Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Katie Remine, Living Northwest Conservation Manager and Brianna Widner, Community Science Specialist Photos: Woodland Park Zoo motion-triggered wildlife cameras Coyote pups as seen from one of Woodland Park Zoo's motion-triggered cameras When was the last time you saw a wild mammal larger than a squirrel in the city? Mammals are less studied in urban environments than are many other species—they are often more difficult to find, observe and investigate than plants and birds, for example. The Seattle Urban Carnivore Project, launched by Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle University in 2019, uses camera traps—motion-triggered wildlife cameras—as a strategy for collecting important data on urban mammal diversity. With cameras deployed at about 45 locations across King and Kitsap counties, the project relies on the collaboration of our Seattle University partners—including undergraduate biology students—and a group of more than 100 community volunteers to manage the camera station...

Posted by: Elizabeth Bacher, Staff Writer Meet Papú, our newest and smallest ambassador-in-training.  Hello Papú! Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/ Woodland Park Zoo Ambassador animals have an important role at Woodland Park Zoo—they allow visitors to have up-close experiences and serve as catalysts for educating about their species. By interacting with them, we learn more about their wild cousins. We learn more about ourselves and our impacts on the ecosystem. We are moved to protect them and the wild spaces they represent. Simply put, we love them and they inspire us to make conservation a priority in our lives. It’s a big responsibility. What does it take to become an ambassador—to fulfill such an important role connecting people to wildlife? The answers to these big questions can often be found in the littlest places—and in this case, an egg barely the size of a ping-pong ball. The tiny egg came to Woodland Park Zoo from Sacramento Zoo, where its parents were not ...

Posted by: Judy Mukai, Docent Photos by: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Rarely seen in the wild, great gray owls are the newest residents in Northern Trail. Often called “great gray ghosts,” “phantoms of the North” or “spectral owls,” great gray owls live up to their name. They are the largest North American owl, standing up to 2.75 feet tall. Their huge, round heads and distinctive facial disks create a most impressive appearance. However, they are not the heaviest owls; they look big but only weigh between 1.5 to 3.7 pounds. Great gray owls have extremely fluffy plumage on their head and body and densely feathered toes. The size and plumage befit a bird of the far North. The birds range throughout northern North America and Eurasia especially in dense boreal forests. Their mottled and streaked gray/brown coloration provides excellent camouflage in the trees. Our great gray owls, Hedwig and Neville, moved from the Temperate Forest in late July and have settled into the ...