Woodland Park Zoo Blog

 Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Hey soon-to-be-mama, Olivia! Photo by Jeremy Dywer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo. Our very pregnant giraffe, Olivia, has been put on 24-hour birth watch after showing signs late last week of approaching labor. The birth window began mid-March and extends until the end of April. “We’re definitely seeing signs of Olivia nearing labor—we think she’ll give birth any day now,” says Katie Ahl, a lead animal keeper at Woodland Park Zoo. “She’s more restless, there are noticeable changes in her udder, and she’s extending her tail and spreading her rear legs frequently. In addition, she and Dave are showing more affectionate behavior toward one another, a telltale sign of hormonal changes occurring in the expectant mom.” A pregnant Oliva, right, next to sister Tufani, left. Photo by Jeremy Dywer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo. The zoo’s animal care staff are monitoring Olivia closely at the zoo and several times throughout the night via ba

Posted by Tany Holzworth, Learning and Innovation Woodland Park Zoo saves wildlife and inspires everyone to make conservation a priority in their lives. The ways people take action for conservation range from dropping their “Quarters for Conservation” into our voting kiosks — to helping establish Papua New Guinea’s first conservation area with our Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program . One of the many ways the zoo invites our community to take conservation action is through our robust volunteer program.  Volunteers are at the heart of our mission. Zoo volunteers donate over 90,000 hours annually and share a diverse and talented skill set. Our volunteers embody “making conservation a priority.” Each year during National Volunteer Week (April 7 – 13) we celebrate the vibrant community of volunteers that supports Woodland Park Zoo! Every year, Woodland Park Zoo volunteers invite new ambassadors into the zoo community and coach them into the invaluable resource you enco

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications The critically endangered Malayan tiger just got another helping hand from a coalition of wildlife conservation organizations, shining a brighter light of hope for the magnificent big cat. Malaysia’s new Kenyir State Park has just been designated an additional 48,466 acres. Combined with another logging concession protected in May 2018, the new park now spans 74,140 rain forest acres—nearly three times the park’s original size and three times the size of San Francisco. A Critically Endangered Malayan Tiger takes a swim. Photo by Hans Stieglit Kenyir State Park is the first-ever state park for the state of Terengganu and the first state park to be gazetted in Peninsular Malaysia since 2007. The Malayan tiger is one of six subspecies of tigers and lives only on the Malay Peninsula and in the southern tip of Thailand. The population for Malayan tigers is dangerously low—fewer than 250 survive in their natural range. They face treme

Posted by Katie Remine, Youth & Adult Engagement Manager, Woodland Park Zoo with Ryan Driscoll, Lead Learning Facilitator, Woodland Park Zoo and Amy Twito, Informal Learning Program Manager, The Seattle Public Library Cherry blossoms are blooming, spring is in the air, the perfect time to soak up nature! Photo via  https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasphuston/ Zoos, science museums, and public libraries all share a common goal: to inspire lifelong learning and curiosity in the world around us. In the spirit of fostering experiential learning across generations and supporting early childhood and youth development, Woodland Park Zoo and The Seattle Public Library are bringing an exciting, new learning opportunity to Seattle-based children and families. In partnership with Science Action Club of the California Academy of Sciences , we are thrilled to offer an adventurous “Bug Safari” curriculum for after-school and summer programming! This summer, the library will b

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications and Laurel Abbotts, Learning and Innovation, Woodland Park Zoo. Empathy is an emotion that is very useful to coexisting with other people. In its most basic definition, empathy is an understanding of experiences or perspectives of others. Whether those ‘others’ are kids sharing the swing set with you or a fellow commuter stuck on I-5, we can all pretty much agree that empathy is an important tool to getting along with your fellow humans. But what about empathy for animals, and even more so, what about using empathy to inspire conservation action? If the opposite of apathy is empathy, surely we can harness our very human emotions to collectively take action on behalf of wildlife, ecosystems and the planet. Watch:  https://youtu.be/CIZnvA4y3RQ "Woodland Park Zoo has co-created  Advancing Conservation Through Empathy for Wildlife , a learning network with 19 zoos and aquariums from around the United States to study how empathy is spark

By: Alejandro Grajal, PhD, President and CEO, Woodland Park Zoo Illegal wildlife poaching is one of the leading threats facing endangered species. Experts estimate the sale of products harvested from endangered species (items such as tusks, pelts, horns, and body parts) on the black market to be in the billions of dollars annually. One of the most effective ways to end the bloody practice of killing endangered species is to enforce bans on wildlife trafficking. That is exactly what voters in Washington state did when they passed I-1401 in 2015 with more than 70% of the vote.  Watch video of the press conference: https://youtu.be/mH96_-OEcpc Thanks to voters, our state enforcement officials at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have the authority to prohibit and prevent the sale of animal parts from endangered species such as elephants, rhinos, pangolins, tigers, marine turtles and others. I am proud of their efforts and those of Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson to

Posted by: Alejandro Grajal, PhD, President and CEO, Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo’s mission to save species and inspire everyone to make conservation a priority in their lives depends on our ability to convince people that they can be the heroes of their own conservation stories. The first step on that journey is recognizing our connection to nature and wild creatures. Watch:  https://youtu.be/CIZnvA4y3RQ Zoos and aquariums strive to make that connection tangible and vibrant, often to great effect. I’m sure that you can remember the last time you were at a zoo or aquarium, whether it was yesterday or 20 years ago. The Empathy Project at Woodland Park Zoo is working to apply scientific research to the concept of empathy and how its influenced by experiences at our zoo. Empathy is defined as a stimulated emotional state that relies on the ability to perceive, understand, and care about the experiences or perspectives of another person or animal. That’s why our

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Animal Keeper Allison Barr We have some extremely exciting news to share with you. On March 16, Valkyrie, our fierce, fast and precocious river otter gave birth to four little pups. These baby otters are the first offspring for mom Valkyrie and dad Ziggy, who are both 5 years old. Teeny, tiny otter pups! These are the first river otter pups born at Woodland Park Zoo. The pups are very tiny, fuzzy and snuggled up close to mom in a cozy off-view den. At just weeks old, the pups are busy nursing and curling up into adorable otter balls while they sleep. Animal care staff are closely monitoring the new family via a den cam. “The first year is crucial for otter pups. Because Valkyrie is a first-time mother, we want to be sure she’s providing appropriate care for each pup,” explains animal care manager Deanna DeBo. “We’re happy to report each pup has a fully belly, a good sign they’re nursing. She’s being a good mom and providing

Posted by Alexa Woodard, Engagement Thrive 2019 was an amazing show of support from our community. Woodland Park Zoo’s Thrive 2019 Wildlife Heroes , our signature conservation-focused fundraising event of the year, took place at Fremont Studios on February 27 th with more than 400 zoo supporters attending. Funds raised will support the zoo’s Living Northwest program, which saves species, engages students in inquiry-based science learning and protects ecosystems right here at home. Thrive co-chairs Sandra Andrews of Microsoft and Anders Brown of Valence with Woodland Park Zoo President and CEO Alejandro Grajal. Fremont Studios made a festive location for our conservation-focused fundraiser, Thrive 2019! Co-chaired by Sandra Andrews of Microsoft and Anders Brown of Valence, Thrive Wildlife Heroes brought together Puget Sound region businesses, community and conservation leaders, and philanthropists to advance the mission of the zoo. The Thrive Wildlife Heroes e