Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications You may have seen in the news this week that a convicted German man was sentenced to prison in a case of illegal live tarantula smuggling. What you may not realize is that the tarantulas that survived the smuggling are now being cared for at Woodland Park Zoo. Here’s what happened: In March 2010, federal agents intercepted an international attempt to smuggle nearly 300 live tarantulas in a sting operation called (no joke) “Operation Spiderman.” Agents found several different kinds of tarantulas, including species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) , in the intercepted package. The confiscated tarantulas were sent to Woodland Park Zoo last year where we have given them a temporary home in a behind-the-scenes area of our Bug World exhibit. Since the tarantulas had been considered evidence in the case, we have not been able to tell you about them until now. In effect, these tarantulas were

Posted by: Ric Brewer, Communications For long-time Seattle residents, you have probably experienced first hand the difference between Woodland Park Zoo seen on the left approximately 50 years ago and today’s zoo seen on the right. The side-by-side comparison above shows how profoundly different a type of exhibit the old Monkey Island (seen here circa the mid 1960s) on the left is from the same space after major modifications that now makes up the lemur exhibit—part of our Tropical Rain Forest—seen on the right. Monkey Island was a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project completed in the early 1940s. It housed several different species of monkeys over the years and old-timers might recall the bright yellow schoolhouse that perched at the summit of the faux rock, complete with a bell that the monkeys would ring. As zoos evolved into organizations that actively championed environmental causes, exhibits such as this began to be replaced with exhibits much more evocative of the

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications UPDATE (5/23) - Nearly 400 people submitted name ideas and after narrowing it down to our top 5 choices, "Kaa" came out the winner with 44% of the vote! You can come meet "Kaa" (named for the Jungle Book character) in the Day Exhibit. We’ve got a big, new squeeze at the zoo—a 100-pound, 8-year-old male reticulated python now on view in the Day Exhibit. We need your help to name him! We’re collecting your name suggestions via our Facebook page through May 13, noon PST (complete instructions on our Facebook page). Zookeepers will select their five favorite names from the submissions and fans will then vote on May 17 on the zoo’s Facebook page for their top pick. The reticulated python is the longest snake in the world, with some rare specimens exceeding 30 feet in length and weighing 300 pounds, though its average size is 10 to 20 feet in length. As a constrictor, the python is not venomous but kills its prey by wr

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Last week, 16-week-old ocelot kitten Evita learned about water. First we added still water to her exhibit and she did not hesitate to splash around in it. Then we turned on the exhibit's stream to get her used to running water. And last Friday we put live trout in the stream to give Evita her very first fishing experience. Evita stayed close to her mother, Bella, watching Bella's moves before trying some out on her own. In the above video you'll also see her exploring all around her exhibit as she becomes more adventurous and curious each day. Have you seen Evita out on exhibit yet? Her most active times seem to be between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Look for her in the award-winning Tropical Rain Forest exhibit.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Five Humboldt penguin chicks hatched this past February and took their first steps out into their exhibit on Monday morning. The chicks, who practiced swimming behind the scenes in a secure pool room before their debut, took to the water quickly and have been exploring all around their exhibit. The colony is adjusting well to the new additions, which are significant hatchings for the penguin Species Survival Plan . Humboldt penguins are an endangered species and here at the zoo these birds are important conservation ambassadors to teach visitors about the impacts humans have on penguins in their range countries. You can tell the chicks apart from the adults by looking for their lighter, more grayish plumage. Look for them during your next visit! Photos by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Video by Erika Schultz, courtesy Seattle Times.

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Join one of Woodland Park Zoo’s Partners for Wildlife , Chris Morgan of the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project-GBOP , as he takes us on a motorcycle odyssey and gets up close and personal with the bears of Alaska in the PBS Nature special Bears of the Last Frontier . The special three-part series premieres on three consecutive Sundays, beginning May 8, 2011 at 8 p.m. on KCTS 9 (check PBS Nature for other local listings). Watch the full episode . See more Nature. The program spotlights adventurer and bear ecologist Chris Morgan on a year-long, 3,000-mile exploration into bear country across the length of five dramatically diverse Alaskan ecosystems: coastal, urban, mountain, tundra and pack ice. You’ll have a chance to meet Chris when he joins us for the zoo’s annual Bear Affair & Big Howl for Wolves on Saturday, June 4. The awareness event will highlight a couple of presentations by Chris as our grizzly bears tear through a mock-up

Posted by: Helen Shewman, Collection Manager Kelang the Malayan tapir has plenty of likes: - She likes to wander around in her exhibit eating leaves from the plants and trees - She likes to eat watermelon, apples, yams, carrots, and especially bananas and blueberries - She likes to nap in the afternoon after she has had her snack - She likes to swim in her pool But now one of her likes is helping to protect her wild counterparts. That’s because Kelang also likes to paint, and her painting is being used to raise funds for the Tapirs Supporting Tapirs project, part of the Tapir Specialist Group’s efforts to study, protect and raise awareness for tapir conservation. Tapir Specialist Group is one of more than 35 conservation programs in 50 countries worldwide that Woodland Park Zoo supports. Painting is a favorite enrichment activity for Kelang. She naturally tends to manipulate objects with her nose, so when she was given paint, she right away started playing with it, dippi