Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Hello! If you are wondering, yes, “porcupette” is categorically the most adorable word in the English language. We have some prickly news to share. A baby porcupine, known as a porcupette, was born on May 7, 2016. The little critter is not yet on exhibit but has taken its first practice steps outdoors. As it grows more comfortable with crawling, climbing and exploring, it will make its official debut in its Northern Trail home soon.  As baby explores, mom Molly is doing exactly what porcupine mothers do. She is eating a lot and leaving her baby alone in its cozy den for most of the day. During the evening and throughout the night, Molly nurses the porcupette. In the wild, this behavior of nursing once a day allows the baby to rest, but it also keeps predators from spotting the baby. Porcupines are nocturnal, so the daylight hours are used for relaxing in a burrow of grass

Posted by: Kristi Dodds, Education Photo: Mat Hayward/Woodland Park Zoo. It was ten years ago that Zoomazium first opened its doors and I still remember the hustle and bustle to prepare vividly. We were working late into the night to take care of any last minute changes and put on all those finishing touches to make sure everything would be perfect for the grand opening. After all, this place would be the destination of some of the most opinionated and strong-willed visitors that come to the zoo—children. Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. I can recall opening day like it was yesterday,  picturing all the kids wide-eyed with anticipation and noses glued to the toddler door just waiting for us to open and let them in. Video: A look back at opening day of Zoomazium, 2006. This year marks the milestone of Zoomazium’s 10th year since opening in May of 2006. Over 3 million visitors later, the look and feel of the building has not changed drastically, but the progra

Posted by: Jessie Maxwell, Education Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. The number of days left in the school year are dwindling, and soon summer will be upon us! I am the Alpha Dog of our summer camp program, and my favorite time of year is nearly here. Our zoo camp programs are a terrific blend of learning and fun and have been providing immersive zoo experiences for children for several generations. One program in particular, Discoveries Day Camp, not only offers fun, exploratory science learning for kids ages 5–7, but expresses it all though the world of creative drama in partnership with the Seattle Children’s Theatre . Discoveries Day Camp incorporates drama and science in a week-long adventure through interactive storytelling and animal-based games and tours. In I Spy , we will travel around the zoo gaining knowledge and finding clues to use in our special assignment as a group of secret agents solving animal mysteries. No case is too difficult for us! Photo: Seattle Chil

Posted by: Gigi Allianic, Communications Is your yard a stomping ground for cougars, coyotes, raccoons, skunks or bears? Would you like to see what passes through your yard even when you’re not around? We’re looking for community members like you to allow us to place a remote camera on your property to collect data for our new research study: the Washington Urban–Wildland Carnivore Project. A black bear's image caught by a remote camera in the study. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. A collaboration between Woodland Park Zoo and the University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, the Washington Urban–Wildland Carnivore Project is exploring ways to promote coexistence among humans and carnivores in King County. The research explores how carnivores respond to urbanization and human activity by studying where and when they occur, what they eat, and what happens to the system when apex carnivores are absent. Bobcat. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo. We’re

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications VIDEO: Get up close to all-star animals at Woodland Park Zoo. The stage is set for awesome animal encounters this summer. Head to the all new Alvord Broadleaf Theater just behind Zoomazium to meet the all-star ambassador animals featured in a new 1:00 p.m. daily program through September 30. These animals have been training with zoo staff for months to prepare for the experience. The program showcases the animals’ natural talents, from the flight of a hornbill to the surprisingly agile climb of a porcupine. A child has an up close experience with an ambassador animal. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. Ambassador animals have a unique role at the zoo, interacting with the public through education programs designed to bring people and wildlife closer together—not just physically, but in our hearts and minds too. We believe that empathy is at the core of conservation attitudes, and ambassador animals offer a great opp

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Mother’s Day gives us a reason to celebrate all the fierce, snugly, protective, patient, kind, encouraging, creative, amazing, smart and inspiring mamas out there. “Mom” can mean many things—whether the title refers to sharing 50% of our DNA or to being an incredible, strong role model in our life—we are grateful for all moms, mothers, mamas, mums, mommies, mas and mumsies! When it comes to motherhood, the matriarchs of the animal kingdom will do whatever it takes to protect their young. With a ferocious love for their family, these mamas go the extra mile to keep their family safe and provide enough food to help them thrive. While most human moms don’t resort to teeth or claws to protect their kids (although we don’t recommend you test them), they do share some essential traits with these outstanding animal moms. Here are a few of our favorite mommy moments caught by our zoo photographers. Home is where mom is.   The comf

Posted by Ryan Driscoll, Education Climate change can be a messy subject, but that didn’t stop Woodland Park Zoo’s ZooCrew students from diving right in.   This past winter, students from three middle schools (Asa Mercer International, Washington, and Denny International) used a combination of games, activities, and research to explore the complexities around the causes and consequences of climate change in the Pacific Northwest. After examining the perspectives of various groups including climate scientists, mayors and oil companies, the students developed a variety of projects to help advocate for climate change action. The projects these students completed included creative artwork, presentations and good old fashioned digging in the dirt. Here are examples of some of the great work the ZooCrew students accomplished. Chickadee Houses As the climate changes, the species of plants that thrive in an area also change.  This can have a major impact for birds l