Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Maned wolf Rosario We are thrilled to welcome two long-legged and adorable new residents of the Wildlife Survival Zone... maned wolves Urso and Rosario! Urso, a young male, was born on January 31, 2022 to parents Brisa and Sheldon along with his three siblings Jaci, Caipora and Cinza at Audubon Zoo. Urso means bear in Portuguese. Urso is very easy to spot since he lost his tail as a very young pup due to an injury. He is a very handsome maned wolf with striking red fur and bright eyes. Urso is a bit shy and is adjusting to his new environment, but animal keepers say they expect him to blossom once he gets settled into his new digs with Rosario.  Maned wolf Urso Rosario, a 7-year-old female, is relaxed and comfortable in her new home. Rosario has settled right into her habitat and seems very chill. Rosario and her brother Rio were born to parents Anaheim and Nazca on March 7, 2016 at Greensboro...

Posted by Kayla Hanada, Animal Keeper with Elizabeth Bacher, Communications The Socorro dove is extinct in the wild. Photo: Annie Kwan/Woodland Park Zoo Hello! My name is Kayla and I am an animal keeper at Woodland Park Zoo working primarily in our bird areas. If you’ve visited recently and walked through the dome in the Tropical Rainforest building, you’ve likely seen (or heard) two of our newest residents—Socorro doves! These special birds—named Bill and Ted—came to us from the San Diego Zoo a few months ago and they have quite the personalities. They’ve warmed up to their new home fairly quickly and I often hear them cooing in the trees. I’ve even seen them landing on the railings of the dome’s elevated walkway, not too far away from guests. These are both behaviors that show us they’re feeling comfortable here. The best time for you to spot them might be when we change their food bowls out, which is first thing in the morning right around the time we open at 9:30 and again later in...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications We have some extremely exciting news to share... Woodland Park Zoo’s western lowland gorilla population has just gotten bigger—not by the birth of a gorilla, but the recent arrivals of two adult females and one adult male!    Olympia, Jamani and Nadaya! Photos of Olympia and Jamani by North Carolina Zoo, photo of Nadaya by Saint Louis Zoo. The females, 26-year-old Olympia and 22-year-old Jamani, arrived from North Carolina Zoo. The silverback, 21-year-old Nadaya, arrived from Saint Louis Zoo. Adult male gorillas are known as silverbacks, which in the wild and in zoos play a critical role by providing stability, protecting, leading and maintaining peace in their family group. The plan is for the new adults to form a family unit with Jumoke, a 37-year-old female gorilla who was born at Woodland Park Zoo and has had three offspring. Jumoke has been living alone since she lost her male companion, Vip, who died last year due to age-related m...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications It's hard to believe, but just one year ago, we celebrated the birth of our very special giraffe, Hasani.  Almost immediately after his birth, congenital abnormalities were diagnosed in the tiny giraffe's rear legs. Thanks to the dedicated care by our zoo veterinary and giraffe care teams, including consultation with a Kentucky-based equine veterinarian, Hasani was successfully outfitted with a series of customized therapeutic shoes which corrected his condition over several weeks. Hasani’s story of hope and triumph reached far and wide across the country and around the world. Many of you wrote to us to empathize with the hard work from our staff and to send love to the baby giraffe. We heard from thousands of individuals whose hearts, minds and spirits were touched and inspired by this remarkable story. Today, we celebrate his first trip around the sun and just how much our love continues to grow for him. Happy Birthday, Has...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Our sweetest Chinta. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Our sweet Chinta passed away peacefully this morning, just one day shy of her 52nd birthday. She was the oldest animal currently living at Woodland Park Zoo and one of the oldest orangutans in North America. We will miss her presence immensely.  The red-haired beauty was the last remaining animal born at Woodland Park Zoo in the 1960s who had lived at the zoo her entire lifetime. Chinta and her late twin brother Towan were born here in February 1968. Towan passed away in 2016. Chinta and Towan, twin orangutans born at Woodland Park Zoo in 1968. Worldwide, the twin orangutans gained instant celebrity status as the first-known twin orangutans born in a zoo. Photos of the pair as infants appeared around the globe, including in “Life” magazine. While other twins have since been born, twin orangutan births are a rare occurrence. Chinta, who was easily recogni...

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: Peter Zahler, Vice President of Conservation Initiatives The last time I wrote, I discussed the importance of connectivity to conservation , both right here in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. I wanted to write more because of something that was said during a recent meeting I attended with a range of stakeholders from around the region. The meeting’s focus was on helping to co-design an upcoming zoo exhibit about our own Living Northwest. Washington's wolf populations are still recovering—coming back from extinction in the state. of  Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo We were discussing the strategic framework for our Living Northwest Program ’s field work, where we have multiple projects aimed at recovery of species such as wolves and wolverines (as they return to Washington after decades of having been driven to extinction in the state), and also aimed at improving coexistence between people and wildlife once the wildlife has recovered (or as peop...

Posted by: Peter Zahler, Vice President of Conservation Initiatives “Connectivity: the state or extent of being connected or interconnected.” An aerial view of the Cascade mountains offers breathtaking glimpses of forested habitat. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo The definition of connectivity feels incredibly simple, yet there’s something strangely insightful in there. Small children immediately understand the idea—putting together puzzles, linking construction toys to make bigger toys, drawing lines to bring different images into contact with one another. That simple concept of connectivity extends into adulthood, as we begin to connect ideas to one another—which is when deep understanding and inspired solutions often occur. Connectivity in its simplest form is what first really attracted me to the natural world. I was, and continue to be, spellbound by how the natural world is interconnected. Ecosystems immediately struck me as enormously complicated jigsa...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Photos by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Two white-naped crane chicks hatched at Woodland Park Zoo—a first in the zoo's history for this species. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo We are proud to announce the hatching of two threatened white-naped crane chicks—a first in the zoo’s 119-year history for this species. These two chicks, which hatched July 9th and 10th, are the first offspring for parents Cal, who is 9 years old and Laura who is 8. While Cal and Laura have only been at Woodland Park Zoo for five years, we have had white-naped cranes living at the zoo for around 30 years. But none successfully produced offspring until now. The sex of our two new chicks hasn’t been determined yet, and they do not have names yet. White-naped crane parents keep a watchful eye on their chick. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Cranes are monogamous and can be very picky when choosing a mate. Even the slightest incompatibility betw...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Heeeeeere's Bumi! This handsome Malayan male tiger is getting comfortable behind the scenes at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo: Courtesy of Audubon Zoo Today is July 29, Global Tiger Day! To celebrate, we give you the first glimpses of our new boy, Bumi (pronounced Boom-y). This strappingly striped 9-year-old recently arrived here from Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and he is currently getting comfortable with his new digs behind-the-scenes at the zoo’s Malayan Tiger habitat in Banyan Wilds. Stay tuned for when he makes his debut later this summer. In the meantime, you can still see our other Malayan tigers, Olan and Eko, in the habitat area. Adult tigers are usually solitary (except a mother with cubs) so you’ll likely see one of them at a time.  "Are you looking at me?" Bumi is chillin' behind the scenes, getting ready for his debut. Photo: Carolyn Sellar/Woodland Park Zoo All subspecies of tigers are critically e...