Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications If you give a black-breasted leaf turtle a hibiscus...she might ask for another petal! Part of Alyssa Borek’s job as Day Exhibit keeper is to ensure all of her residents get a variety of food and enrichment items. Sometimes this means giving an animal a new palatable experience; such was the case with this sweet, little black-breasted leaf turtle and her hibiscus dinner. Video: Black-breasted leaf turtle snacks on hibiscus. Video by Alyssa Borek/Woodland Park Zoo. The adorable clip above shows a tiny taste-test starring our black-breasted leaf turtle, Geoemyda spengleri, and her appetite for a hibiscus petal. Four stars to the chef! Day Exhibit keeper, Alyssa, answers a few questions about this daring culinary adventure… What does this turtle usually eat in the wild? In the wild, these turtles eat various invertebrates, such as insects, worms, and grubs. They also eat decaying fruit found on the forest floor and venture in

Posted by: Caileigh Robertson, Communications Photos by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo except where otherwise noted. The truth is, Junior buckled. Leading up to the naming ceremony, the communications and animal management teams prepared with hours of work: planning the press op, selecting culturally significant names, molding papier-mâché enrichment into maracas, and warming up Junior to practice piñatas for a successful ceremony. Three name options chosen by jaguar zookeepers—Cruz, Tlaloc and Kuwan—were individually paired with tasty, enticing piñatas and hung from a low tree branch for Junior in Jaguar Cove Friday morning. The goal was for Junior to bite into one of the named piñatas and thus ultimately decide the name of his first-born son. The three colorful piñatas tempted Junior toward his big decision with the scents of raw, juicy chicken, which was stuffed inside the maracas. With the lure of his favorite treat, there was no doubt Junior would be game to complete th

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications The naming contest ends this Saturday, but for right now, we’re calling our new Asian small-clawed otter pair mom and dad. That’s because the pair delivered pups on Tuesday, June 11 behind the scenes of their Bamboo Forest Reserve exhibit! Mom and dad. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. In celebration of our new otter pop this Father’s Day, we’re giving away Otter Pops to zoo visitors on Sunday, June 16. Pick up a free Otter Pop while supplies last at the Rain Forest Food Pavilion. We’d love to be able to share photos of the new pups with you, but we haven’t seen much of them yet! The attentive parents are keeping them tucked away in their behind-the-scenes den. We can hear vocalizations and have an internal cam set up so keepers can keep a watchful eye on the family and hopefully get a pup count soon! While mom nurses the cubs, dad helps by gathering food and nesting material. He stands guard over the vulnerable pups, who a

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Grizzly brothers, Keema and Denali, demonstrated at Saturday’s Bear Affair: Pacific Northwest Conservation presented by Brown Bear Car Wash what bears can do to your campsite or backyard when you don’t store your garbage, food or gear properly.  See the damage they caused and learn bear safety tips to avoid these scenarios. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. If you are camping out in bear country, make sure to pitch your tents in a line or a semicircle facing your cooking area. With this set up, you will be more likely to spot a bear that wanders into your camp and the bear will have a clear escape route, according to our conservation collaborators over at  Western Wildlife Outreach . Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. When camping, remember the 100 yard rule. Locate your cook area and food cache at least 100 yards downwind from your tent when not in established campgrounds. Photo by Dennis Do

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