even feathers. Flamingos are extremely protective of their nest sites and will bec

Few people have heard of this diminutive deer species hailing from South America, but once you've seen these adorable deer, you won't forget them! Southern pudu inhabit dense, temperate forests containing thick bamboo understories from sea level to 5,500 feet (1,676 m). Adult pudu weigh around 14-30 pounds and stand 14-18 inches high. The babies weigh only about 1-1.5 pounds at birth and about 8 inches tall! This weekend we were delighted with the birth of this endangered species here at the zoo. The pudus are exhibited adjacent to our brand new Chilean flamingo exhibit, a bird species that share their habitat in the wild. For more information about this species, which is disappearing in the wild due to illegal logging, habitat loss and hunting, visit our Southern Pudu Fact Sheet . View a short video of these little deer below (note this video does not have sound):

With beautiful weather and beautiful birds, Saturday's flamingo exhibit opening day brought in over 10,000 visitors! Thanks to everyone who came out to welcome the flamingos to their new home. Photos by Dennis Dow, Ryan Hawk, and Adria Saracino.

Flamingos are getting all the attention these days, but there’s another exhibit opening this weekend that you don’t want to miss… The always popular Butterflies and Blooms exhibit re-opens for the summer season on Fri., May 23 (now free with zoo admission). You’ll be surrounded by nearly 1000 free-flying butterflies representing 15 North American species . If you’re lucky, you may even get one to land on you. Here’s a tip: butterflies are attracted to bright colors! Zebra longwing butterfly , photo by Dennis Conner.

Q: What's the fastest way to move a flock of flamingos from one place to another? A: Carry them! The 27 members of the zoo’s flock of Chilean flamingos were carried one by one to their new exhibit today. They won’t make their public premiere until Memorial Day weekend, but we’ve moved them in a bit early to let them get acquainted with their (still off-view) new home. After settling in their holding area for a few hours, the birds paraded into their new exhibit and have begun to explore their surroundings. The keepers are watching the birds closely to see how they adjust to the new space -- several birds have already been observed drinking from the pool. Want to see them for yourselves? Don't miss the opening day celebration on Sat., May 24, filled with South American music, flamingo programs and giveaways, stilt walkers and pink cupcakes from Cupcake Royale. See you there! Photos by Melissa Wheeler.

The black-and-white colobus monkeys on exhibit in our Tropical Rain Forest area have received some additional exhibit-mates and so now five colobus make the spot their home. Last week brought introductions to each other. Many species of monkeys are highly social but highly territorial and hierarchical so careful introductions are vital to incorporating new members into the group. Soon the new members were exploring the exhibit and getting their social nuances worked out. Colobus are native across equitorial Africa and are known for their dramatic black coats with flowing white hair. The name "colobus" is derived from the Greek word meaning "docked" or "mutilated." Colobus monkeys once were thought to be abnormal because they have no thumb, or only a small stub where the thumb would usually be. This is actually an adaptation rather than a mutilation which allows colobus monkeys to easily travel along the tops of branches quadripedally. (Photo by Dennis Dow)