Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications with Animal Keeper Maddie Weholt BFFs, Juniper and Fern, are doing BFF things as they prepare for fall. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo With Fall just around the corner, our thoughts turn to crisp weather, colorful leaves, apple picking and warm snuggles with blankets and cups of cocoa—the perfect hygge recipe! The coming of fall means changes for our brown bear besties too! They are turning their attention to all things related to food and upcoming nap opportunities. It’s an ideal time to check in with Animal Keeper Maddie on what autumn has in store for Juniper and Fern. WPZ: Juniper and Fern are both 3 years old now, turning 4 this coming winter—so almost full grown. How are they doing? Keeper Maddie: Both bears are doing well. It’s super cool to me to see that the personalities they’ve had since arriving here 3 years ago (in 2022) as youngsters have stayed incredibly consistent now that they are on the young side of adultho...

Posted by Kirsten Pisto/Communications with Animal Keeper Maddie Weholt Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Happy 3rd birthday to Juniper and Fern! Since their arrival at Woodland Park Zoo in 2022, rescued brown bears Juniper and Fern have snuggled into just about every heart in the Puget Sound. They are now snuggled up in their very own den—dreaming of spring! The brown bears during a lazy wrestle sesh on a den-break in January 2025. Both cubs were rescued from their native habitats. Juniper is a coastal brown bear from Anchorage, Alaska; Fern is a grizzly bear from Montana. They were too young to survive on their own. It is estimated the cubs were each born in January 2022. An image from the den cam shows Fern and Juniper snug as can be! January 2025 Fern and Juniper bonded quickly after being introduced on Woodland Park Zoo's Living Northwest Trail in November 2022 and the rest is history. We can't believe these love muffins are turning three! While we don'...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Hi Juniper! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Editor’s note: Big thanks to animal keeper Maddie Weholt for all the great info! Whether it’s for animals or for people, a regular visit to the doctor’s office is part of a good healthcare and wellness routine. But what about when it’s for a 400-pound-and-still-growing young brown bear? This July, our animal care team performed a complete routine physical on the well-known and well-loved 2-½-year-old female—and she passed her exam with flying colors! But what does a doctor’s appointment look like for a big bear like Juniper? Let us take a behind-the-scenes peek at all the ins, outs and in-betweens of Juniper’s day at the “doctor’s office.” Aside from medical care for illness or injury, all our animals get routine health and wellness checkups—but how often that happens depends on the species and what our veterinary staff recommends to best meet their needs. In the case of our brown bear...