Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Whether it's your first time or a return to an annual tradition, a visit to WildLights presented by KeyBank this year will bring more lights, more animals and more fun to your holidays! You might say there are 575,000 sparkling reasons to come to WildLights, but what other activities can you look forward to during your visit? Here are the top 10 experiences you can't miss at WildLights this year! 1. See the all new and classic light displays Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Approximately 575,000 energy-efficient LED lights recreate wild animals and wild places in two and three dimensions along the zoo’s pathways and North Meadow. An animated display of nature’s wonder is woven into the zoo’s famous greenery inspired by exotic destinations from across the globe. Last year’s favorite displays, Northern Lights, The Water Hole and Jungle Lights, are joined this year by all new displays: Monkey Business, Glow-rilla

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications You spend all that time decorating the tree, and then a grizzly comes along and gobbles it up. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Well, hopefully not at your house, but that’s exactly what happens at Woodland Park Zoo’s Winter Celebration , Dec. 14-16 and Dec. 21-23. Break out of hibernation and join us for some holiday-themed treats for the animals. They'll much on decorated wreaths and evergreen trees, and tear into gift wrapped boxes filled with favorite foods. Greet your loved ones with a snowy otter, one of several free e-card designs. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. 'Tis the season for sharing, so invite a friend to join you  by  sending a free Woodland Park Zoo holiday e-card! Browse from several designs and get started on making your tree-free card  today.

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications This International Cheetah Day we have big news: the fastest land animal on earth will be here in a flash! A pair of cheetah will debut in a temporary exhibit at Woodland Park Zoo next May. The two females will be arriving from Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. Photo: Stephanie Adams/Houston Zoo The Species Survival Plan, a conservation breeding program among accredited zoos, enlisted our assistance to care for these animals for six to 18 months. We’ll share more as the plans come together over the next few months. Are you excited for this new addition? Animal curator Mark Myers helped round up some interesting facts about the new dotted denizens we all can't wait to meet: Range and Habitat Cheetah are distributed throughout the drier parts of sub-Saharan Africa. They are most frequently observed on open grassy plains, but can also be found in a mosaic of woodland and grassland habitats, using bush, scrub and open woodlan

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications   Last year's photo contest grand prize winner. Photo: kbgirl30/Instagram. Shine a light on your favorite WildLights presented by KeyBank moments and be entered to win a grand prize featuring a behind-the-scenes Real Close tour and penguin feeding experience . Enter your WildLights photo now through January 5 for a chance to win. Finalist photo from last year's photo contest. Photo: thefoxtronaut/Instagram. How to enter: Snap your WildLights photo and you’ll be automatically entered to win when you share it with us by any one of four ways: Tag your photo with @woodlandparkzoo and #wpzwildlights on Instagram OR Tag your photo with @woodlandparkzoo and #wpzwildlights on Twitter OR Tag your photo with #wpzwildlights on Woodland Park Zoo's Facebook page OR Email your photo to webkeeper@zoo.org with subject line "WildLights" (files must be 5MB or under) You can find complet

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications Photos: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo From all of us here at Woodland Park Zoo, we give thanks to you—our amazing pack of wild-at-heart animal lovers who have helped make this world-class zoo a community tradition for 114 years. Of course, you can’t celebrate Thanksgiving without a feast and friends to share it with. So as you belly up to your perfectly set table to enjoy your holiday spread, allow us to start the meal off with an animal-inspired toast. [ Raise a glass ] Dearest friends… …Here’s to a drool-worthy Thanksgiving feast… …May your meal taste better than cardboard and may your guests not ruin your centerpiece… …May you wolf down your first serving so you can get to seconds. Then thirds… …Table manners aside, may you dive head first into the comforts and joys of the season... …And may your holidays be filled with tender moments. Cheers!

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo For Thanksgiving dinner, you might consider your guests before planning the menu. Aunt Penelope prefers mashed potatoes, cousin Yanos prefers yams. But, what if your dinner guests turned out to be a pack of hungry animals?  A snow leopard prepares to dine. Different animals have different reasons for prioritizing some tastes over others, and it all comes down to evolution and survival; which foods will provide the quickest and most nutritious meal? Taste is a complex issue and tends to be shaped by evolution and environment. Here is a test: think of a time when you were really hungry, practically starving. Now, from the choices below, which meal would you have picked? Buttery, chocolate fudge ice cream in a hand-built waffle cone with sea-salt infused caramel drizzle, cocoa sprinkles and a dollop of heavenly whipped cream.  A hand tossed, crisp pizza pie topped with virgin olive oil and hot

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Meet our newest pair of patas monkeys ! Acacia, an 8-year-old female from Kentucky, and SeiKei, a 4-year-old male from California have been successfully introduced and have been spending some quality time on the African Savanna together. Acacia, relaxing in the leaves. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. SeiKei, looking out over the savanna from his rocky perch. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. First, zookeepers introduced the monkeys to each other through a mesh enclosure to be sure they were not aggressive with one another. The monkeys spent time looking at each other and showed positive interactions through the mesh. It is not always easy to tell if two animals will get along, but fortunately these two showed encouraging behaviors right away. Next the patas monkeys were each given access to the exhibit on their own so they could get used to the environment and scout it out. Finally, they were placed together in t