Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Terra Vleeshouwer-Neumann, Intern, Public Affairs Photos by John Loughlin, Woodland Park Zoo A volunteer leads a guided tour at hippos. Woodland Park Zoo is dedicated to providing experiences that connect everyone to wildlife and conservation. Blind and low vision guests can request a trained sighted guide for their visit.  Here at the Woodland Park Zoo, we want everybody to feel welcome. One way we are working to include more of our community is through a series of Zoo For All events. Our most recent event on July 2, Celebrating All Abilities, was a huge hit. Despite the drizzly weather, the zoo was buzzing with excitement! Service animals are welcome. Woodland Park Zoo is responsible for the health and well-being of all of its animals, including many sensitive species. Therefore, there are additional steps to bringing fully-trained service animals on grounds. Here are all the details for service animals. Visitors learn about the special shoes our giraffe c

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Kookaburras are known for their laugh-like vocalizations. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Listen carefully. Do you hear laughter? If you’re visiting Woodland Park Zoo’s Australasia area, you just might … and it could be coming from an unexpected source. Our laughing kookaburra family has just doubled in size thanks to these two newly-fledged chicks. Mama, Tamani, and Dad, Murray, are the proud parents of two young females who recently took their first hops—and flights—from the nest, just a few weeks ago. Two kookaburra chicks hatched in May. Photo: Amanda Dukart/Woodland Park Zoo The laughing kookaburra is the largest bird in the kingfisher family (think large head related to body size and long beak for catching prey like rodents, insects and lizards) and is so named for its distinctive vocalizations which sound like a mix of cackling laughter, chuckles and hoots. Each chick was regularly weighed, enabling keepers to

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications All photos by John Loughlin, Woodland Park Zoo It's a big, wonderful world out there. Especially when seen through the eyes of a curious youngster ... Two-month-old Hasani eyeballs the green savanna. This past week was an exciting one for baby giraffe, Hasani. He is doing really well, doesn't need his therapeutic shoes anymore, and is reaching all the milestones that a healthy little (not so little) giraffe calf should reach at two months old. The two-month old giraffe gets a taste, literally, of life on the savanna. Hasani explores the savanna with his family. https://youtu.be/euu4WYTw4Ic Hasani's most recent adventures involve wandering beyond the barn and the corral area to explore the savanna. Like many babies, he is curious and seems to enjoy taking in new sights, sounds, and tastes. He is also making new friends, in the form of a group of helmeted guineafowl. Exploring new areas means making new f

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications with Erin Sullivan, Entomologist Does it get any cuter than a fuzzy, gentle mason bee? Photo by nutmeg66 via Flickr. To celebrate Pollinator Week 2019 (June 17-23), we asked you to send us the questions you've always wanted to know about bees. Below are just some of the bee questions we have received from across our social media platforms. Our in- house hive bee expert, Erin Sullivan, entomologist and collection manager, gives us the answers we've been searching for—when it comes to our buzziest pollinators. Q: What is the best type of hive box design for honeybees and bumblebees? Erin: When it comes to creating a good habitat for bees in your backyard, the most important thing to begin with is looking at what's already in your garden. That means paying attention to the types of bees that frequent your yard. The bee hive or box is just the beginning. Creating a suitable habitat for bees means looking at basics, such as fo

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications There are hundreds of animal species that call Woodland Park Zoo home—animals that are native to many different remote habitats around the world. This includes species ranging from orangutans of the Asian tropical forest and penguins from the Pacific coast of South America to hippopotamuses and ostriches of the African savanna. But there is another community of animals that rely on the green spaces found right here at home—on our grounds and in other neighboring Seattle area parks. You may have seen them here or in nearby habitats. Or maybe you haven’t noticed them at all... but they are here if you look. We share much of our green space with local and native wildlife. A wild blue heron takes advantage of the lemur's pool. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Set on 92 acres, Woodland Park Zoo offers a lush canopy that is made up of more than 90,000 plants, trees, flowers, shrubs and other greenery representing more than 1,

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications These are the conservation stewards of tomorrow and we salute their dedication and passion for protecting endangered species like the Matschie’s tree kangaroo. Photo by Chris Banks, Zoos Victoria Young people are the future of our communities and the future stewards of our planet. There is no better example of this than the Junior Rangers of Papua New Guinea. An integral part of the success of Woodland Park Zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program , these youth are the real conservation heroes who are learning about and working towards a sustainable and balanced ecosystem in their own communities. Looking to the future with Junior Rangers. Photo by Lisa Dabek, Woodland Park Zoo. Photo by Chris Banks, Zoos Victoria The Yopno-Uruwa-Som (YUS) “Junior Ranger Program” is based around activities designed specifically for children who live throughout the YUS Conservation Area, a protected area on the Huon Peninsula in Papua New Gui

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Meet Marai! Photo by Elena Mavros, @greekgal.esm via Instagram You may have noticed a new furry face—plus some new spots, paws and a long tail—at the snow leopard exhibit over the past few months. Say hello to Marai. This 2-year-old female was born at Los Angeles Zoo in 2017 and arrived here at Woodland Park Zoo earlier this year.  Marai is sweet, sociable with her keepers and likes knuckle bones! Photo by Elena Mavros, @greekgal.esm via Instagram While she’s not quite mature enough to breed yet, it is hoped that Marai will eventually pair up with Aibek , who is her same age and was born here in 2017. The Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan (SSP), a conservation breeding program for endangered animals at accredited zoos, has matched these two cats as a recommended breeding pair in another year or so. Other than making adorable cubs, the goal of SSP programs like this is to increase the genetic diversity and health of species