Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Dr. Deborah B. Jensen, President and CEO Did you know that, on average, residents of King County spend as much as 90 percent of our time within 25 miles of home? Given our Northwest love of all things outdoors, thank goodness we have King County’s 200 parks and 175 miles of regional trails to provide us access to nature’s wonders. Whether it’s an expansive network of open spaces and trails or Woodland Park Zoo’s beloved 92-acre urban oasis—we all win when we protect our big backyard. That’s why I encourage you on August 6 to vote YES on King County Proposition One and renew essential support for King County Parks, suburban city parks and Woodland Park Zoo through 2019. A young girl connects with nature at the zoo's award-winning Humboldt penguin exhibit. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Svane. General fund support to King County parks was eliminated as of 2011, so keeping parks open and safe depends on you, me and other county residents renewing two 2007 voter-

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Indian flying fox fruit bats. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. It’s a new dawn for the Night Exhibit. Since the popular exhibit closed in the wake of the 2009 recession, we’ve heard one message from you all loud and clear—the dark night must return. With the all new Banyan Wilds tiger and sloth bear exhibits now complete, and butterflies returning later this year, the time is right to shine a light, so to speak, on nocturnal animals once again. In 2018, we plan to re-open a renovated Night Exhibit showcasing nocturnal animals in the dark. The Night Exhibit will be renovated with a planned opening in 2018. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Our night vision will come together over the next two years as we design, renovate and open the exhibit thanks to a public-private partnership, using funds available for major repairs from the city of Seattle Park District, along with private philanthropy. Approved by voters in 2014, the S

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Take a sip for a cause. Pick up a bag of the all new Zoo Special Reserve coffee at any Seattle Caffé Vita store and your daily cup of home-brewed joe will support Woodland Park Zoo and our work in animal care , conservation and education . That’s because for every bag of Zoo Special Reserve purchased at Caffé Vita, $1 will be donated to Woodland Park Zoo! The Zoo Special Reserve coffee is well-balanced with aromas of cocoa and hazelnuts. It has a smooth, clean and sweet flavor. But more than being good to drink, it’s also good to the planet. The eco-friendly coffee originates from a farm in the Santa Rosa district of Guatemala and is shade-grown, organic and Rainforest Alliance-certified. The farmers who grow this coffee promote biodiversity by setting aside over forty percent of their land as a nature reserve, which protects the habitats of native tropical animals and birds such as gray foxes, armadillos, anteaters, parrots and butte

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor It's time to find your inner beast, Northwest style! As we countdown to Bear Affair: Living Northwest Conservation presented by Brown Bear Car Wash on Sat., June 6, we're celebrating the wonders of Northwest wildlife with this fun little quiz that puts the spotlight on our native neighbors. Take the quiz at http://www.zoo.org/bearaffair Learning to co-exist safely and harmoniously with our local wildlife is at the heart of Bear Affair. On the big day, June 6, grizzly bear brothers Keema and Denali will ransack a mock backyard and mock campsite in their exhibit to show us what happens when you don’t properly clean up or bear proof your outdoor living spaces. Zookeepers and conservation experts will be on hand to teach you the safety tips you can follow to avoid dangerous encounters like this in your yard or on your next camping or hiking adventure. Photo by Mat Hayward/Woodland Park Zoo. Through the zoo's Living Northwest c

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Two brilliantly colored flamboyant flower beetles in Bug World.  After being closed for several months, Woodland Park Zoo's popular Bug World building has reopened with upgrades and the reintroduction of arthropods—the largest group of invertebrates. Admission to Bug World is included with general zoo admission. A garden fruit chafer insect. From the temperate forest and desert to the savanna and tropics, Bug World unleashes the world of 16 species of arthropods. Discover the Mexican red-knee tarantula, western horse lubber, two-spotted assassin bug, Peruvian fire walking stick, flamboyant flower beetle, fierce waterbug, emperor scorpion and many more, and develop a new appreciation for these animals. A new kind of lighting in this revamped space more closely replicates what all the species in Bug World would experience in their natural habitats—all the better for their care! One of the new feat

Posted by Ryan Driscoll, Education Note from the Editor:  Each term, ZooCrew empowers middle school youth to become conservation leaders by providing science learning experiences that inspire them to learn, care, and act through after school and summer expanded learning opportunities. Through the ZooCrew programs, we excite youth from  communities across King County  about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects by engaging with real-world conservation issues, preparing them for continued involvement in Woodland Park Zoo’s youth programs, and inspiring them to consider a broad range of STEM and conservation careers. We believe engaging these students, as well as youth across Washington state, is key to solving current conservation issues in our own backyard and around the world. What does the word sustainability mean?  That was the question we asked during the ZooCrew Summer Learning Program , and 22 middle-school students from across Seattle came up with some