Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications In June, we asked kids (ages 2-12) to take part in our Animal Observation contest . The participants were prompted to sit for 3 minutes to study an animal. During this time, the kids had to complete an ethogram (behavior chart) for the duration of the study. They carefully watched their subjects and then charted what they saw. They were also asked to take notes at the end of the observation as well as sketch their animal on the back of the paper. Field researchers use ethograms to document animal behavior. An ethogram is a chart which displays a list of possible behaviors as well as a timeline. Using this tool, researchers can quickly document the minute-by-minute actions and behaviors of an observation subject. Researchers also rely on sketching and drawing or photography to supplement their notes. Practicing backyard animal observations is a great way to introduce kids to conservation science. This activity promotes critical thinking,

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Photo by Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society. When it comes to wildlife conservation, numbers tell a powerful story: The international ivory trade fuels the killing of 35,000 African elephants a year. That’s 96 elephants killed each day, 1 every 15 minutes. The U.S. is among the largest ivory markets in the world, and we can’t put a complete end to it until we declare a moratorium on ivory sales in all 50 states. Photo by Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society. But we have some numbers of our own to tally:  Since July, we sought to secure 960 signatures from Washingtonians pledging never to buy, sell or trade ivory and to support a moratorium on ivory sales in the state. On the very first day of our campaign, you beat our goal! Then the signatures kept rolling in and adding up. You signed, you shared, and now we deliver. Today we send all 3,540+ signatures to more than 30 state, county

Posted by: Kerston Swartz, Public Affairs and Advocacy This week, Seattle said YES to renew its commitment to 450 parks, 26 community centers, 185 athletic fields, 120+ playgrounds and one extremely thankful zoo. With the passing of Proposition 1, Woodland Park Zoo will be able to complete major maintenance projects critical to our functionality and guest experience. A stable and dedicated funding source established by creating a voter-approved park district means we can make badly-needed upgrades to our electrical, water and other utility systems, replace aging and inefficient structures and (maybe most importantly) make strides toward our sustainability goals. Here’s what your YES vote makes possible: Preventing energy loss The roof of the Tropical Rain Forest (TRF) building used to look like this: Look at all of that light coming through! Archive photo by Woodland Park Zoo.  Today, it looks like this: Not so much light coming through anymore. Photo by Ryan

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Have you noticed a particularly handsome new face at the snow leopard exhibit? That would be Dhirin, the most recent addition to our snow leopard family! VIDEO: Dhirin the snow leopard explores his new exhibit. We set up a GoPro camera at the back of Dhirin’s exhibit to see if we could catch a glimpse of him as he explored his space, then stitched together a few of our favorite moments for this video. In the wild, snow leopards are hard to track or study, but motion-sensor cameras and radio collars provide researchers with a better look into their behavior. Thanks to research and care in zoo settings, we can apply these two tracks of knowledge to better understand these disappearing predators. The 9-year-old male was born on May 24, 2005 and lived at Oklahoma City Zoo. Dhirin arrived in Seattle in early July 2014 as recommended by the Species Survival Plan, a conservation breeding program across accredited zoos. Woodland Park Zoo

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Would you describe yourself as sweet or commanding? Do you prefer Jell-O to peanuts? Take the “Which Orangutan Am I?” quiz to see which one of Woodland Park Zoo’s five orangutans you are most like—Towan, Heran, Melati, Chinta or Belawan. Then post your results here and share with your friends! (Me? I’m such a Chinta.) Come meet your orangutan at Asian Wildlife Conservation Day on Sat., August 9, 2014  to learn all about these amazing apes and what you can do to protect them in the wild. At the special event, free with zoo admission or membership, you’ll enjoy keeper talks and activities for the family at the orangutan exhibit, where you can take a pledge to protect this endangered species. You’ll even have the chance to enter a raffle to win a painting made by one of our very own orangutans! Towan creates a work of art. Photo by Carolyn Sellar/Woodland Park Zoo. The activities continue across the zoo spotlighting conservation for

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor As giraffe calf Misawa nears his first birthday, coming up on August 6, we look back at a year of firsts for our not-so-little guy. The first look  Misawa at one day old. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Everyone remembers the first photo we shared of Seattle’s tallest baby—the infamous “grumpy” look on his face turned Misawa into a viral sensation. But in truth, the very first look at Misawa we got was in the incredible footage of his birth! Mom Olivia gave birth to the 6-foot-tall giraffe on August 6 at 7:03 p.m. The labor lasted about 1.5 hours and the video shows little Misawa finding his feet and standing for the first time just 1.5 hours after he was born! Video: Tallest baby in Seattle.  The first day outside  The first few days were spent nursing and bonding with mom inside the Giraffe Barn, but it wasn’t long before Misawa ventured into the outdoor area of the barn. Mom Olivia and Aunt Tufani were never too far fro

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Hot packs, ice treatment, massage, exercise ball, laser therapy…is this a physical therapy session? Close, but not for a human patient. These applications are part of a physical rehabilitation session for a domestic goat living at Woodland Park Zoo. The goat, a 7-year-old male named Waldo, is undergoing physical rehabilitation to help alleviate pain and improve his range of motion. Last year, Waldo was becoming more reluctant to move and showing signs of front and rear limb weakness. Following a thorough assessment by the zoo’s animal health team, which revealed compressed disks in his neck and lumbar spine, the goat was put on a physical rehabilitation program as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Video: Goat. Laser beams. Yoga ball. Produced by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. At the zoo, physical rehabilitation is used to help alleviate discomfort from an injury or surgical treatment, to improve circulation or range of motion