Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Calling creative kids and backyard explorers... There are all sorts of enchanting creatures that live right in your backyard! From blue and green bees to magnificent butterflies, silky smooth worms to beautiful beetles—many cool animals help pollinate, fertilize and enrich your garden. If you could design a backyard creature, what would it look like?   To print out a template, visit  zoo.org/magazine  . Artwork "Underneath the Prunella" courtesy of the wonderful Melinda Hurst Frye. The MyZoo Kids' Backyard Creatures contest invites kids to design their own inspired creatures, whether real or imagined we can't wait to see what you create! Enter and you could win: Grand prize (ages 7-10): a zoo sleepover experience for you and your favorite adult in August 2017. Grand prize (ages 3-6): an orangutan ZooParent adoption and plush. Two lucky runners up (all ages) will receive a Woodland Park Zoo t-shirt and

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications Woodland Park Zoo turned a shade greener with the unveiling of new Light & Charge electric vehicle stations. The stations are the first of 20 to be installed around Seattle, representing a $1.2 million investment by ReachNow, the mobility services division of the BMW Group. Seattle is the first city in North America to receive the Light & Charge stations, which turn existing streetlights into electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. With more than 1 million annual visitors coming through Woodland Park Zoo, that’s a lot of visibility for the benefits of EVs and car sharing. ReachNow CEO Steve Banfield (left) and Woodland Park Zoo President and CEO Alejandro Grajal (right) test the new electric vehicle charging station installed on zoo grounds.  Green is a color we wear well. Sustainability is at the core of Woodland Park Zoo's mission to save animals and their habitats. By stewarding resources and reducing our impact we

Posted by Alissa Wolken, Communications It’s a milestone year for one of our long-time residents. Blueberry, our beloved knobbed hornbill, celebrates her 20th hatchday (that’s bird speak for birthday) on Sunday, May 7, 2017. You can stop by the Friends by Nature program at the Alvord Broadleaf Theater that day (11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.) to wish Blueberry a happy 20th! Video: Happy Birthday Blueberry! Blueberry enjoys some of her favorite treats:blackberries, grapes and, of course, blueberries. It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since Blueberry hatched right here at Woodland Park Zoo. Just think, in 1997 Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize” and Hanson’s “MMMBop” were at the top of the Billboard charts and “The Fifth Element” and “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” ruled the box office. My how time flies. Turning 20 isn’t the only thing Blueberry is celebrating; the hatchday girl is also a new member of the ambassador animals all-star team at the zoo and can be seen regularly

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications We know you all love animals and want to protect wildlife, but it’s not always easy to know what you can do from home that will make a difference. This Earth Day, we've made a list of five easy, impactful ways you can celebrate Planet Amazing (that's Earth). 1. HANG OUT IN THE DARK  A starlit sky over tiger territory in Peninsular Malaysia. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren. Woodland Park Zoo. Why:  Every year people turn off their lights during Earth Hour. The worldwide one-hour event has become a symbol for appreciating the planet, but you can celebrate Earth Hour all year long. Spend some time in the dark once or twice a week, or promise to turn out the majority of your lights an hour before bedtime, you'll sleep better too! Turning off lights and unplugging is an easy way to save energy and become mindful of how much energy you are using. How:  40% of total U.S. energy consumption is consumed in residential and comm

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Ryan Hawk/ Woodland Park Zoo It's April in Seattle which means weather. Lots of weather. Along with springtime blooms, the earth-soaked scent of petrichor and dancing under rainbows, there is yet another reason to love this season...an excuse to stock up on your favorite PNG YUS coffee! PNG YUS coffee is now available at both ZooStores and Caffe Vita shops around Seattle! Photo courtesy of www.caffevita.com. AROMA: Guava, hazelnut, orange zest FLAVOR: Honey, sugarcane BODY: Smooth CONSERVATION CONNECTION: A+ Caffe Vitta has been partnering with Woodland Park Zoo's Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) for over four years, and each batch of sustainable coffee tastes better than the last. Grown in the remote cloud forests of Huon Penensula, Papua New Guinea, the coffee plants thrive under native shade and the care of farmers who are proud to support local conservation. The coffee you buy can help save

