Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Fred Koontz, Vice President of Field Conservation This morning, I joined our Initiative 1401 partners, Vulcan, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Seattle Aquarium, to announce that 348,627 people signed the petition to get this groundbreaking initiative on the November ballot. We’re one step closer to taking this critical issue to the people of Washington state. Woodland Park Zoo Vice President of Field Conservation Dr. Fred Koontz at today's I-1401 press conference. If passed, I-1401 will strengthen laws that ban the trafficking of products made from endangered animals—animals that are being poached or exploited so much, they are facing extinction. Woodland Park Zoo is proud to join the thousands of Washingtonians who signed the petition sheets in support of I-1401. U.S. Fish and Wildlife confiscated ivory. Photo by Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society. Earlier this year, Woodland Park Zoo drafted and advocated for legislatio

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Bamboo with little Malee. Photo by Lena Kofoed. Chai and Bamboo are making friends! Now that the elephants have cleared standard quarantine at their new home in Oklahoma City Zoo, the two have begun spending time with their new herd mates, Asha, Chandra, Malee and Achara.   Video: Elephants at OKlahoma City Zoo via NewsOK . Introductions began with physical interactions through barriers inside the elephant barn, which allowed the keepers to observe behaviors and body language while the girls touched and smelled each other. Chai started out a little shy but receptive to her new herd mates. Bamboo stood her ground early on but soon after was cautious yet curious and allowed the other elephants, including the two babies, to snake their trunks all over her, taking in her scent and feel. Chandra and Malee with Chai. Photo by Lena Kofoed. Within days the barriers were removed. First, the doors inside were opened and all the females joi

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications It's getting hot, Seattle. A typical Northwest summer has around three days that reach over 90 degrees, and we'll be hitting that sweaty benchmark this weekend! Mother nature is mixing it up this summer, with an early heat wave bound to put our internal thermometers to the test. The ice cubes in your chai tea latte are melting. Your dad's under-Crocs socks have come off. It might even be too hot to (gasp) paddle board.  So, how are you going to survive this summer heat? Never fear, grizzly bears Keema and Denali have your back. Take it from these two furry, rain-loving locals—keeping cool is easy: Video: How to Keep Cool Like a Grizzly Bear. While our grizzly brothers have access to the cool pool, their keepers also supply them with special icy treats such as frozen salmon and fruit popsicles to beat the heat. Animals across the zoo are given special enrichment to help keep them cool, including sprinklers for the r

Posted by: Stacey Hammond, Education The ZooCrew after school program season has come to a close. This past quarter, the students studied the Asian tropical rain forest. They learned about deforestation and how the palm oil and lumber industries impact animals across the globe. After learning about the issues, the students took action to help animals by working on various projects. WildSense One of the projects was contributing to a citizen science initiative called WildSense. Students helped record and document global tiger populations by going through tourist photos and camera trap images and classifying tigers in them. The students started off by first identifying if the photo had a tiger in it. Next, the students recorded the number of tigers in the photo, the weather conditions, the tiger’s general location, behavior, etc. After classifying over 100 images, ZooCrew students gave their feedback and suggestions to the developers in the hopes of improving the user experien

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo In the company of wolves and grizzlies, Castle actor Jon Huertas came to Woodland Park Zoo today to announce his new role as Celebrity Ambassador for Wildlands Network , advocating for carnivore conservation. Jon spoke to a crowd of carnivore enthusiasts made up of zoo visitors, ZooCorps teen volunteers, a local boy scout troop and more than a few starstruck zoo staff! Jon spoke about his passion for all things wild, but especially his enthusiasm for protecting large carnivores in North America. He had a special message for the young audience, “Please educate your parents, your grandparents and your friends. If we lose carnivores, we lose our habitat.” The actor and animal lover told the teens that he is passionate about educating others on the importance of nature corridors and protecting wild spaces. Huertas reiterated that living in harmony with carnivores is possible, a message he

Posted by: Katie Ahl, Zookeeper This World Giraffe Day , coming up June 21, stick your neck out for these amazing animals by coming to visit them at Woodland Park Zoo. Here you can meet our four giraffe up close during the Giraffe Feeding Experience or watch them wander our African Savanna among zebra and oryx. Then talk to one of our keepers or volunteers about how Woodland Park Zoo and you can help save giraffe in Africa. Zookeeper Katie Ahl with giraffes Olivia, left, and Dave, right. Photo by Stan Milkowski/Woodland Park Zoo. A Who's Who Here’s a who’s who of our giraffe and how to tell them apart by their spots. Olivia. Photo by Katie Ahl/Woodland Park Zoo. Olivia is 8 years old and the mother of our little guy, Misawa. She has been an excellent first time mom to Misawa and is very independent. She is lighter in color and has several spots above each eye. She also has a cool crown spot on her right shoulder. Her ossicones (horns) are smooth and slender.

Posted by: Bobbi Miller, Conservation Their gentle but steady gait across the African savanna would seem to indicate the land’s tallest mammal hasn’t a care in the world. With a neck and legs that help to elevate it to anywhere between 14 and 17 feet tall, the giraffe snacks from the tops of acacia trees and should easily be able to see predators approaching on the savanna. Angolan giraffe are well adapted to their harsh desert environment. Photo by Julian & Steph Fennessy But giraffe are under increasing pressure in their homeland, causing their population numbers to have dropped by more than 40% over the past decade and a half. Despite the fact they can run at speeds of 31 miles an hour for a sustained period, they can’t seem to outrun the threats that are impacting the 9 known subspecies. In particular, giraffe are subject to poaching, disease, fragmentation and degradation leading to loss of habitat, and the expansion of human populations. Today, when you add up al