Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Armed with a tiny toothbrush, zookeepers are determined to give our gila monster some minty, fresh breath.  Gila monster extreme close-up. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. We don’t recommend trying this at home—gila monsters are one of only a handful of venomous lizards—but do watch what it takes for the keepers to ensure the oral health of an aging, 43-year-old male gila monster here at Woodland Park Zoo. Video : Monster gets his teeth brushed. Produced by Kirsten Pisto/Woodland Park Zoo. The tooth brushing and regular antibiotics help with the gila monster’s gingivitis and gum inflammation, not uncommon in aging lizards. As you can see in the video, he’s quite cooperative, allowing one keeper to hold him in place while the other gently brushes. The toothpaste leaves him with that fresh-from-the-dentist gleam. When placed back into his exhibit, he always takes a big drink of water as if to rinse! Back on exhib

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Even dragons start out small. Have you seen the two Komodo dragon juveniles now living at the Adaptations Building at the zoo? Born in January at the Memphis Zoo as part of the Species Survival Plan for this endangered species, the duo moved here this summer to be raised in our ample dragon digs. Hard to imagine these tiny critters, who each weigh in at about one-and-a-half pounds (650 grams), will one day be as big as our 15-year-old male Selat, who is 110 pounds (50 kilograms). Though, they won’t reach adult size until they're about 7 to 10 years old! Once these dragons mature, they’ll continue to participate in the Species Survival Plan and may move on to other zoos if they are matched up with a partner for breeding. It’ll be some time before they are ready for that next step. For now, the juveniles are on view next door to Selat. We've built a little apartment for them inside one of the Komodo dragon exhibits th

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications A sun bathing dragon is not something you see every day, unless you work at Woodland Park Zoo! When most people think of Komodo dragons, they think of a dangerous creature with venomous bacteria filled saliva, sharp claws and tough scales. But, Komodos have a sensitive side, especially when it comes to their sunbathing needs! Video: Go behind the scenes at the Komodo dragon exhibit. Produced by Kirsten Pisto/WPZ In this new video , exhibit attendant Jordan Veasley and zoo experiences team member Sam Retic find out how a Komodo dragon soaks up the rays at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo. They meet up with zookeeper Peter Miller who takes them behind the scenes to get up close with a sunbathing dragon. Photo by Mat Hayward/Woodland Park Zoo. Part of our job here at the zoo is to study the health of these reptiles, especially when it comes to sun exposure and vitamin D absorption. Working with these dragons is very rewarding. When

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Roses may symbolize love and beauty to us, but to our gorillas, they symbolize snack time! Thanks to the organic methods our gardeners use in the Woodland Park Rose Garden , any trimmings of our blooms are perfectly edible and safe to eat for our gorillas . Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. In the summer, as the more than 3,000 rose plants in the nearly 90-year-old Rose Garden bloom, the zoo’s gardeners deadhead the plants, which means they remove old, spent blooms to keep the overall plant blooming longer. That waste could be composted, but zookeepers love to get their hands on the blooms to use as enrichment with our plant-eaters, most especially the gorillas! Photo by Kirsten Pisto/Woodland Park Zoo. The petals make their way into the gorilla exhibit two or three times a week in the summer at various hours to keep it interesting and unexpected for the apes. This week, we visited the gorillas on a Monday morning a

Posted by: Peter S. Miller, Zookeeper and Rebecca Whitham, Communications Loki the Komodo dragon. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Woodland Park Zoo said goodbye this week to a long-time resident, 19-year-old Komodo dragon Loki. Loki’s mobility had been declining over the past year from chronic age-related degenerative joint disease. Keepers had given him supportive care, but we ultimately had to make the tough but humane decision to euthanize him this week once he lost his appetite and developed breathing difficulties that did not respond to treatment. We know how much each one of the zoo’s animals means to our visitors. Zookeeper Peter S. Miller reflects on what made Loki such a special addition to the zoo: The Buddha said, “The energy of life is neither created nor destroyed. It moves along from one sentient being to the next.” This week the energy of Loki’s life passed onto its next place. Part will always feel as if it’s with me. We have worked with each other f

Posted by: Pattie Beaven, Zookeeper and Member of Puget Sound Chapter – American Association of Zoo Keepers Zookeeper Pattie Beaven gives an elephant-sized shout out to American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK).  This week is a special week for many of us at the zoo. This week is National Zoo Keeper Week celebrated by the American Association of Zoo Keepers . So what's it mean to be a zookeeper? Words aren't enough to describe this amazing job and the amazing animals. You know that feeling you get when your dog wags its tail in greeting when you come home? Imagine having a pack of wolves greet you in a similar manner! Wolf greetings. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Cats purr when they are content, and it can give us great pleasure to have our kitties sit in our laps, eyes closed, purring away. Now imagine having an 8,000-pound elephant purr with contentment upon seeing you. These are the joys of being a zookeeper. An elephant gets a scrub from a z

Posted by: Wendy Gardner, Zookeeper Photos by Wendy Gardner/Woodland Park Zoo Who weighs nearly 100 pounds, belongs to a family of mammals (Macropodidae) whose name means “big feet,” has a long, muscular tail that helps with balance, turning and support while resting, and cannot walk backwards? Harry gets a food reward for cooperating with his treatment. That would be Harry, our male wallaroo who lives in the zoo’s Australasia zone. Harry came to Woodland Park Zoo in October 2008 as 2.5-year-old sub-adult, a term we use to describe juveniles that have not yet reached sexual maturity. In December of 2008 he weighed about 62 lb (28 kg), but as of June 2013, the now adult wallaroo weighs just shy of 100 lb (44 kg). That’s a good weight for him, but that size and strength means we do not want to have to hand catch him if he were to ever need medical attention, both for our own safety and to prevent stress for him. We decided using operant conditioning to get Harry not o

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Happy National Zoo Keeper Week! If you've been enjoying the baby boom at the zoo this past year, then you have our dedicated keepers to thank. It’s their hard work in matching up animal mates, caring for growing families, and keeping babies healthy that makes it all possible. Next time you see a zookeeper, let them know what their work means to you and your family! Video: Celebrating zookeepers at Woodland Park Zoo. Video by VIA Creatives. The late Dana Payne, a Woodland Park Zoo curator, poignantly summed up the work of the zookeeper in an end note he wrote for local artist Catherine Eaton Skinner’s book, Unleashed : “Those of us who have chosen a life with animals know we have chosen well. Having a conversation with a lion is a fine way to start one’s day. For that matter, so is tossing tidbits to a toucan, or medicating a cobra. There’s something there, in the lion’s luminous eyes, in the gaudy splendor of the toucan

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Photos by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo, Video by Caileigh Robertson/Woodland Park Zoo [ UPDATE: The jaguar cubs have now made their official debut and have daily access to their exhibit, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.] It’s a good thing these jaguar cubs are creatures of the rain forest, as their very first steps outdoors were soggy ones. Three-month-old jaguar triplets—brother Kuwan and sisters Inka and Arizona—had their first practice session outside today. The trio is getting ready for their official public debut, which should be coming up any day as the cubs get used to their new digs. Before the zoo opened to the public this morning, a lucky few of us zoo staff gathered around the exhibit at Jaguar Cove and watched to see what would happen when the jaguars’ den door opened. Out came the cubs for the first time, bouncing out with less of a predatory slinking and more of an enthusiastic tromping. The keepers pred