Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Caileigh Robertson, Communications Exciting news! This week, Woodland Park Zoo took home two national conservation awards from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), the accrediting organization for more than 200 zoos and aquariums in North America. An Oregon spotted frog is released into Northwest habitat. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. We won top honors in the North American Conservation Award category for our collaborative Oregon Spotted Frog Reintroduction Project , along with our partners Oregon Zoo and Northwest Trek. Woodland Park Zoo and Oregon Zoo also earned the Significant Achievement Award for the Oregon Silverspot Captive Rearing Program . These awards represent the 14 th national and international honors in conservation for us from AZA. The Oregon Spotted Frog Reintroduction Project is a six-year collaborative effort among Woodland Park Zoo, Oregon Zoo, Northwest Trek and other conservation leaders in the Pacific Northw

 Posted by Susan Bell, Development Seattleites know that we receive an amazing, and some say wonderful, amount of rain annually.  Where that rain lands and what each drop encounters along its journey to our waterways is critical to animal and plant conservation. Here at the zoo and all around our region, it’s our mission to save wildlife and inspire everyone to make conservation a priority in their lives. Together, let’s focus on water! What are you and our zoo doing in our daily lives to promote clean water for our wild river otters, great blue herons, barred owls—and all our Pacific Northwest animals—as well as for you and me? Photo of Nooksack Falls by Dylan Luder on Unsplash What you can do from home: Let’s be water wise. While over 70% of our planet is covered in water, only 3% is fresh water. Of that, less than 1% is available for consumption. Saving water isn't just about saving water. The energy needed to treat and deliver water is also precious. Saving water helps reduce

Posted by: Bruce W. Bohmke, Acting President and CEO We’re asking for your thoughts about the zoo’s next major exhibit project. Will you take a few minutes to complete our survey? Woodland Park Zoo is redeveloping a 3.4-acre area of its Tropical Asia zone formerly occupied by the Elephant Forest exhibit. This large space allows us to explore exhibit ideas that could include a diverse range of Asian wildlife species. Your input will help guide the process as we identify new conservation ambassador species for the zoo and dynamic experiences that will connect you with these animals and the threats they face in the wild. As stewards of the zoo, we’re working hard to fulfill the zoo’s Long Range Physical Development Plan and renovate and update older areas of the zoo for you and our community at large. Last year, we opened Banyan Wilds with new exhibits for Malayan tigers and sloth bears. This year, we’re bringing back butterflies in a new exhibit near Zoomazium. We’re also ver

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Calling creative kids and backyard explorers... There are all sorts of enchanting creatures that live right in your backyard! From blue and green bees to magnificent butterflies, silky smooth worms to beautiful beetles—many cool animals help pollinate, fertilize and enrich your garden. If you could design a backyard creature, what would it look like?   To print out a template, visit  zoo.org/magazine  . Artwork "Underneath the Prunella" courtesy of the wonderful Melinda Hurst Frye. The MyZoo Kids' Backyard Creatures contest invites kids to design their own inspired creatures, whether real or imagined we can't wait to see what you create! Enter and you could win: Grand prize (ages 7-10): a zoo sleepover experience for you and your favorite adult in August 2017. Grand prize (ages 3-6): an orangutan ZooParent adoption and plush. Two lucky runners up (all ages) will receive a Woodland Park Zoo t-shirt and

Posted by Stephen Reed, Communications Woodland Park Zoo is celebrating Earth Day from home this year. April 22, 2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, an incredible milestone for a day dedicated to protecting the planet and celebrating nature. How are you planning to celebrate Earth Day this year?  While we aren’t able to celebrate with all of you in person, we hope you will join us in some of the following activities that can help protect our planet and inspire a connection with the incredible animals who share our home. Happy Earth Day! Uzumma and her newborn. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgre/ Woodland Park Zoo Here are a few ways to get Earthy with us... Join Woodland Park Zoo on April 22, for a virtual Town Hall presented by Amazon.  This Earth Day, chat live with zoo experts and hear inspiring stories of how we’ll do anything for animals, even while we’re closed. We want to connect you directly with zoo staff who, even during this unprecedented time, are con

Posted by: Paul Balle, Development Officer I was very excited the day that Forterra, formerly Cascade Land Conservancy, invited Woodland Park Zoo to become a founding partner in their new Carbon Capturing Companies (C3) program. That partnership was announced today at Forterra’s annual breakfast. As a zoo employee and member of our Green Team, an active conservationist, and someone who’s been heavily involved with our WPZ Sustainability Plan and calculating the zoo’s annual carbon footprint, C3 seemed a natural way to partner with 14 businesses and organizations—INCLUDING a famous rock band (Pearl Jam!)—to help make our region greener while offsetting our annual carbon emissions by planting trees in our region. In a nutshell, here’s how C3 works:  Companies and organizations who want to reduce their carbon footprint—and its effects on our region—are encouraged to participate by joining the C3 program. What’s the carbon cost of doing business? Photo by Ryan Hawk/

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Standing in the sun-soaked tent at Molbak’s Butterfly Garden, we are surrounded by fluttering pollinators, gorgeous blooms and the giggles of some very special visitors. They wait, holding very still, anticipating a lucky butterfly landing.  Gabriana and her little sister Asuzana, 3 years old, soak up the magic of a butterfly overhead. “I really think they will land on me,” an optimistic 4-year-old Emilio explains to his mom. The butterflies seem to flit and dart just above the laughter of this group of toddlers. These kiddos and their parents are here with a group called YoungLives, which offers support and provides resources for teen moms and their young children in the greater Seattle area. YoungLives is part mentorship and part community resource for young mothers (primarily middle school through high school-aged) at a time when they may feel isolated from family, friends or

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Kirsten Pisto/WPZ. The delicate petal of a sweet rose, the crisp stem on a freshly cut camellia and a mouth full of luscious nasturtiums leaves! The zoo’s browse gardens are bursting with color and we are celebrating this summer yield with a special delivery of mouthwatering garden plants to our resident herbivores. This is the fifth summer of cross-department collaboration between horticulture, animal management, ZooCorps and the commissary. The program has been a great success in ensuring the animals receive fresh summer treats as well as providing an excellent learning opportunity for our ZooCorps teens. Cat nip is attractive to our big cats, just as it is to a house cat. The plant contains the feline attractant nepetalactone. This honey bee seems to enjoy it as well!  Fennel, mint and sugar-snap peas grow together in the browse garden behind the Tropical Rain Forest unit. Browse gardens are scattered througho

Every single day, we work to protect wild animals and wild places.  This week, and on Endangered Species Day, May 18, we can celebrate many conservation success stories, but there is more work to do. Taj wading into Assam Rhino Reserve. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. Thanks to the Endangered Species Act and the hard work of conservationists and activists, the bald eagle, green sea turtle, American alligator, peregrine falcon, and many other species were kept from disappearing forever. Your zoo has given Western pond turtles a head start and helped protect thousands of acres of pristine cloud forests. We would do anything for animals, and with your support, we can. Getting ready to release a pond turtle into a protected Washington wetland. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. Working with conservationists and researchers, Woodland Park Zoo focuses on a conservation strategy that includes: habitat and species conservation, research