Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Yesterday, Asian elephant Chai put some finishing touches on a painting for the Saturday premiere of Seattle's first ever animal art show . KING 5 Evening Magazine filmed as Chai used her trunk to apply a paintbrush to the canvas, with direction and reward from her keepers. Reward comes in the form of tasty apples and carrots, of course! The final piece, measuring in at a dramatic 4'x6' and titled "Tres, Trio, Drei," is a group effort by Woodland Park Zoo's three elephants. The left most portion was painted by African elephant Watoto, the middle by Asian elephant Bamboo, and the right by Chai. Both Bamboo and Chai also "signed" their portions with a trunk mark. "Tres, Trio, Drei" and more than 20 other paintings will be available for purchase at Art/Not Terminal Gallery through March 5. Photos by Ryan Hawk.

Meet Briony, Woodland Park Zoo’s new female siamang . Briony arrived at the zoo last fall in need of a new partner after having lost her previous mate. She has been adjusting well to life with Simon, Woodland Park Zoo’s male siamang. This week, Briony has been adventuring outside the familiarity of her indoor exhibit space to the beautiful outdoor landscape the siamangs share—though so far she has stayed pretty close to the door! Over time, as Briony builds her bond with Simon and becomes more comfortable with her outdoor exhibit, we hope to find the two high up in the treetops singing their new duet together. Siamang vocals are so powerful that many zoo neighbors in Phinney Ridge and Fremont are able to hear the siamangs’ song in their homes. Sutera, Simon’s previous partner, was called on a Species Survival Plan (SSP) mission to Little Rock Zoo to be matched with a 5-year-old male. This pair has been selected by the SSP as a good match to best preserve genetic diversity in the capti

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Woodland Park Zoo hit a major milestone this week in the construction of our new Humboldt penguin exhibit , opening in May: We've filled the penguin pool for the first and last time! Why is that important? Well, to help "green" the exhibit, instead of traditional fill and dump practices, we will fill the penguin pool only once. Then, we will use the earth’s natural systems to ensure a pristine water environment for these endangered birds while preventing stormwater runoff from entering our lakes, thus contributing to the health of Puget Sound. With the green technologies, the exhibit will save approximately 3,000,000 gallons of water and 75,000,000 BTUs of energy each year! That’s the equivalent of saving 24 million pints of drinking water, and heating five, new two-bedroom townhouses each year. How are we saving so much water and energy? The exhibit will filter stormwater on site in two ways. First, it will collect rainwater fr

Everyone's favorite ocelot kittens received their 18-week physical examination from Woodland Park Zoo's Animal Health staff last week. The female twins--named Novia and Corisandra--were weighed and measured, had their blood drawn and received their final set of vaccinations as kittens. All is well and the kittens will soon begin their introduction to the ocelot exhibit. Ocelot footprints were also taken during the exam for sale at the upcoming animal art show , opening this Saturday, 2/7.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Check out this must-see video of Towan, a 41-year-old orangutan, creating a work of art. Notice how he uses both his dextrous hands and his prehensile lips to manipulate his suite of artist's tools, which include paint brushes, markers, and even tooth brushes. You can see Towan's finished pieces at a fundraiser art show --the first art show of its kind in Seattle--at Art/Not Terminal Gallery Feb. 7 - March 5. And join us for opening night Feb. 7 to meet the keepers and hear more about Towan's and the other animal's artistic process.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Don't miss Seattle's first ever animal art show ! Not art about animals, but art by animals. You'll find more than 20 pieces on display and for sale Feb. 7 - March 5 at Art/Not Terminal Gallery (2045 Westlake Ave). From framed animal footprints, to colorful orangutan and elephant originals, this gallery presentation is unlike any art show you've ever seen. Join us for a wine & cheese reception (provided by PengWine ) on opening night Feb. 7, 7-10 p.m . Meet the keepers who will discuss the animals' art--their favorite techniques and independent styles--and the big idea behind it all: ongoing enrichment to engage and stimulate the animals in the zoo's care. Proceeds from the art show will help fund the combined conferences of the American Association of Zoo Keepers and International Congress of Zookeepers (AAZK/ICZ) being hosted by Woodland Park Zoo and the Puget Sound Chapter of AAZK in September 2009. This w

Posted by: Eric Kowalczyk, Zookeeper The national bird of Nepal has now made its way to Seattle. New to the zoo is a pair of Himalayan monal ( Lophophorus impeyanus ) pheasants, donated by a private aviculturist from Burien. This species is endangered due to habitat destruction and overhunting for food. Himalayan monals are typically found at elevations 9,000 to 14,500 feet from east Afghanistan eastwards through the Himalayas to Bhutan and northeast India and northward to Tibet. During the non-winter seasons, they prefer steep, rocky terrain with occasional grassy and scrub openings interspersed with woods. In the winter months, the birds descend to forested areas at lower altitudes where there is dense undergrowth. These birds are on exhibit at the Conservation Aviary in the Temperate Forest biome of the zoo. The very colorful male is adorned with iridescent plumage that shows best on sunny days. Ironically with this rainbow of colors, what is most prominent during courtship display