Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Ric Brewer, Communications The world's third largest species of rodent will soon be making its appearance at Woodland Park Zoo. Can you guess what it is? Well, if you've looked below at the photos, you already know: the porcupine! Two young porcupines will soon join the other animals in our award-winning Northern Trail exhibit. The pair, Molly and Oliver, is approximately 3 months old and came from Weickert's Wildlife in Bent, Minnesota. Molly is the larger and darker of the two, and even though Oliver likes to try and push her around, Molly steadfastly stands her ground. They also have decidedly gourmet tastes, preferring willow branches over apple and delectable treats such as peanut butter. Porcupines (the term is derived from the Middle French porc espin meaning "quilled pig") are in the order Rodentia which also contains mice, rats, the South American capybara -- the largest rodent species -- mole-rats, and chinchillas, among others. Beaver, by the

Posted by Ric Brewer, Communications Art and installations at Woodland Park Zoo help us celebrate animals in nature. Animals, of course, are the subject of an overwhelming majority of the sculptures and interpretive elements around the zoo's grounds. We use art to augment our messages of respect, and to convey the awe and wonder we feel in the presence of other species. Tony Angell's "Ravens" in the Northern Trail The art and installations chosen for inclusion here, many of which were part of the city's 1 Percent for Art program, others as pieces donated specifically for exhibits, or part of the interpretive portions of the exhibit, must meet standards of excellence and experiential learning in order to justify their inclusion, further our mission, and call our visitors to action to help preserve the Earth's wildlife and wild places. Rob Evans's tundra mural in the Tundra Center, Northern Trail Interpretive art also serves an important role in sup

Posted by: Kelly Gross, Zookeeper with Dana Wooster, Zookeeper Earlier this summer, we lost an amazing animal: Jake, the remaining member of the dynamic lion duo many visitors and staff alike have so many fond memoires of, the wonderful Jake and Juanita. Jake was born at Woodland Park Zoo on June 10, 1991. According to longtime feline keeper Dana Wooster who began taking care of him when he was 11 months old, as a young lion Jake was always getting into trouble with his twin brother, Elwood. The two of them were very playful and were forever sneaking up and pouncing on their parents and aunts. At some point their mother, Sukari, gave up trying to keep them in line. Because of their mischievousness, Dana always imagined that if Jake and his brother had been human they would have been stealing hubcaps or committing other petty crimes. As they matured their manes began to grow, first into spiky mohawks, making them look quite punk, and then into magnificent manes. Jake took after hi

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Even the animals will have a blast over the Fourth of July weekend with our annual Red, White & Zoo enrichment event, presented by Zookeeper and Columbia Pictures. Before you get your grill going, celebrate with us this Friday and Saturday, July 1 and 2, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and see meerkats , grizzlies , orangutans , hippos and many more animals enjoying a Fourth of July picnic featuring a menu of star-shaped popsicles, watermelons and even corn on the cob! The Fourth of July-themed treats are part of the excellent animal care program at Woodland Park Zoo and the zookeepers’ ongoing efforts to help enrich the lives of the zoo’s animals, promote natural animal behavior, keep animals mentally stimulated and engage zoo visitors. Here’s the full schedule of activities for the two days: Willawong Station - 10am-2:30pm Sow bugs (Bug World) - morning/afternoon Anoas - 10am Hippos - 10:30 a.m. Tigers - 11 a.m. Golden li

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Snow is in the forecast at Woodland Park Zoo with the hatching of a snowy owl chick! This owlet was hatched on June 13 but we have not yet determined the gender of the chick. Keepers have been monitoring the owlet and it appears to be in good health. The parents and chick live in our award-winning Northern Trail exhibit, but you won’t be able to spot the chick just yet as mom is sitting on the nest taking good care it. The owlet is growing very quickly, and it might be just another week or two before visitors will be able to spot it. This species of owl is migratory and nomadic. Every seven to 10 years, the Arctic-dwelling snowy owl appears in Washington state during winter months in large numbers, known as an "irruption," a period when young owls leave their breeding range in search of food. Many raptor species are facing decline due to human-imposed activities. Raptors provide many benefits—they consume many animals that hu

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Our little tree kangaroo joey is showing its face a bit more these days. We’re excited to catch and share these glimpses of the joey that is just now starting to emerge from its mother’s pouch at six months—that was a long wait for us to get a peek! A tree kangaroo joey will typically remain in its mother’s pouch for about 10 months. Once out, it’ll continue to return to its mother’s pouch until it is fully weaned, usually at around 13 months. Tree ‘roo mom Elanna is taking good care of the joey and the two are doing well in a quiet, behind-the-scenes exhibit at the zoo. Woodland Park Zoo is home to the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program that is working to protect the endangered tree kangaroo and help maintain the unique biodiversity of its native Papua New Guinea in balance with the culture and needs of human communities. If you’d like to help conserve tree kangaroos, you can go to www.zoo.org/treekangaroo/give , or use your ce

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications “There goes the barbecue…” Last week we shared some photos from our Bear Affair event held June 4. In our latest video, you can see 700-pound grizzly bear brothers, Keema and Denali, in action. Watch with your sound turned up to hear bear expert and zoo conservation partner Chris Morgan provide insight on bear safety as the grizzlies show us exactly how much damage they can do to our campsites and backyards. Always be bear aware. If we do our part to keep attractants like garbage, birdseed and barbecues contained when camping or living in bear country, practice bear safety and give these animals plenty of space, we can help protect not just bears but people too. And never keep marshmallows in your sleeping bag! For more info on grizzlies, how we're protecting them in Washington state and what you can do to be bear safe, visit: http://bearinfo.org/ . Video shot and edited by Kirsten Pisto/Woodland Park Zoo.