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Ryther is a center that provides psychiatric and mental health services for children and youth. Just about 15 minutes away from Woodland Park Zoo, Ryther has been bringing kids to the zoo for over 25 years through the zoo’s free Community Access Program. These are the kids most in need of community and Ryther is one of the best kept secrets in our neighborhood. They take in some of the most vulnerable children in the Puget Sound and beyond. At Ryther , kids are never turned away. Today Ryther works with the most complex kids. Their mission is augmented by the generosity of the community, their dedicated volunteer base, the Ryther League, from large donations and sponsors to tickets from local institutions such as the Seattle Aquarium and Woodland Park Zoo.  This is a story about the kids in the Cottage Program.  Listen to the full story and hear from some of the kids who live at Ryther, their amazing counselors Jaspe r Kno

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications Video and photo by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Spring has officially arrived, and it’s brought baby fever with it; giraffe baby fever to be specific!  Like many zoos around the country, we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a giraffe calf after confirming earlier this year that 8-year-old  Tufani is expecting her first baby. With a gestation period of 14 to 15 months, we're expecting a tall delivery anywhere from mid-May to early July 2017. So, what does it take to keep a pregnant Tufani comfortable and healthy? Lead keeper, and giraffe doula, Katie Ahl gives us the scoop on a few tricks of the trade. VIDEO: Lead keeper Katie Ahl welcomes us to the giraffe barn where she explains the special enrichment and diet that goes into caring for a pregnant giraffe. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCGPkiqKVo0 ) Tufani (left) with her nephew Misawa in 2013.  The father is handsome 4-year-old Dave of course. This wil

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Handsome pup! Hudson, an arctic fox and Woodland Park Zoo ambassador animal, shows off his finest pose. When it comes to enchanting creatures, it’s hard to find a more charming species than the arctic fox. Seemingly pulled straight from a fairy tale, these captivating canines are incredibly tough and inhabit some of the most frigid habitat. One little fox in particular is already getting quite a lot of attention as his handsome mug graces the cover of our Spring membership magazine, MyZoo.   Starting this spring, and even more-so this summer, you'll have the opportunity to meet a host of incredible creatures during our Ambassador Animals programs at th e  Alvord  Broadleaf and Wildlife theaters. Depending on how his training goes, Hudson will be one of them, giving guests the chance to see some of his awesomely Arctic adaptations such as leaping, pouncing and being entirel

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Don't get pinched! This Saint Patrick's Day, make sure you are green inside and out. Take this quiz to see where you land on the zoo's green'o'meter. While we're in the mood to rock all shades of green, let's see just how  green  you really are. Take the quiz at http://www.bit.ly/greenasgreen  Good luck! Are you as green as a waxy monkey frog? Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.

Posted by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Communications Photos by: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Misho gets a pre-operation inspection from veterinary staff. Say hello to Misho the chuckwalla, a member of our Woodland Park Zoo family since he arrived here in 2000. Chuckwallas are lizards native to the southwestern US and northern Mexico, typically measuring a little over one foot in length. Like many plant-eating reptiles, they enjoy basking on rocks in the sun and eating leafy greens. At 25 years old, Misho is certainly getting up there in age. And recently keepers noticed he hadn’t been feeling all that well. Misho at the zoo's animal hospital.  Reptiles like Misho certainly aren’t known for being the most emotive creatures, and he can’t exactly tell keepers what’s wrong. So how can keepers tell when a lizard isn’t feeling himself? “It has to do a lot with posture and behavior,” explains Dr. Kelly Helmick, Woodland Park Zoo veterinarian. Healthy and happ

Posted by: Eli Weiss, Community Engagement Among climate scientists and activists there is clear consensus that climate change is a global crisis and urgent action needs to be taken.   As the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report indicates, there is no time to waste if we hope to limit global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Given this urgency, we are confident that the Seattle Youth Climate Action Network is needed now more than ever. Since 2015, Woodland Park Zoo has focused our efforts to address climate change on working with youth and community partners through the Seattle Youth Climate Action Network (CAN). Seattle Youth CAN empowers teens to address climate change in their communities through education, leadership and action. Through this project, Woodland Park Zoo convenes community support for youth to gain the skills and confidence needed to become leaders in the continued fight for a better future for people, animals, and planet