Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo If you’ve wandered through the Wildlife Survival Zone in the last week, you may have noticed an adorable new face peering out from atop his pine tree perch. Our newest member of the red panda family has been spotted chasing squirrels, eating pine cones and playfully exploring his new digs. Meet Carson, a 2-year-old, male red panda. Carson was born at Lincoln Children’s Zoo in July 2014 and was named after the famous television host Johnny Carson, who shares the panda’s birth city. Carson arrived at Woodland Park Zoo this February and has been collecting a host of fans ever since. This handsome red panda has a unique look; a paler face, lighter coat and slightly smaller physical features. Carson is a fulgens subspecies of red panda, so he is easy to tell apart from our other two pandas, Yukiko and Stellar. 10-year-old male, Yukiko, and 8-year-old female, Stellar are hang

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Little brown bat, Canandaigua, NY, photo by J. N. Stuart via Flickr On March 31, Fred Koontz, PhD, the zoo’s vice president of Field Conservation, shared with us some important news he had just received from Penny A. Becker, PhD, a wildlife diversity division manager at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). It was potentially devastating news. Penny’s email had detailed the first white-nose syndrome detection in a Washington state bat. The bat, found by hikers near North Bend, positively tested for the deadly disease. A mere 30 miles east of Woodland Park Zoo and the first case of white-nose syndrome west of the Rockies, the discovery could be catastrophic for local bats. This is disturbing news for bat conservationists across the country and very concerning for the bats in our own backyard. While you may not have heard much about the disease in the West, it is infamous on the East coast and much of the Midwest.

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren On January 15th, Junior the 16-year-old, 165 pound, male jaguar made a special visit to the Woodland Park Zoo Animal Health Department for an endodontic tooth repair on one of the biggest teeth in this big cat’s mouth.  During the procedure, Junior is anesthetized and monitored closely by the team of veterinary staff. On the way back to  Jaguar Cove, Junior has a team of vet staff and animal management to look out for him. When keepers noticed Junior’s tooth didn’t appear normal and that his upper right canine was partially broken, veterinary staff called on the expertise of a local veterinary dentist consultant, Allen Matson, DVM, DAVDC of Eastside Veterinary Dentistry in Woodinville, one of only a few board certified veterinary dentists in the country. Lucky for the zoo, Dr. Matson is fairly close by and generously offered to volunteer his time to take a look at Junior’s broken tooth. 

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Our big guy, Towan. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. It is with heavy hearts that we share the news today: our sweet old fellow, Towan, has passed away. The 48-year-old orangutan—the oldest in North America born in a zoo—was feeling the aches and pains of getting older, and he passed during a medical examination that was needed to find a new treatment plan to help with respiratory issues that were not responding to medicine. His keepers were by his side, and from the outpouring of love we saw yesterday when we first announced his pending examination, we know he was in all of your hearts as well. Towan (right) and his sister Chinta were the first twin orangutans born in a zoo, here at Woodland Park Zoo in 1968. Photo: Robert Kelley. This community has known and loved Towan since he was born here with twin sister Chinta back in 1968. Many of you watched him grow up and as the decades passed, he watched us too. He saw Woodland Park

After an international search, Woodland Park Zoo has found its new President and CEO: Alejandro Grajal, PhD. The eighth president in our 117-year history in this community, Alejandro is set to embrace the mantle of leading our continuous evolution as one of the world’s foremost conservation and education zoos. Alejandro Grajal will begin his role as Woodland Park Zoo President and CEO on May 16, 2016. The CEO Selection Committee, comprising Woodland Park Zoo Board members and community representatives, was highly impressed by his leadership, deep passion for education and conservation, and significant contributions as a research scientist that span conservation biology and animal welfare to the social sciences. Grajal will assume service on Monday, May 16. Grajal joined the leadership team at the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages the Brookfield Zoo, 10 years ago. He now serves as senior vice president for conservation, education and training. Before Chicago, Grajal was

Posted by: Valerie Paquin, Marketing If we asked you to describe Woodland Park Zoo in one color, your response would surely be green. The zoo’s abundant foliage is a result of both our dedicated horticulture team and the natural, verdant wonder of the Northwest.  Aerial view of Woodland Park Zoo. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. There are also many green animal species at the zoo, and their coloring serves a greater purpose than not getting pinched on St. Patrick’s Day. Used for camouflage, warning signals or displays, these brilliant hues make us green with envy. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. The bright, contrasting colors of poison dart frogs are a beautiful warning of their toxicity to predators. Although able to avoid most predation with their stunning coloration, some poison dart frogs are threatened or endangered due to habitat loss and other threats.  Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Found in the rain forests of South America, emeral

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Our 4-month-old female gorilla has a name of her own. Through a public naming contest, nearly 3,500 names were submitted and the baby gorilla caretakers have selected the winning name: Yola (rhymes with Lola). Meet Yola. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. Yola, which means “firefly” in the African language Hausa was chosen because the new gorilla has been a spark that has catalyzed and solidified the bonds within her mom’s group. Hear more from zookeeper Stephanie Payne-Jacobs on why they selected this name: Video: And our baby gorilla's new name is... We are grateful to all of you who submitted name suggestions, and many thanks to our gorilla fans who have followed the story of our new western lowland gorilla. She has sparked a fire in all of our hearts to fight for a future for this critically endangered species. Every time you visit the zoo, you support our conservation efforts in Africa and beyond. Show