Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Alissa Wolken, Communications As a very auspicious start to 2018, we are excited to announce the birth of twin sloth bear cubs. The tiny cubs were born December 27, 2017, in an off-view maternity den. The first cub made its appearance around 3:20 a.m., while the second cub took its time — appearing almost 11 hours later. Animal management has been diligently watching and listening to the twins and mom since the birth — keepers can tell a lot from the noises the cubs make, like whether or not they are nursing etc. So far they say the little family is doing great. Tasha and cubs through the den cam. The twin cublets are highlighted here in the circle above. Mom, 13-year-old Tasha, is showing all the signs of being a protective and attentive mother. She has experience after all, having successfully raised two cubs in 2012. Bhutan, the 17-year-old father, is hanging out away from mom and cubs to give them plenty of quiet time. Tasha and cubs will remain off view to a

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications Lulu is a curious, "independent calf with a lot of spirit," according to lead keeper, Katie Ahl. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. Today is Lulu's half birthday! In honor of the special day, we asked lead keeper Katie Ahl for an update on Seattle’s tallest baby. Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ):  How is Lulu doing? Katie Ahl (KA):  Lulu is doing great. She was introduced as part of the herd from very early on and has positive relationships with each herd member, but in general she is a very independent calf with a lot of spirit. WPZ:  Can you describe Lulu’s relationship with the rest of the herd? KA:  It looks a little different with each member. Her mom, Tufani, is her home base when something startles her. But I often see Lulu hanging out with Olivia, who is just as great of an aunt as she was a mother. Lulu also has a lot of contact and check-ins with dad, Dave. They are both very cute together; she spe

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, communications Photos by Pisto, Woodland Park Zoo Sparkling colors and magical scenes draw many families to explore Woodland Park Zoo's WildLights. This year, in addition to welcoming members and visitors—the zoo's Community Access Program invited some very special community members to share in the magic of the season. Our friends from White Center CDA, thank you for joining us! The weekend after Thanksgiving, the zoo invited more than 50 community partners to attend WildLights presented by Sound Credit Union. These local organizations serve low-income, at-risk or underserved children and families in our shared community and include organizations such as Mary's Place, Ryther, Big Brothers Big Sisters Puget Sound, Sibling House, White Center CDA, Youthcare, Treehouse and more. By partnering with these organizations over the Thanksgiving weekend, the zoo welcomed more than 3,000 attendees to our Community Access Program WildLights n

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photo by Kirsten Pisto, Woodland Park Zoo Hey everyone, we’d like to introduce you to Ben Haager, our events installation coordinator. He’s the Clark Griswold of WildLights, except that Ben is actually really good at keeping the lights on! Here’s Ben with a very special Woodland Park Zoo WildLights takeover to show you what is takes to get our glow on… Hi everyone! It’s my first year coordinating WildLights presented by Sound Credit Union—and I am learning A LOT. Like how to hang and secure large light displays—I even had to get scissor lift certified—and become an expert in Santa decorations. There are lots of trips to Home Depot and local hardware stores as well as vintage thrift stores to find supplies for outfitting Santa’s camp which has a very PNW vibe. It smells pretty great in Santa’s camp thanks to loads of pine our horticulture crew has strewn up, they do such a great job with all the boughs. I really like the details w

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Happy Birthday Yola! Yola and her vine swing. Photo by Dennis Dow, Woodland Park Zoo. A very gorilla birthday Mischievous, playful, smart, curious, adorable and loved—that’s Yola. Today, November 20 is her second birthday. The 2-year-old gorilla won’t be getting a heart-shaped cake or streamers, she won’t be renting a bouncy house either—instead she’ll spend the day with her gorilla group, her family, doing what all 2-year-olds do best. She’ll push boundaries by stealing someone’s stick, she’ll snuggle up close to mom when she feels like it, she’ll play chase with her aunt Akenji, and undoubtedly she’ll investigate whatever Leo is up to—but most importantly she’ll be a gorilla. Being a gorilla is important. Gorillas are endangered. We hear that word a lot, but let’s think about what that really means. Their habitat and natural range is shrinking every day, and while we’ve made some progress in providing them protection —m

Posted by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo The cutest, fluffiest little sunbittern chick hatched recently in the Tropical Rain Forest (TRF) canopy!   Hello, little one! At  two or three weeks old, it can already be seen stretching its legs and its trademark long, thin neck around the nest. If you are willing to crane your own neck a bit, you can get a good view! Camouflage fluff keeps baby hidden in the nest. Sunbitterns typically look for dips in tree branches to lay their eggs, lining the nests with mud, moss, plant fibers, and other soft materials. Females lay between one and two eggs, and both sexes share the nest guarding, incubation, and brooding duties. Once the egg(s) hatches, usually in about thirty days, the parents will continue to share feeding and brooding duties. A lesson in how to gulp grubs makes for a picture perfect image. Sticking close to mom, for now. Our chick fledged the

Posted by Kizz Prusia, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo There really is no place like home. Home is where we rest, relax and where we go to recharge. For our residents—the 1,200 animals who call Woodland Park Zoo home— home is where they snooze, play, explore and snack. Seeing Woodland Park Zoo as a home is crucial to how we care for our animals—and just like your home—the zoo needs improvement from time to time to stay in top condition. We are extremely grateful to Seattle voters for passing the Seattle Park District ballot measure nearly three years ago. The funding provided by the Park District—about $1.8 million a year—goes toward maintaining our dens, trees, caves, hot rocks, roofs and watering holes. With this funding, we are able to update old parts of the zoo and keep new parts well-maintained. We consider this “home improvement” to also be preventative maintenance. We’d like to highlight a couple of important projects we hav