Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Bear Affair: Living Northwest Conservation Day is one of our favorite events. Each year in early June, we get to do what we love best: watch our animals enjoy a special day tailored just to them and watch our visitors fall in love with those same animals, learn more about conservation actions they can take right here in the Pacific Northwest, and become stewards for protecting wildlife in Washington. It's also a day we get to celebrate the incredible work our conservation colleagues are doing too, as many of our peers join us by setting up learning opportunities that start on the North Meadow and wind all the way through Northern Trail. Our volunteers come out on this day, as do ZooCorps teens, and everyone from our horticulture staff (providing beautiful flowers for the mock wedding cake and arch) to our dedicated keepers who make sure the animals have a great day (without eating too many coffee grounds or cake). It doesn't get any bet

Posted by: Ryan Driscoll, Education Photos courtesy of ZooCrew, Woodland Park Zoo Note from the Editor: Each term, ZooCrew empowers middle school youth to become conservation leaders by providing science learning experiences that inspire them to learn, care, and act through after school and summer expanded learning opportunities. Through the ZooCrew programs, we excite youth from traditionally underserved communities about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects by engaging with real-world conservation issues, preparing them for continued involvement in Woodland Park Zoo’s youth programs, and inspiring them to consider a broad range of STEM and conservation careers. We believe engaging these students, as well as youth across Washington state, is key to solving current conservation issues in our own backyard and around the world. Learning with the zoo doesn’t just take place on zoo grounds! As the school year winds down, we wrapped up another awesome sprin

Roxanne Sanders, a first-grader, was new to Seattle when her mom signed her up for a summer camp at Woodland Park Zoo so she could make some friends. However, Roxanne made more than friends. She found she liked exploring the zoo and the fact that there was more to the camp than just keeping the kids busy. “They taught you lessons about the animals, where they came from, how they live,” Roxanne said. “We got to see what the animals were doing and how they reacted.” Zoo camps became part of Roxanne’s life. She attended Zooper Day Camp for kids 4 to 9, then Zoo U for kids 10-14. In 2010, she became a counselor in training, and now, as a college student, she’s working as a camp assistant. Roxanne at Woodland Park Zoo. “Throughout elementary school, I knew I wanted to work with animals,” Roxanne said, “When I started thinking about college a few years ago, my parents were pushing me into medical jobs, but that wasn’t what I was interested in. I decided to go with what I wanted

Posted by: Bobbi Miller, WPZ Field Conservation Coordinator with Stephanie Fennessy, Giraffe Conservation Foundation Director Out in the field, conservationists watch the giraffe and the giraffe watch back. Photo courtesy GCF.  Here at Woodland Park Zoo we’re all twitterpated about the impending birth of Seattle’s tallest baby . But we’re not the only folks waiting for the giraffe calf. Halfway across the world, in Windhoek, Namibia, Steph and Julian Fennessey are anxiously awaiting word of our new arrival. As founders of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation , a Woodland Park Zoo Wildlife Survival Fund project, they are working to understand and save the remaining giraffe in the wild. It’s a daunting task, but the birth of Tufani’s wee one (if you can call a 6 foot, 150 pound baby a “wee one”) gives them hope for the remaining giraffes in the wild. With every giraffe born in an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoo, more people become aware of the plight of giraffes

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Tufani on the African Savanna. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. The signs are there: Tufani is acting restless, her appetite is reduced, and we have observed changes in her udder. She could give birth to Seattle's tallest baby any day now. Or within the week. Or hey, who knows. It's not an exact science. Lead keeper Katie Ahl tells us more: Video: Birth watch begins for Seattle's pregnant giraffe With a gestation period of 14 to 15 months, the birth window for a giraffe is wide. We've been expecting to see the new arrival appear sometime between May and July. According to the 3,000 of you who entered our giraffe baby pool contest (now closed), most thought we'd see him or her in June. But we could have a new bundle of joy sooner! Keeper Katie first took note of the changes in Tufani's behavior earlier this week. She noted “Tufani has been given daily opportunities to cross from the corral to

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