Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Rhinoceros ratsnake by Cezary Borysiuk  via Flickr. New species of snakes, lizards, amphibians and other reptiles will make Woodland Park Zoo their new home in fall 2024. The zoo’s Adaptations Building is currently closed until a major refresh is made to bring in and share these new animals with zoo guests. The Adaptations Building will be transformed into a new Indo-Pacific Islands forest and will showcase endangered and threatened species that range from the forest floors to the verdant treetops of Southeast Asia and Oceania. In addition, the new gallery of exhibits will offer a more complete story about the biodiversity in Southeast Asia’s and Oceania’s tropical conservation hotspots. The exhibit will feature a diversity of species including Asian box turtle and rhinoceros ratsnake. The new reptile and amphibian exhibit will take visitors through the diverse habitats of Southeast Asia and...

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Hello Finni! Photo by Craig Newberry/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo is excited to announce the names of our newest endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroo joeys! The female joey is named Finni, and the male will be known as Soya—both were named by good friends of the zoo, Patti Savoy, and Linda and Harmut Peters.    Soya, photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo The name Finni was inspired by the Finisterre Mountain range in the YUS Conservation Area in Papua New Guinea. Soya was named to honor a ranger who passed away this year and worked with the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program. Female tree kangaroos Elanna, 15, and Omari, 14, gave birth to the joeys in August 2022—the zoo’s male tree kangaroo Rocket, 9, fathered both. Finni, photo by Craig Newberry/Woodland Park Zoo The personalities of the joeys are beginning to shine through, and both are very unique! Soya, born to Omari, is cautious but curious. He likes to hang out c...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Woodland Park Zoo had to make the difficult decision this week of euthanizing its only male Malayan tapir, Bintang, due to age-related decline. Male tapirs have a life expectancy of 19 years in zoos. At 23 years old, Bintang was geriatric.  Bintang in 2016, Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Bintang in 2014, Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo According to Dr. Misty Garcia, associate veterinarian at Woodland Park Zoo, Bintang had been under treatment for decreased mobility due to age-related arthritis since 2016. “Bintang was on a prescribed program of treatments which included laser therapy, massage therapy, pain medications and joint supplements. Over the last three months, the geriatric tapir experienced an overall decline in condition including decreased mobility and significant weight loss,” said Garcia. “The zoo’s animal care team had been monitoring him closely with daily observations of his health and quality of life. We had to m...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Communications Both Papua New Guinea’s Matschie’s tree kangaroos and Nepal’s red pandas need healthy forests! An elusive kangaroo living in trees. A reddish-brown floof chilling atop the forest canopy. What do animals such as Papua New Guinea’s Matschie’s tree kangaroos and Nepal’s red pandas have in common? Both these red furry animals are the faces of forests where conservation has become a community movement. Why? Because we need forests and now, with the health of the world’s forests at risk, forests need us. Only when forests thrive can nature reach its full potential as a climate solution. Picture the stories of these animals and more in the new Forests for All exhibit experience coming to Woodland Park Zoo in 2026. Following a competitive process, the zoo has selected the Seattle-based LMN Architects as principal architects with CLR Design (Philadelphia and Capistrano Beach, Calif.) as habitat designers fo...

Posted by Stephen Reed, Communications On World Rainforest Day, Woodland Park Zoo celebrates the beautiful biodiversity of all forest creatures here in Washington state and around the globe. By protecting critical habitats, we can protect treasured species that call these places home. Hello toco toucan! Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo At Woodland Park Zoo, guests can experience the wonder of rain forest creatures including toucans, poison dart frogs and golden lion tamarins. These animals live in the Tropical Rain Forest exhibit, which has been closed through the pandemic and is expected to reopen soon. Our golden lion tamarins will be happy to see you when the Tropical Rainforest building reopens to the public. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo In the field, Woodland Park Zoo is committed to saving species, like the Pacific marten, a threatened species with a shrinking population in the Olympic Peninsula temperate rain forest. Pacific martens are about the size of a small house ...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications March 3 is UN World Wildlife Day 2021 focused on “Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet.” With the mission of saving wildlife and making conservation a priority in everyone’s lives, Woodland Park Zoo joins in celebrating the central role of forests, the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people globally who rely on forests, and the value of these ecosystems for both wildlife and all of humanity. Gorillas under the forest canopy. Photo by I. Singono, Mondika  World Wildlife Day 2021 is particularly special for Woodland Park Zoo this year because it ushers in the 1st birthday of little Kitoko , a male western lowland gorilla born March 4 during the pandemic. “While the zoo was closed for nearly four months, we shared loads of photos of Kitoko—his milestones and tender moments—with our community and zoo family. He has touched the hearts and minds of hundreds of thousands of people during a tumultuous time and brought so much ...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications It's going to be a watermelon-themed summer! We have some extremely exciting news. We are proud to announce that Ulan, our 8-year-old Malayan tapir, is expecting her first baby between May and June this summer. The last tapir born at the zoo was in 2007.  Ulan is our gorgeous Tapir who is expecting a little watermelon this summer! The expectant father is of course 19-year-old Bintang, who was also born at Woodland Park Zoo. Bintang has sired two offspring when he lived at other zoos before he returned to Seattle in 2014.  Ulan and Bintang share a dip in the pool, the love is real! Tapirs are among the most primitive large mammals in the world, changing little in appearance for millions of years. This prehistoric-looking animal looks like a massive pig with a long snout. However, because they have an odd number of toes (four toes on each front foot, three on each back foot), their closest relatives are horses and rh...

A young orangutan, known to conservation researchers as Mamai, playfully spies on us. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. In the forest, you’re likely to hear an orangutan long before you see one. A rustling in the leaves. A tree limb snap. A crisp lip smack to warn you if you’re getting too close. Tracking these sounds, Mislin and her team of wildlife researchers know they are in the right place when they spot mounds of broken branches and piled leaves in the canopy—fresh orangutan nests. There’s a stirring in one of them. A treetop toddler pokes a red head through the leaves. The team’s data logger records the behavior. “We take note, every three minutes,” Mislin explains. Peeling away from mom, the four-year-old orangutan climbs out on a limb for a closer view of us. It would seem she’s conducting her own primate study. Mislin recognizes the young one, whom they’ve named Mamai and keep regular track of in their study. Composed entirely of local community m...