Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Hattie Potter, Development Editor's Note: Thank you to animal keepers Erin and Kayla for answering our questions and helping us get to know Woodland Park Zoo's toucans. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo How much do you know about toucans other than they have big beaks and are often "associated" with a fruity, sugary cereal? These beautiful and colorful birds are native to the tropical rain forests of Central and South America. They spend most of their lives high up in the trees where they nest in tree cavities and find many of their food sources. Woodland Park Zoo's toco toucans—one of the larger of the many species of this bird—can be found in our Tropical Rain Forest exhibit and their long, vibrant bills make them almost impossible to miss! Let's get to know more, with the help of animal keepers Erin and Kayla:   What are the names and ages of our toucans? There are currently two toucans living at the zoo – one male and a female. Our m...

Posted by Hattie Potter, Development Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Juniper and Fern are beary best buddies! It's been a while since we last gave an update on our brown bear besties, Juniper and Fern, and we didn't want to let another month go by without catching up with these fluffy girls! It seems like just yesterday that the zoo first welcomed these rescued cubs , but these two are growing fast. Thanks to your support, we're able to continuously apply new strategies for leading edge animal care and wellness, ensuring that our urban forest provides animals like Fern and Juniper the best environment to learn and grow. Their animal care team took a little time to answer our questions and fill us in on what these two have been up to! The 2-year-old cubs spend lots of time swimming, chasing each other and napping together. What are the names and ages of our brown bears? It's estimated that Fern and Juniper were born in January of 2022. The zoo celebrate...

Posted by Hattie Potter, Development Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo As stars of the zoo's educational programs, ambassador animals help build guests' empathy for animals and inspire them to take action for wildlife. Pot-bellied pigs, Annabelle and Bailey, are two members of the zoo's ambassador animals team. Animal keeper, Bree, answers our questions about these sisters and helps us get to know these playful pigs. What are the names and ages of our pot-bellied pigs? Annabelle and Bailey are sisters who were born on July 19, 2016, making them 7 years old. Where were they born? Bailey and Annabelle were born at a local farm. They joined the zoo's Ambassador Animals team at only 5 months old! When they were weeeeee little pigs! And then a lot bigger! How do you tell them apart? Both pigs have distinct patterns of pink and gray colorations on their skin. Bailey has a lot more pink on her shoulders and head and that's how she's often distinguishe...

Posted by Hattie Potter, Development Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo This week is Orangutan Caring Week, a fantastic time to highlight the orangutans living at our zoo! This week serves as a poignant reminder of how critical it is to safeguard these majestic creatures and their rapidly diminishing forest habitats. Thank you to our wonderful staff on the orangutan animal care team for helping us get to know these incredible primates and for caring for them every single day.  As part of the Orangutan Species Survival Plan (Orangutan SSP), Woodland Park Zoo staff work closely with other conservation zoos around the country to develop goals towards orangutan research, education, advocacy, conservation and animal husbandry. Together with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Orangutan SSP serves the accredited zoos that house orangutans. Working closely with respected professionals in the field, the SSP provides help and guidance to zoos housing orangutans. Toget...