Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Gretchen Albrecht, Zookeeper Woodland Park Zoo’s lush habitat often attracts local wildlife. For the first time, we’ve confirmed that wild Cooper’s hawks are nesting here on zoo grounds. Their nest has been spotted in the chestnut tree in the wallaroo exhibit in our Australasia biome. The pair has successfully fledged three young birds which are still heard around the zoo food begging from time to time. They are learning to hunt on their own at this point, but they still get an occasional meal from their parents. Both adults are second year birds meaning they both hatched in 2009. We can tell this by their plumage since they are currently molting from their immature plumage (which they keep for one year) into their adult plumage. Often the nests of younger, less experienced birds are not successful or they raise fewer young, so it has been fun to see this young couple do so well with their fledglings. To get a better understanding of the population of Cooper’s hawks in the a

The Louisiana Pine Snake Species Survival Plan is one of more than 30 field conservation projects in 50 countries around the world supported by Woodland Park Zoo. Here is an update from the field by one of the conservationists working to return Louisiana pine snakes to the wild… Posted by: Steve Reichling PhD, Memphis Zoo Curator and Woodland Park Zoo conservation partner Repatriating the Louisiana pine snake to the eastern portion of its historic range, 50 years after its extirpation, progressed further this August with the release of three more hatchlings. These are especially important snakes because they are carrying externally attached radio transmitters which will allow us to keep tabs on them, at least for a short while, and thereby learn a little about how they are adapting to their environment. Early in the morning, I met staff biologists and rangers who work in the Catahoula District of Kisatchie National Forest, which is where our reintroduction is taking place. The potentia

Posted by: Kiley Jacques, Senior Rose Gardener Whether you are a native Seattleite or a visitor to the area, if you haven’t made your way to the intersection of Fremont Ave and N. 50th St, you ought to add it to your list of things to do. It is there you will find the South Entrance to Woodland Park Zoo and one of Seattle’s oldest treasures. Established in 1924, the city’s 2.5 acre Rose Garden was developed with the intention of serving as a “civic garden.” It was to be a place for urban dwellers to enjoy a serene respite as well as learn about roses that perform well in our Pacific Northwest climate. The garden has always had an educational aspect to it and, to this day, that mission remains strong. At a time when issues of global environmental sustainability are at the fore, it is exciting to see efforts being made in our shared backyard. Here, in our beloved garden, we have implemented a new and holistic approach to natural landscape management. The idea is to look at the gar

Posted by: Martin Ramirez, Curator Lions, tigers and jaguars eating less red meat at the zoo? Who would have thought?! But if you think about it, carnivores in the wild will catch and eat the occasional fish or fowl to supplement their diet, so why not in a zoo? All of the zoo's carnivores receive a commercially prepared diet that meets their nutritional needs. These diets consist of red meat and are fed most of the week. However, there are some benefits to eating whole chickens or turkeys once a week. The bones in uncooked fowl help keep their teeth clean and the animals welcome the variety. Chickens can be offered to the animals in interesting ways. They can be hidden in the exhibit or hung from a spot where the animal has to reach for it. By reducing the red meat our carnivores eat we're not only improving their overall health, we’re also helping the environment. Researchers have determined that 2.5 times more oil is used in the production of red meat than with chicken. For

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Woodland Park Zoo is a photographer’s paradise so take your best shot and enter it for a chance to win the cover of Woodland Park Zoo’s 2011 calendar, hitting member households this November. Photographers—amateur and professional alike—are invited to submit their best animal photograph taken at Woodland Park Zoo. To enter, upload your photo to http://www.zoo.org/calendar-contest from August 16-30. Zoo judges will select their top 10 choices and open up the final voting to the public. Voting takes place online from Sept. 7-10, when the finalist photos will be posted to the zoo’s Facebook page. There you can cast votes by clicking a photo’s “Like” button. The photo with the most “Likes” as voted on by zoo fans will win the cover shot and a prize package including a one-year zoo membership for two adults and two children, plus a $50 zoo gift card . What makes for a winning photo? We’re looking for photographs that showcase the beauty and dram

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications We’re hosting our first ever Zoo Fan Meetup on Sun., August 22 during Seattle Geek Week and we’d love to meet our blog readers in person! Come on out and meet zoo staff and other zoo fans, and spend your day getting some sweet discounts, giveaways and exclusive activities as our thanks to you for being our biggest fans. Meetup is free with zoo admission or membership. Here's what's happening that day: - Download your coupon to get $2 off admission that day - Stop by our booth in the West Plaza near penguins any time from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and enjoy: o First 20 people to stop by our booth and say the magic phrase get a special surprise gift. Stay tuned to our Facebook updates for the magic phrase! o Yummy, gourmet cookies (while they last!) o Zoo Grab Bag! Reach into our grab bag and be rewarded with either: - Free carousel ride - Free seed stick at Willawong Station - Free gira

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications With five chicks hatched in April, we were thrilled with the breeding success of our endangered Humboldt penguin colony in just the first year of their new exhibit. Well, now there’s even more to cheer. Two more penguins just hatched at the start of August! The keepers regularly weigh the chicks to ensure they are achieving acceptable weight gains. At the weigh-in today, the 12-day-old chick came in at just over 1 lb and the 9-day-old chick at 0.6 lb. They looked healthy and it seems their parents, 18-year-old mother Cujo and 20-year-old father Oedipus, are properly caring for them in their off-exhibit nesting burrow. The parents are among the oldest penguins in the zoo’s colony and also the most genetically valued breeding pair at the zoo. As part of our work in the Species Survival Plan for the endangered Humboldt penguins, ensuring such genetic diversity is critical to the stability of the population. The two chicks will stay under the car