Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Photos by Kirsten Pisto/Woodland Park Zoo They each now weigh more than an average bowling ball. It’s getting harder to handle our growing jaguar cubs , and their 9-week exam last week was the first that required anesthesia to safely complete the brief check-ups. To make sure each cub got the team’s full attention, we conducted the exams one at a time, carefully escorting each cub to the zoo’s mobile hospital in the back of our animal health ambulance. Here the vets completed the basics of each exam, including: The weigh-in. The cubs are each around 15-16 pounds. Taking measurements to make sure growth is on track. The visual inspection, including a look at the paws, skin and fur. And a dental inspection to see how the teeth are growing and to get a glimpse of their oral health. After giving each cub required feline vaccinations, they were quickly returned to their behind-the-scenes hom

Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Do you know what happens to the salmon the Pike Place Fish Market fishmongers use in their world-famous tossing demonstrations after all the high-flying action is done? It becomes food for Woodland Park Zoo’s two grizzly bear brothers, Keema and Denali. This week, that fish was hand delivered to the bears by the fishmongers themselves in a fish toss unlike any other in town! The fishmongers came out for the special toss to help us promote this weekend’s Bear Affair: Pacific Northwest Conservation presented by Brown Bear Car Wash event, coming up on Sat., June 8. The sight of fish being hurled through the air during some early practice tosses drew a crowd, and soon the exhibit was packed with visitors waiting to see the real deal. The bears caught the scent of the fish and, seeing all the action, situated themselves perfectly on the other side of the moat awaiting their meal. The salmon toss is a great way to reconnect

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications The Brownies gather around Lanny in the Commissary, waiting to see what’s behind the door. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. “Do you know what we do at the Commissary?” Lanny Kittleson, the zoo’s Commissary Lead, asked the Brownie troop. “Feed the puppies!” one girl guessed. Well, it’s not exactly puppies we’re feeding with the thousands of pounds of food that come in and out of the zoo’s Commissary each week—it’s the more than 1,000 animals representing 300 different species living at Woodland Park. Last week, the 3rd grade Brownie troop from Ballard’s Salmon Bay School had the unforgettable opportunity to go behind the scenes at the Commissary as a special thank you from zoo staff—after all, the 8- and 9-year-old girls donated part of their cookie sales money this year to help feed the zoo’s animals. Lanny rolled up the door to welcome the girls into the grain room. “It smells like cat food!” erupted from the cro

Posted by: Rob Goehrke, Education “ Hello, my name is Jeremy and I am a part of ZooCrew and for the winter session we were studying wolves. Now you may think wolves are these dangerous creatures that will kill anything they seem to find. But to be honest that's not completely true. ” Jeremy is an 8th grader at Pacific Middle School. As a member of ZooCrew , he got to work on a project that is tied to specific conservation careers. He and a few of his classmates chose to make a short film about a boy raised by wolves in order to highlight some misconceptions about this animal. After receiving ongoing feedback from of our Digital Communications Manager, they premiered their film at the zoo. (Above photo: Jeremy with the zoo's Digital Communications Manager inviting visitors to view the film.) After finishing their projects, ZooCrew students participated in a mock debate to delve into some of the complexities and challenges of conservation work. Since our winter to

Posted by: Caileigh Robertson, Communications You often see our meerkats piled above ground, but it's in underground burrows where they typically make their home. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. However, despite the fact that they are excellent diggers, these burrow dwellers are more often burrow borrowers, as they usually don’t build the burrows themselves. Meerkats will often settle into burrows previously dug by other animals such as ground squirrels and other mongooses.

Caileigh Robertson, Communications We’re teaming up with Umpqua Bank to name our new playful pair of Asian small-clawed otters , residents of the new Bamboo Forest Reserve exhibit. Two lucky winners will each take home a $100 Umpqua Bank savings account*, a ZooParent adoption, and a visit from an Umpqua Bank ice cream truck for 100 friends! Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo The contest began Friday, May 24 and will continue through Saturday, June 15, 5:00 p.m. PST. As a tribute to the otters' native southern and southeastern Asia range, all qualified name entries must be submitted in the Malay language. The winning names will be chosen by a panel of zoo judges. Follow these three simple steps to name our otters: 1.     Look up words or names in the Malay language. Choose two names, one for him and one for her. 2.     Pick up a ballot at any Seattle area Umpqua Bank store, clip out a ballot from select issues of The Seattle Times, or submit your otter names

Caileigh Robertson, Communications Our three jaguar cubs received their first hands-on exams last week and, at 3 months old, keepers determined the cubs’ personalities far outweigh their 10-pound frames. The trio—born in March to our jaguar pair,  7-year-old Nayla and 14-year-old father Junior —has been under the watchful eye of jaguar mother Nayla since their birth.  Jaguar births are rare, and as a “near threatened” species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the jaguar triplets are a major milestone for  Woodland Park Zoo’s jaguar conservation efforts . Triple trouble in the cub den. Photo by Jamie Delk/Woodland Park Zoo Health updates were put on hold while first-time mother Nayla demonstrated natural motherly care and protection, so much that keepers couldn’t get hands on the cubs until late last week. Staff learned the healthy triplets include two girls and one boy, all exhibiting curiously different personalities. Photo