Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Gigi Allianic and Rebecca Whitham, Communications Good things happen to those who wait, and we’ve been awaiting this good thing for 20 years—the birth of lions at Woodland Park Zoo! Our 3-year-old South African lion Adia gave birth last night to four cubs following a gestation period of 109 days. This is the first litter for mom Adia and 13-year-old father Hubert, and it’s also the first litter born at the zoo since 1991. Right now the cubs are with mom in an off-view maternity den where the new family can bond in a hushed, comfortable environment. Our expert keepers and veterinarian staff are closely monitoring the litter via an internal web cam to ensure Adia is providing excellent maternal care and the cubs are properly nursing. The first 48 to 72 hours after a birth are critical, particularly among mammals. Adia is a first-time mother so naturally there is concern, but we are cautiously optimistic she will instinctively provide attentive materna

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications When you’re the world’s smallest deer, you need a decent predator escape plan in your repertoire. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. If a pudu is threatened, it will run in a zigzag pattern to throw off and confuse its pursuer.

Posted by: Jenny Mears, Education Woodland Park Zoo has teamed up with Project Dragonfly from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio to offer the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP), an exciting Master’s program for a broad range of environmental and education professionals, including classroom teachers, zoo and aquarium professionals, and informal educators. The AIP offers a groundbreaking graduate degree focused on inquiry-driven learning as a powerful agent for social change, public engagement, and ecological stewardship. Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ) is one of seven institutions across the country that offers the AIP Master’s. The first AIP cohort at WPZ started in 2011 and students have already reported positive changes in their personal and professional lives. We asked Sabrina Hetland, a West Mercer Elementary kindergarten teacher and member of that cohort, to illustrate the impact that this program has had on her teaching, her students, and her life. Sabrina (left) and fellow graduate

Posted by Caileigh Robertson and Kirsten Pisto, Communications Yesterday, animals across the zoo were given enrichment in honor of Sounders fever! The zoo’s own line-up of animals gave it their all at a kicking exhibition to cheer on the Sounders heading to the MLS Cup playoffs. Here’s the rundown… In a pre-game scrimmage, our colony of penguins had a ball with their Sounders gear! Back and forth across the pool, the penguins porpoised through the water and dribbled with their beaks. Along the Northern Trail, Denali and Keema defended their Sounders soccer balls in good old-fashioned bear-to-bear defense. There were no passes to be made.  Keema and Denali held the defensive and both earned yellow cards for carrying the ball! At the other end of the Northern Trail, our wolves chased the Sounders ball between the trees and down the slope of their exhibit. Now if we can just get them to pass the ball or do anything other than bite into

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Hippos can open their mouths up to 150 degrees wide! That’s handy for chomping on pumpkins. Photo by Lori Veres/Woodland Park Zoo. Happy Halloween!

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications A lemur guards its pumpkin while snacking. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren.  At the annual Pumpkin Bash presented by Delta Dental/Washington Dental Service , there is pumpkin bashing, and also pumpkin smashing. There's pumpkin chomping and definitely some pumpkin stomping. This pumpkin came pre-pecked for the penguins. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. The fun continues this weekend with our final two days of the event, Sat. - Sun., Oct. 27 & 28 . See how each animal tears into its Halloween treats and get some treats of your own with trick-or-treating for the little ones. Plus, one child 12 years and under in costume is admitted FREE with a paid adult during Pumpkin Bash. A wolf delicately opens its jack-o-lantern. What happens next isn't so delicate. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. The pumpkins are part of the zoo’s excellent animal care program to help enrich the lives of the zoo’s animal

Posted by: Alyse Kennamer, Zoo Corps intern Oregon silverspot butterfly. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. This summer, I had the unforgettable opportunity to work with a threatened species, the Oregon silverspot butterfly . While I was working here, an amazing idea came to my head for a study that could help scientists better understand and protect this species. I wanted to observe a female butterfly, see where she lays her eggs, and how it’s done. Observing butterfly behavior in the silverspot lab at the zoo. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. It all started at the beginning of the summer when I joined the silverspot project as part of the zoo’s teen program, Zoo Corps . I joined Zoo Corps in my sophomore year of high school, and am now enrolled in my first year of college. In early spring, we got to pick from a list of about 10 areas we wanted to work in at the zoo. Working in the lab where the zoo rears silverspot caterpillars was my first choice. You w