Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Woodland Park Zoo is bursting with pride as it announces the birth of two South African lions—the first birth of lions at the zoo since 2014!  Scenes from the den cam where Ilanga is bonding with her cubs, Woodland Park Zoo. The zoo’s animal health team did a quick health assessment of the cubs and determined both cubs are female.  The cubs were born Wednesday, January 14 to first-time parents, mom Ilanga and dad Tandie. Mom and cubs are currently living in the off-view maternity den where the new family can bond in comfortable, quiet surroundings. The father remains separated from the cubs and mother until the cubs are older.  Photo by animal keeper Matthew Cline, Woodland Park Zoo Photo by animal keeper Matthew Cline, Woodland Park Zoo According to Martin Ramirez, Curator of Mammalogy at Woodland Park Zoo, the average litter size for lions is two to three, so this is a typical litter. “As a first-time mother, Ilanga so far is doi...

 Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications For three years, female African lion Kamaria has delighted guests alongside her twin sister Ilanga here at Woodland Park Zoo, but now it’s time for the 5-year-old lioness to set forth on a new international journey and possibly start a family of her own. Zoo guests are invited to come bid Kamaria adieu before she departs to Zoo de Granby in Quebec. The last day to see Kamaria is October 17. African lion Kamaria, on left, expresses a moment of tenderness with her twin sister, Ilanga, with Xerxes in the background at Woodland Park Zoo. Kamaria will move to Zoo de Granby in Quebec to be paired with a new mate. Oct. 17 is the last day to see Kamaria. (Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo) Kamaria and Ilanga arrived at Woodland Park Zoo in 2019 under a breeding recommendation with male lion Xerxes. Breeding was never successful due to changing dynamics in the group as the sisters matured, and sadly the geriatric Xerxes was humanely eutha...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Xerxes, King of the African Savanna Woodland Park Zoo is mourning the loss of our amazing lion Xerxes, who was euthanized February 23, due to kidney failure. Xerxes was 14 years old, which is within the range of median life expectancy for male lions in zoos. The geriatric lion had been undergoing treatment for possible kidney disease. Because Xerxes’ activity and appetite levels were recently low, an examination was scheduled for next week. However, the zoo’s animal health team moved up the exam to earlier this week because he was showing signs of decline and possible dehydration. Xerxes was administered IV fluids and antibiotics, and samples of blood, urine and feces were collected. “While we were waiting for test results, signs of kidney disease in our geriatric lion were becoming more apparent,” said Dr. Rob Browning, associate veterinarian at Woodland Park Zoo. “His appetite had improved,...

Posted by Meghan Sawyer, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Two African lions recently arrived at Woodland Park Zoo to form a new pride with 11-year-old Xerxes. Two-year-old sisters Kamaria and Ilanga arrived from The Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park located in eastern Idaho.  “We’re so excited for the girls to be here because lions are social animals, and Xerxes has been living solo since his former mate Adia passed away earlier this year,” said Christine Anne, a lead animal keeper at Woodland Park Zoo. “Kamaria and Ilanga have a ton of energy, so it will be fun to watch Xerxes try to keep up.”  The lionesses were brought to Woodland Park Zoo under a breeding recommendation by the African Lion Species Survival Plan, a conservation breeding program across accredited zoos to help ensure a healthy, self-sustaining population of lions. It’s one of 111 Species Survival Plans that Woodland Park Zoo participates in, led by experts ...

Posted by: Ruaha Carnivore Project, a Woodland Park Zoo Partner for Wildlife Male lion in the Ruaha landscape, Tanzania. Photo: Ruaha Carnivore Project. Lion Defender Joseph Dendu had just worked nine hours through the night to stop a traditional lion hunt near his village in Ruaha, Tanzania when he jumped on board a 10-hour bus ride with his fellow Defenders to the next test of his stamina: the annual Lion Guardian Games. The Games bring together protectors of lions from all over East Africa, all graduates of the training program offered by Lion Guardians , a conservation organization based in Amboseli, Kenya. Dedicated to finding and enacting long-term solutions for people and wildlife to co-exist, the organization trains local warriors to work from within the community to stop lion hunts, search for lost livestock and reinforce livestock enclosures called bomas. Joseph Dendu enjoying the Games, just hours after stopping a traditional lion hunt. Photo: Ruaha Carnivore ...

