Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Fall has arrived and the autumn equinox is September 23! This Friday, September 23, the autumn equinox will take place at precisely 9:04 a.m. The autumn equinox occurs once a year when the earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the sun. This means that the hours of daylight and night time are exactly the same: 12 hours of day, 12 hours of night. After September 23rd, the earth's axis, and the North Pole, will begin to tilt away from the sun. The sun rises lower and lower in the sky so the days start getting shorter until December's shortest day of the year. This creates wonderful long shadows that stretch across the ground during autumn and early winter. The zoo is a perfect place to watch these shadows move, since we have so many tall trees and open spaces. Artists and photographers should take advantage of this time of year. The light is softer in the fall, because the sun's rays are not as dir

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications We’re getting ready to release more than 700 endangered Oregon spotted frogs into the wild next month. Before we can let the juvenile frogs go, we have to tag, weigh, sex and measure them so that state biologists can identify and track them once they’re released. Not surprisingly, it takes a long time to do all that 700 times! Our zookeepers joined a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist on Monday for the hours-long process of prepping all 700 frogs, with more days of prep still to come. Frog prepping Step one: Break out the ruler and record the frog’s measurements.  Step two: Place the frog in a container on a scale (then cover quickly so it doesn’t jump away!) and take its weight. Step three: Insert identification tag on select frogs. Step four: Note the sex of the frog and make sure all data is recorded. These frogs are just weeks away from being released, but they started their lives here

Posted by: Hilary Aten, Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (Woodland Park Zoo  Partner for Wildlife ) A home in the remote forests of Papua New Guinea’s Huon Peninsula. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. In the remote forests of Papua New Guinea’s Huon Peninsula, we’re brewing up something exciting with subsistence farmers—the first coffee you’ll ever have the chance to drink from this region. Freshly picked coffee cherries. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. More than a tasty drink, this coffee is on a mission: to create a better life for the villagers of Papua New Guinea who have pledged their own land to conservation. What’s the story behind this project? Map of Papua New Guinea showing the YUS Conservation Area on the Huon Peninsula. Back in 2009, the indigenous clans of the Huon Peninsula worked with Woodland Park Zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) to make history , pledging parcels of their own land to permanent

Posted by: John Samaras, Penguin Keeper This blog post is part two of a three-part series based on Woodland Park Zoo penguin keeper John Samaras’ work in Punta San Juan, Peru with a zoo conservation partner . In part one , I blogged about the diverse wildlife I encountered on my trip to Punta San Juan in Peru where I joined zoo professionals and Peruvian biologists in conducting an annual health assessment of the wild population of Humboldt penguins . Woodland Park Zoo’s penguin exhibit, which opened in May 2009, replicates the coast of Punta San Juan, a barren desert peninsula that juts out into the South Pacific in southern Peru. Here in part two, I’ll take you through the experience of administering the health assessments on these wild penguins, a challenging annual task that is critical to establish baseline data so we can track the health and any emergent needs of this endangered population. From the field: We stood at the edge of a high c

Posted by: Dr. Fred Koontz, Vice President of Field Conservation When you visit the zoo, you help us save wildlife. Now that conservation connection will be even more prominent when you visit with the launch of our new Quarters for Conservation program kicking off today. On your next visit to the zoo, you’ll find yourself with the power to vote for which zoo conservation program you’d like to support. Whether you are a member or just visiting for the day, you’ll receive a special token when you check in at the zoo—a token that gives you the power to vote and make a difference. Your token represents 25 cents from your zoo admission that will go directly to the zoo’s field conservation fund . We partner with 37 conservation programs in 50 countries around the world—from repopulating endangered turtles in our own Northwest backyard, to protecting tree kangaroo habitat in Papua New Guinea, and managing human-elephant conflict in Africa. With your token, you’ll

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications The fall season is just a month away, which means it’s time for Woodland Park Zoo’s Fall Fecal Fest ! The annual poop event calls for you local gardeners to enter your bid to purchase the highly coveted Zoo Doo or Bedspread that Dr. Doo, also known as the “Prince of Poo,” the “GM of BM” or the “Grand Poopah,” has been piling all summer. Zoo Doo is the most exotic and highly prized compost in the Pacific Northwest. Composed of exotic species feces contributed by the zoo’s non-primate herbivores, Zoo Doo is perfect for vegetables and annuals. Bedspread, the zoo’s premium composted mulch, is like Zoo Doo but with higher amounts of wood chips and sawdust. It’s the perfect mulch for perennial beds and woody landscapes such as native gardens, rose beds, shrubs, tree rings or pathways. Entries start today! For a chance to purchase Zoo Doo or Bedspread, send in a postcard from September 1 through September 23 only. You