Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications We are really excited about a new project. Woodland Park Zoo and The Greenwood Collective are inviting artists of all experience levels to participate in Penguins on the March , a community art project designed to celebrate the zoo’s new penguin exhibit , spotlight Seattle’s arts community and benefit Woodland Park Zoo’s field conservation projects around the world. Artists are invited to paint, embellish and decorate 22-inch fabricated penguins by the end of May. Penguins on the March will be unveiled at the Space Needle in early June. The artist decorated penguins will migrate throughout Seattle neighborhoods (including Fremont and Ballard) landing at The Greenwood Collective during the July 10th monthly art walk for a silent auction to benefit the zoo’s field conservation projects. The call for artists has begun, and online and email artist submission will be open through April 30th. Here's how to enter: In-person Submissions: The Gre

Watch the penguins explore their new exhibit for the first time and see some of the amazing underwater views visitors will get when they visit. And don't forget to turn up the sound for full effect! The all new exhibit transports zoo visitors to the desert coast of Punta San Juan – home of the largest colony of wild Humboldt penguins in Peru. Watch the video for a peek at the shoreline cliffs, nesting burrows, rocky tide pools, crashing waves and sunny beaches in the naturalistic new home for penguins. And with special windows and acrylic walls, dramatic vantage points will offer guests nose-to-beak viewing as penguins splash, dive and swoop underwater. See it all for yourself when the exhibit opens on May 2!

Posted by: Ernie Rose, Flamingo Keeper 'Tis the season of the penguin...but the flamingos are still here and doing some really cool behaviors. This is their first full breeding season in the new exhibit and they are beginning to show some of their synchronized courtship/breeding behaviors. Things to look for are: Head flagging: They all stretch their necks up high like they're trying to peek over a wall and then start turning their heads from side to side. At first just a few them are doing it, then more and more, and after awhile they are all in synchrony. Wing saluting: At first it looks like one or two might be just stretching one wing or the other. One does it, then another, and as it progresses through the flock it gets faster and faster where each one is whipping out one or both wings and drawing them back in very quickly. Marching/parading: While they are head flagging, the entire flock will begin moving in one direction or another and march back and forth across t

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications The new colony of Humboldt penguins was introduced today for the first time to Woodland Park Zoo’s new penguin exhibit , and boy was it a thrill to watch! The 20 tuxedoed birds waddled outdoors onto the beach and naturally did what penguins in the wild do—go swimming! Up until today, the penguins (10 males and 10 females) had been in standard quarantine in the interior enclosure of the new exhibit as part of our excellent animal care program. They arrived three weeks ago from five other zoos and aquariums, and had been behind the scenes getting used to each other, their keepers and their new daily routine. After showing great signs that they were adjusting well , the penguins were ready to take their first steps outside since arriving—and what a day for a debut with the sun shining and the water glistening blue! The birds wasted no time in exploring the depths of the pool, the sunny beaches and the shady nooks of their exhibit. Some even built

Posted by: WPZ Field Conservation staff Southeast Asia is home to the world’s smallest bear species, the Malayan sun bear . These little bears face big threats throughout their range, especially from forest destruction, illegal hunting, and the capturing of small cubs for pets. Luckily this unique bear has a champion and protector in Siew Te Wong , a Malaysian researcher and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Montana. Woodland Park Zoo has helped support Wong and his field work in Sabah, Borneo for several years. As one of the very few people studying the sun bear, Wong has uncovered many fascinating aspects of sun bear ecology. Sadly, though, his research also brought him first-hand experience of the inhumane treatment of sun bears kept as pets. Wong’s deep concern for these animals has inspired a new and ambitious project: the creation of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center , a partnership between the Sabah Wildlife Department, the Sabah Forestry Department and nonprofit LEAP

Posted by Collection Manager Shawn Pedersen Well, yes, the nine penguins that will soon call the new Humboldt penguin exhibit home did fly here, but by way of airplanes, not their own power. Five females and two males arrived yesterday afternoon from SeaWorld San Diego and St. Louis Zoo. They join a pair from Aquarium of Niagara that arrived earlier this week and 11 more penguins arrive later last night from Brookfield Zoo and Rosamond Gifford Zoo. The 10 penguin pairs will be quarantined for 30 days before they waddle out into their brand new exhibit for the first time. The penguins arrived at the airport in “kennel cab” style dog crates, safely screened to keep them calm. Zookeeper Celine Pardo and I loaded the crates into the zoo’s van and whisked them to the zoo and the off-exhibit area constructed for them behind the new exhibit. One-by-one we opened each kennel at which time a penguin head poked out, wondering where they were. Like the penguins, we didn’t know quite what to expec

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications and Jona Jacobson, Field Conservation Humboldt penguins nest in poop. No, really. In the wild, Humboldt penguins dig their nests into guano, the accumulated droppings of sea birds. These nesting burrows protect eggs and chicks in the unique yet unforgiving desert environment that is Punta San Juan, Peru—home of Peru’s largest Humboldt penguin population, and the inspiration for Woodland Park Zoo’s new penguin exhibit opening in May. But this tidbit is important not just because it’s a great “Did you know?” to pull out at your next party, but because it’s also a significant factor in the conservation of this endangered species. You see, one of the greatest threats to Humboldt penguins is the overharvesting of guano as an agricultural fertilizer. Take away their nesting material, and penguins lose the ability to safely hatch eggs and add chicks to their already depleted population. To mitigate this threat, a guano reserve was created in Punta S