Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Photos and video by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Whether you spent some time today stuck at home, stuck in traffic, or stuck at work or school, you could probably use a little grizzly bear snow angel magic to make you smile. WATCH: Grizzly Bear Snow Angels on Seattle Snow Day The smiles don't stop there. Now prepare yourself for young arctic fox Hudson who knew just what to do on his first major Seattle snow day...make snowballs! WATCH: Hudson meets snow! This whole place transformed into a winter wonderland today. For some animals, the snow brings out their instincts, and for others, it's a curious novelty. While the animals have plenty of heated and covered spaces to cozy up in, many chose to go out and play today. Hope you did too! Our thanks to the zookeepers and all the zoo staff who came in today to make sure the animals—and our guests—were well taken care of.  Ho...

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Carson the red panda surveys his yard as the early morning snowfall began to taper off.  The animals awoke this morning to a blanket of snow and, like the rest of us, were eager to explore the winter wonderland around them. Our dedicated photographer ventured out early to capture the moment as wolves, lions, red pandas and cranes got their fill of the white stuff. While some animals prefer to stay cozy in their indoor spaces (ahem, desert donkeys Sam and Rico, who wouldn’t step foot out of their warm barn), others were totally in their element.  Our pack of gray wolves were certainly right at home and welcomed the chilly weather. The girls are more active in the brisk winter mornings and we watched in awe as they playfully frolicked through their yard. Sister wolves Doba, Shila, Aponi and Kaya know exactly what to do in the snow—pose elegantly for their winter...

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Photos by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Most of the snow has already melted away, but thankfully we have these great photos to help us remember this weekend's winter wonderland! The lion cubs discovered snow is the perfect landing pad for pounces. The snow leopard is a natural in the snow with thick fur and a long tail that acts as a scarf when they need to tuck in and warm up. The elephants chose to explore the snow throughout their exhibit. Snow provides a new tactile sensation to an elephant's trunk. Graceful cranes look especially beautiful in a snowy setting.  In the center is a juvenile flamingo distinguished by its black and gray feathers that have not yet all turned to pink. Snow is a new experience for the young one. Chilean flamingos are hardy birds that are built to withstand extremely cold winter nights in their native South American habitat. Some animals look...

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Enjoying the cold, wet snow mix this week? It’s nothing to our snow leopards . They come equipped for bundling up: snow leopards use their 3-foot-long tails as mufflers to protect their noses and lungs from freezing at night. Archive photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications The zoo was closed to the public again today due to the snow and ice conditions. Here's a look at what was happening on grounds: We'll post to www.zoo.org first thing in the morning tomorrow on whether we'll finally be able to open again. Until then, stay safe! Photos by Ryan Hawk and Carol Roll/Woodland Park Zoo.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications The zoo may be closed today due to “Snowpocalypse,” but many of the animals are still out and about. Some animals retreat indoors or look for a warm spot to tuck themselves into to get out of the snow, while others—like our residents of the Northern Trail exhibit—are in their element. The first animals you encounter in the Northern Trail are the pack of four sister wolves—Doba, Shila, Aponi and Kaya. When we first approached the wolves this morning, they were beautiful to behold in their white fur coated in snow, an elk lounging in the background. But it wasn’t long before one of the wolves interrupted the still, idyllic portrait with a piercing howl. Then the wolves all began to vocalize together and play. They chased. And chased. Then took a break to nibble at the snow. We pulled ourselves away from the scene just long enough to see one of our grizzly bears shaking himself free of the snow piling onto his fur. The...