Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Editor’s note: Big thanks and appreciation to Woodland Park Zoo Veterinary Technicians Barb Brush and Leah Miyamoto for sharing the important work they do! Woodland Park Zoo’s mission to inspire conservation and save wildlife begins, in part, with the health and wellness of all the species and individual animals that call our zoo home. Providing top notch veterinary care is more than just diagnosing illness and treating injuries. It also includes promoting wellness and providing treatment options and preventative health care so that all our animals—from a newborn gorilla to a geriatric penguin—have the opportunity to thrive! A physical rehabilitation program can include laser and massage. A blue laser light helps fight infection and a red laser, seen here on 25-year-old Humboldt penguin Pupito, promotes tissue healing. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo For nearly two decades, a dedicated team of our skilled veterinary technicians ...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Keema was the bestest grizzly bear. Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of our older male grizzly bear, Keema. The 28-year-old was humanely euthanized on Christmas day due to a severe decline in his health, including a lack of appetite and reduced mobility. Keema would have turned 29 on January 15. Male grizzly bears have a median life expectancy of 21 years in human care, and often less in the wild. For the past few months, the zoo’s animal care team has had Keema under close observation . He has undergone diagnostic examinations due to declining mobility, but the veterinary team did not find any treatable underlying diseases. The geriatric bear has been on prescribed analgesics and joint medication to address his arthritis and keep him comfortable for as long as possible. “While Keema had been hanging in there, he had been declining in mobility which is not uncommon for aging animals. He ...