Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo On July 12, more than 45 endangered Western pond turtles were weighed, measured and marked for identification in preparation for being released to the wild at protected sites in Washington. Under the Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project , the turtles were collected from the wild as eggs and given a head start on life under the care of Woodland Park Zoo to improve their chance of survival in the wild. Unlike wild turtles, they are fed at the zoo throughout the winter so that by summer they are nearly as big as 3-year-old turtles that grew up in the wild. Once the turtles reach about 2 ounces—a suitable size to escape the mouths of invasive predatory bullfrogs—they are returned to the wild and monitored by biologists. In 1991, only about 150 Western pond turtles remained in two populations in the state of Washington and the species nearly became extinct. In 1993, the state list

Posted by Rubai Aurora, Community Engagement Specialist Editor’s note: At the heart of our mission, we want everyone to love animals. Sharing the zoo experience means making our programming, physical spaces and storytelling accessible to all. Your zoo has been on a diversity and inclusion journey—mapping out ways we can more genuinely welcome and represent our community. In 2018 and beyond, you’ll see your zoo continue to work toward being a place where every individual can safely and profoundly take part in being a voice for conservation action. Woodland Park Zoo believes the zoo should be inclusive for all. On July 5, 2018, Woodland Park Zoo hosted our first Zoo for All, a day to celebrate our commitment to inclusion, and to acknowledge and honor families and individuals from the special needs community. More than just a day: Zoo for All was made possible through guidance from nonprofit partners in the community, including The Arc of King County,  Special O

Posted by Carolyn Stevens-Wood, Development ZooCorps, Woodland Park Zoo’s teen volunteer program, is truly committed to making their team an inclusive and accessible experience for all. We were thrilled when the Special Olympics USA Games highlighted our teens as one of their 2018 Game Changers. Woodland Park Zoo is committed to making the zoo a place of inclusion in which people of all backgrounds and abilities feel welcome and inspired to make conservation a priority in their lives. ZooCorps is truly exemplifying this promise through their dedication to Jonah and others with special needs.  ZooCorps is Woodland Park Zoo’s teen volunteer program and extends to all teens, no matter their abilities. The program allows teens to explore different departments within the zoo from animal care to horticulture and provides education at exhibits and camps. Jonah, a member of the ZooCorps team with special needs has been welcomed, included and able to work towards being an animal t

Posted by Daphne Matter, ZooCorps Intern Get ready for a day at Woodland Park Zoo that’s packed with action... climate action! Climate Action Day is an awesome (and informative) event that will take place on July 19th from 3:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. at the zoo and will be led by the ZooCorps Climate Action Team, a branch of Woodland Park Zoo’s teen volunteer program dedicated to inspiring change in our community through focused actions combating climate change. It is a completely youth-led event, as teens and children are the future of our world. ZooCorps and the Otter Spotter project. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo. This day will be an excellent opportunity for all ages to learn about specific and simple actions that can make change. Everyone can make an impact on the environment, no matter who you are, and we will focus on ensuring that impact is a positive one. We will work on how to build positive habits through realistic and sustainable practices tha

Posted by Daphne Matter, ZooCorps Intern Woodland Park Zoo staff are pledging to reduce or refuse single-use plastics during Plastic Free July! With support from Seattle Public Utilities, we are inviting you to join us by taking the Plastic Free for Me pledge.  Already ditched plastic bottles, straws and plastic bags? Think you are already single-use plastic free as can be? We bet there are ways you can do even more this month. We challenge you to confess to your single-use plastic habit and pledge to do one more thing during July: www.zoo.org/plasticfreeforme Every action, no matter how small, adds up to a huge impact when we all do our part. We think it's amazing how you are making a difference for wildlife! Photo of river otter by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. We all have a less-than-awesome history when it comes to single-use plastics. Confess one way you have used plastics unsustainably or a single-use plastic habit that's especially hard for

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications This summer, Woodland Park Zoo is celebrating a very special birthday: Our Historic Carousel, which has been at the zoo since 2006, turns 100 years old! We love that this grand piece of cultural history has been part of so many special moments for our guests, and we hope it will be part of many more to come. Woodland Park Zoo Historic Carousel. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo The carousel, which features hand-carved horses and two chariots, was first constructed in 1918 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and was only the 45th of its kind to be made. It has previously operated at the Cincinnati Zoo and the Great America Theme Park in Santa Clara, California. Eighteen years ago, Linda and Tom Allen, Candy Allen-Whitney and Thomas Allen and the Alleniana Foundation purchased the carousel and generously donated it to the zoo in the hope that generations of families would have the opportunity to experience a celebrated piece of A

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications For the first time in nearly three decades, we are celebrating the birth of red pandas: twin cubs born on June 19 to 2-year-old mom Hazel and 13-year-old dad Yukiko. The twins are the first offspring for Hazel while Yukiko has had offspring before he arrived at Woodland Park Zoo four years ago. Video: Red panda twins receive a quick health check from veterinary staff: https://youtu.be/XRlEBfQth9s The cubs are both girls, weighing in at 5 ounces each, confirmed during a neonatal exam. The zoo veterinary team says the twins are appropriate weights — a good indicator they are healthy and nursing. "We will continue to perform health check-ups periodically, particularly during the first several weeks, for weight monitoring, vaccinations, and critical blood and fecal sampling,” says Dr. Darin Collins. Both Hazel and Yukiko have been living off-view indoor and outdoors. Hazel gave birth in an indoor, climate-controlled den where sh