Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Meghan Sawyer, Communications Members of our wolf pack at the zoo. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Last January, gray wolves were removed from federal protections under the Endangered Species Act, turning management of the recovering species over to states’ control. This delisting has already led to fatal consequences for wolf populations around the U.S. Several states are allowing hunting quotas well above what scientists recommend as sustainable, threatening to reverse the success of recovery and even potentially putting local populations back under threat of extinction. As the world celebrates International Wolf Day—on August 13—Woodland Park Zoo invites you to join us and sign this petition , urging our nation’s leaders to immediately restore federal protection for wolves. Our remote cameras in Washington's North Cascades captured images of wild wolves. Photo: Woodland Park Zoo Washington state’s recovering wolf population is currently protected under state law, a

Posted by Meghan Sawyer, Communications Members of the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program team at work in the YUS (Yopno-Uruwa-Som) Conservation Area of Papua New Guinea. Photo: Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program/Woodland Park Zoo  Thousands of brave people around the world dedicate their lives to protecting wildlife, helping to ensure others can enjoy the beauty of planet earth for generations to come. These wildlife heroes are called rangers, and we’re celebrating them this World Ranger Day. While we can’t introduce you to all rangers around the globe, we can introduce you to an all-star team of rangers spanning the Pacific Northwest to Papua New Guinea (or PNW to PNG!). In PNG, they are diligently working to protect the endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroo and the pristine cloud forests in which they live. Matschie’s tree kangaroos are native to the Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo For more than 25 years, Woodland Park Zoo’s Tree Kang

Posted by Kayla Hanada, Animal Keeper The blue-crowned laughingthrush is critically endangered with only 300 left in the wild. We're honored to care for this species—helping to save it from extinction. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo. Hello! My name is Kayla and I am an animal keeper at Woodland Park Zoo working primarily in our bird areas. The next time you’re checking out our adorable Asian small-clawed otters in the Banyan Wilds habitat area, turn around. There's a wonderful aviary right behind you full of beautiful birds—and I’d love to tell you about them! The white-rumped shama thrush in the Banyan Wilds aviary has a beautiful song! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo The Chinese hwamei looks like its wearing white "cat eye" makeup. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo This aviary is currently home to six different species native to Asia and the Indian subcontinent, with 19 individual birds in total! It’s one of my favorite gr

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Today was a big day—30 years in the making—for a lot of little turtles! The public was able to watch as wildlife biologists from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) worked with our staff this morning to prepare these endangered western pond turtles for release into a protected site in the wild. Thirty-seven of them were weighed, measured and notched—a process that doesn’t hurt them at all, where small marks are filed into their shell for identification. Woodland Park Zoo staff and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists talk to the public about the Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project . In 1990, there were only about 150 of them left in Washington, and the species—which is native to our region—nearly went extinct. In 1991, Woodland Park Zoo and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlif

Posted by Meghan Sawyer, Communications Welcome to the world, little one. Photo: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo Say hello to the newest member of our zoo family! Born July 11, this male pudu fawn weighed just 1½ pounds at birth. The yet-to-be-named baby and his parents, Ted and Maggie, are all happy and healthy. This adorable species is native to South America, and they are the world’s smallest deer. Even when fully grown, they only reach about 15 inches tall! Photo: Megan Blandford/Woodland Park Zoo “This is the second fawn for mom and dad, and as expected, everyone is doing well,” said Shawn Pedersen, an animal care manager at Woodland Park Zoo. “Baby is nursing and bonding with mom, and the fawn has met all of the healthy benchmarks at its neonatal exam. We’ll continue to keep an eye on the new family, but everything is going great.” The pudu parents were paired under the Pudu Species Survival Plan , a cooperative, conservation breeding program across accredited zoos to help ensure

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications New kid on the block! Mountain goat Atlin cuddles up to her newborn daughter, born July 16. Photo: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo A new mountain goat kid is leaping on the ledges of Woodland Park Zoo’s Northern Trail habitat. The kid, a girl, was born July 16 and is the second offspring for mom Atlin and dad Zeus. The mountain goat born at the zoo last year— part of the 2020 baby boom—was their first baby, Luna . The new kid—which hasn't been named yet—weighed in at 9.4 pounds during a neonatal exam performed by the zoo’s animal health staff. “She appears to be healthy. Her body condition is good and she’s getting sufficient nutrition and hydration. Her mobility indicates a healthy energy level,” said Dr. Darin Collins, director of animal health at Woodland Park Zoo. The female kid weighed in at 9.4 pounds at birth. Photo: John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo “Within minutes of being born, young goats are on their feet and are capable of climbing

Posted by Stephen Reed, Communications On World Rainforest Day, Woodland Park Zoo celebrates the beautiful biodiversity of all forest creatures here in Washington state and around the globe. By protecting critical habitats, we can protect treasured species that call these places home. Hello toco toucan! Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo At Woodland Park Zoo, guests can experience the wonder of rain forest creatures including toucans, poison dart frogs and golden lion tamarins. These animals live in the Tropical Rain Forest exhibit, which has been closed through the pandemic and is expected to reopen soon. Our golden lion tamarins will be happy to see you when the Tropical Rainforest building reopens to the public. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo In the field, Woodland Park Zoo is committed to saving species, like the Pacific marten, a threatened species with a shrinking population in the Olympic Peninsula temperate rain forest. Pacific martens are about the size of a small house