Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications An image of a coyote is captured on a motion sensor remote camera through the Seattle Urban Carnivore Project. Photo courtesy of Seattle Urban Carnivore Project / Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle University A healthy ecosystem is one in which plants and animals interact in a dynamic balance. They work together in a way that creates a sustainable and interconnected support structure for the whole environment. All different kinds of creatures, ranging from bees to bobcats, have an important role to play. But some of them—and the behaviors they exhibit—can be misunderstood or even feared.  WHAT IS A CARNIVORE? Most people think the word “carnivore” refers to any animal that eats meat as a primary component of its diet. This is accurate, but the word “carnivore" can also refer to specific mammals that are classified in the order Carnivora . This scientific grouping is not based on diet, but is instead related to a way of classify

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Photos by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Two white-naped crane chicks hatched at Woodland Park Zoo—a first in the zoo's history for this species. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo We are proud to announce the hatching of two threatened white-naped crane chicks—a first in the zoo’s 119-year history for this species. These two chicks, which hatched July 9th and 10th, are the first offspring for parents Cal, who is 9 years old and Laura who is 8. While Cal and Laura have only been at Woodland Park Zoo for five years, we have had white-naped cranes living at the zoo for around 30 years. But none successfully produced offspring until now. The sex of our two new chicks hasn’t been determined yet, and they do not have names yet. White-naped crane parents keep a watchful eye on their chick. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Cranes are monogamous and can be very picky when choosing a mate. Even the slightest incompatibility betw

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Jason Martin/Woodland Park Zoo In mid-May, I ditched my day job for the woods. I went to the Olympic National Forest to see what it’s like to shadow a crew of carnivore conservationists. We hiked around to check on remote cameras that were stationed in the forest since this same time last year—and we’d be the first to see what (if anything) this footage revealed. Camera traps allow researchers to determine the presence of rare species and sometimes reveal how we can better support their recovery. This is what it’s like to accompany a team of conservationists up a very steep mountain in search of a very elusive creature. After winding along the dirt road that skirts Lake Cushman—a jewel-colored swath of blue nestled into this morning’s foggy Olympic mountains—my husband Jason and I meet our hiking companions at the base of Mt. Rose. In the gravel Forest Service parking lot, we unload our packs and greet Robert Long, Betsy Howell

Posted by Barbara Segal, Intern in Communications What’s your green zoo IQ? Many of our green features are hiding in plain sight. Maybe you already knew about our waste sorting bins or our famous Zoo Doo program, but did you know we have an official zoo gnome in charge of the magic that happens in the compost yard or that some of our pavement is water permeable? Check out the top 17 greenest things at your zoo—how many do you already know about? Wait, you don't know ALL the GREEN THINGS happening at the zoo? We can fix that. 1. Welcome to a green oasis When you walk through our West Entrance, you’re seeing sustainability hidden in plain view.  The buildings and entrance area are covered with Forestry Stewardship Council certified wood. The buildings’ windows and skylights take advantage of as much daylight as possible to keep energy use down.  The gently sloping pavement that directs storm water to a 975,00-gallon underground tank.  This tank allows the wat