Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications What do 44-year-old elephant Bamboo , 42-year-old elephant Watoto , 32-year-old elephant Chai , and 5-year-old human Karina have in common? A special bond with Woodland Park Zoo elephant keeper Russ Roach. Karina and her elephant-loving, big sister Jadyn first came to an elephant keeper talk with their parents more than two years ago and there they met Russ. The elephant keeper talk is one of the most popular at the zoo, filled with the elephants displaying fascinating adaptations as they munch on apples and carrots while Russ or one of the other elephant keepers talks to visitors about the conservation issues impacting elephants in the wild. Karina was immediately drawn to the large yet graceful elephants and their knowledgeable keeper, and her parents, Julie and Mark, found themselves taking her back week after week to learn more about elephants from Russ. As her mother puts it, “Karina is absolutely captivated by the elephants and would

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications The zoo’s lush 92 acres make a naturalistic home for more than 1,000 animals—and a stunning backdrop for any wedding . In the spirit of romance on this Valentine’s Day, we’re highlighting one of the many weddings held at Woodland Park Zoo in the last year—the wedding of Seattle lovebirds Ethan and Anne Loomis Thompson. For Anne and Ethan, Woodland Park Zoo has always been a favorite date spot. As members, they visit often to connect with their favorite animals—the red pandas , toucans, hornbills, hippos , armadillos and penguins . When it was time to plan for their big day, the couple wanted not only a beautiful setting, but also for their wedding to support a cause that matters to them. Their minds quickly turned to Woodland Park Zoo. They had seen the zoo transform into a gorgeous event setting each time they attended the zoo’s annual Jungle Party fundraiser, and it was there that they learned about two community-focused zoo conservation pr

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications A set of new spots and striping has appeared at the zoo with the birth of an ocelot ! A single kitten, seen here at 3 weeks old, was born on January 15 to 10-year-old mother Bella and 15-year-old father Brazil. At this early stage, keepers want to minimize disturbance and physical contact outside of quick health check-ups to give the new family time to naturally bond. So for now, the mother and kitten are off public view in a dark birthing den and keepers are monitoring their progress via infrared camera. Here’s a peek at some of the black and white footage from baby’s first few weeks: Where’s dad? Like in the wild, mother ocelots care for their young alone. Brazil is keeping his distance and can be seen on exhibit in the award-winning Tropical Rain Forest . Curator Mark Myers tells us that Bella, an experienced mother , has been providing excellent round-the-clock and protective maternal care. The kitten is nursing regularly and has a healthy,

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications A splash of fruit juice, a handful of smelt, and lotsa love are surefire ingredients to a river otter’s heart. Our annual Valentine’s Day enrichment event is coming up on Saturday, and we gave press a sneak peek of the action today when we let our river otters indulge in some fish-filled, heart-shaped ice pops. River otters Sunny, a 15-year-old female, and Duncan, a 13-year-old male, swam with amazing speed and agility to chase after the pops that were dropped into their pool in the award-winning Northern Trail exhibit . After munching their way through the ice pops, we gave the otters another enrichment opportunity—a heart-shaped wreath stuffed with frozen smelt. The wreath proved the perfect size for the otters to swim through as they picked off the frozen fish. Love will be in the air for the zoo’s other animal ambassadors as they celebrate Valentine’s Day with heart-shaped ice pops, herbal bouquets, heart-shaped steaks, and more on Satu

Posted by: Carolyn Sellar, Zookeeper Introducing a new series to the blog... Who is: a rowdy 10-year-old gorilla ; with ears that stick out; a female in silverback Pete’s troop ; who is leaving soon to start a new family? Our girl Naku (aka Nakunator or Naki, as her keepers sometimes call her)! This spring Naku will fly to Milwaukee, the land of cheese, breweries, and Laverne and Shirley. There she’ll be introduced to some new gorillas in hopes of starting a brand new family, including handsome resident male gorilla, Cassius, and female Shalia, who is also arriving new to Milwaukee, coming from Toronto. Naku’s 10th birthday was a very significant gorilla birthday. Her first double-digit birthday is a milestone that means she is mature enough physically and emotionally to become part of the cooperative breeding effort known as the Gorillas Species Survival Plan . This timing corresponds to the age at which wild gorillas begin to venture off to look for a new group to belong to, or begin

Posted by: Ric Brewer, Communications Seattle sports fans are well known for doing the wave, but did you know that snails also perform their own version? Here's a short video clip of our Partula snails doing what’s called the pedal wave: To get from place to place, snails first lay down a trail of mucus. Then they essentially surf over a trail of their slime. But that's only half of the story. Snails also have two types of muscles working in conjunction to propel them forward. A set of light and dark colored bands of muscle fibers relax and contract, in a process called a pedal wave. These muscles pull the snail forward while the other fibers push from behind. The same process works with most gastropod species, i.e., snails, a Latin term meaning "stomach-foot" that accurately sums up their anatomical structure! And that super tiny snail in the clip? That’s a baby Partula , that starts out life little more than the size of the head of a pin, and is seen here at abou

Posted by: Nicole Aragon, Education As the Child and Family Program Coordinator here at Woodland Park Zoo, I must admit that I do spend a fair amount of time at my desk. But every now and then, I get to take part in some amazing opportunities that could happen nowhere else. One of these amazing experiences was in a class for families that I taught recently, which will be offered again this spring, called Animal Enrichment . Enrichment is an important aspect of animal health here at Woodland Park Zoo. We provide enrichment that encourages animals’ natural behaviors like foraging, browsing, hunting, seeking out new scents and marking territories. The animals in our care are important ambassadors for their wild counterparts and we work very hard to ensure they lead healthy, enriched lives. During the class, we toured zoo grounds and I talked about many of the different enrichment items we offer to our animals—everything from Chanel No. 5 to paper bags. Tropical Rain Forest keepers even g