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. The mane news of the day: we're preparing to say goodbye to lion brothers Tandie, Gandia and Mandla as they get ready to move to Oakland Zoo next month. They'll be living there together as a bachelor group. The departure date is not yet final but we expect to see them off sometime in mid-to-late-May. Please come see the brothers before they leave! The move is based on a recommendation made by the Species Survival Plan (SSP), a conservation breeding program across accredited zoos to increase the genetic diversity and enhance the health of species populations. A lion pride typically consists of one adult male and young males often form bachelor groups while they develop the skills to have their own pride. The accredited Oakland Zoo offers them a place to thrive together in that natural structure. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. They've grown so big and now each sport a shaggy...

Posted by: Kerston Swartz, Public Affairs and Advocacy Manager Today Woodland Park Zoo and our campaign partners announced Initiative 1401 , a citizens’ initiative to strengthen laws banning sales of endangered species products in Washington state. In November, the people of Washington will be able to vote YES on I-1401 , and significantly decrease our state’s contribution to the current unprecedented rate of tiger, elephant, rhino and lion poaching. Pangolin: Boniface Osujaki/ Tarangire Elephant Project , a Woodland Park Zoo Partner for Wildlife. African elephant: Peter Steward via Flickr. Malayan tiger: Razak Abu Bakar via Flickr. Rhino: Jim Frost via Flickr. These wild animals don’t roam our state, but parts of them certainly make their way into the U.S. and to our region. Washingtonians will not spot a lion stalking its prey on the San Juan Islands or see a rhino charging the wheat fields of the Palouse, but we might have the opportunity to buy an ivory trinket in Tac...

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor It’s official: the lion cubs are now going out on a daily schedule, 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., weather permitting. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. We want to see your photos! Please share your best cub pics with us on Facebook or tag @woodlandparkzoo on Twitter and Instagram .

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Have you noticed the shaved patches of fur on the lion cubs? This cub has a distinct shaved patch on his hip. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. These patches help us tell the three brothers apart at a quick glance. And now that the brothers have names— thanks to your votes and an assist from dad Xerxes —we want to give you the inside scoop on which cub is which! You can see the right shoulder shaved mark on the cub on the far left, and the hip shaved mark on the cub on the far right. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. You voted for Tandie  (meaning “fire”) as your favorite name for the cubs, and keepers decided to give it to the cub whose right shoulder is shaved. This cub is the spitfire of the three, making him a perfect Tandie! The name Gandia (meaning “clever”) was given to the cub who has shown the most independence and curiosity. He is easy to spot by the shaved mark on his  hip . Finally, the biggest cub...

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo With the help of zoo fans, proud papa Xerxes chose Gandia and Mandla as names to complement Tandie, the first name chosen by community members in an online poll. Here comes trouble! Tandie, Gandia and Mandla get a snarl of approval from dad Xerxes. Tandie : meaning fire Gandia : meaning clever Mandla : meaning power/strength Naming lion triplets is not an easy task, so we asked you to help parents Adia and Xerxes with the decision. First, 10 names were selected by the zoo’s lion keepers and derived from languages that reflect parts of the South African lion’s native range. Then, during the zoo’s two-week online naming poll, voters chose their top preferences. On Tuesday we revealed the name with the most votes, Tandie (meaning “fire”). Mom Adia and dad Xerxes weighed in today to choose from runners up Gandia, Mandla and Pule.  Xerxes scopes out the goods... Keepers used th...

We are just slightly excited about Sunday. Watch the lion triplets go into true Beast Mode with their Seahawks footballs. The cubs got us all pumped for the Seahawks Super Bowl Repeat! The boys, along with mom Adia and dad Xerxes, were given the footballs as enrichment while the young cats explored their exhibit. Go Hawks!