Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Mother's Day is May 8th, 2022. Here are our 10 favorite gift ideas for every type of 'mom' in your life! 1. Name a Pollinator  in honor of mom! Support your zoo and choose from a bumblebee, hummingbird or butterfly. Gifts of any amount make a big difference in our work to preserve pollinator habitats, restore threatened butterfly populations and educate millions of visitors about the importance of biodiversity in sustaining all life.  zoo.org/nameapollinator 2. Butterflies and tea.  Plan the ultimate date with mom, gift her a visit to the zoo to see Molbak's Butterfly Garden (Any time after May 27th, when it opens for the season), then treat her to a mom-worthy tea or latte at a nearby coffee shop, we recommend Fresh Flours on Phinney.  3. Enjoy a new experience together! Check out Critter Connections, a new immersive and interactive zone where you can introduce mom to her new favorite ambassador animals. Get up close with Skyaana the porcupine, Harry the Skunk, Buddy

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo One of the three adorable Humboldt penguin chicks to recently hatch at Woodland Park Zoo.  World Penguin Day is today, April 25, a special day to celebrate all penguins on the planet and the recent hatching of three Humboldt penguins at Woodland Park Zoo. The three chicks hatched to three different sets of parents at the end of March and the first week in April. Most penguins mate for life. Incubation for penguins takes 40 to 42 days, with both parents sharing incubation duties in the nest and day-to-day care for their chicks. Penguin keeper Celine Pardo checks on the health of each Humboldt penguin chick before returning it to its parents in their cozy burrow. Woodland Park Zoo has one of the most successful Humboldt penguin breeding programs in North America with its new hatchlings bringing the total number of successful hatchings to 80 since the zoo’s first breeding season in 2010, a year after

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Join your zoo on Earth Day 2022! This Earth Day April 22, 2022, we are  investing in our planet.  Here's how to do  more  for planet Earth, one flutter of a butterfly wing at a time. 1. Join the  2022 City Nature Challenge. A perfect, and family friendly, way to focus your attention on nature and show your appreciation for your neighborhood flora and fauna. (This year, we've provided translations in Chinese, Russian, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.) The butterfly effect is real. 2. You can  Name a Pollinator  in honor of Earth Day! Support your zoo and choose from a bumblebee, hummingbird or butterfly. Gifts of any amount make a big difference in our work to preserve pollinator habitats, restore threatened butterfly populations and educate millions of visitors about the importance of biodiversity in sustaining all life. Name a Pollinator in honor of planet Earth! zoo.org/nameapollinator 3. Dive into protecting pollinators ! We have an e

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Happy birthday—or hatch day—to this special emu! Windana turned 30 years old on March 22, which makes him one of the oldest known emus in all of the accredited zoos in North America! Emus have an average life expectancy of around 10 years in the wild and around 20 years in human care—so Windana’s age is a testament to the amazing care he receives, day in and day out, from our animal keepers and veterinary staff. Windana is a sweetheart of an emu with a permanent case of bedhead. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo Emus are large flightless birds native to Australia. They’re the second largest living birds on the planet next to the ostriches of Africa and, as adults, can easily grow 5 to 6 feet tall. Windana, whose name comes from an Aboriginal word referencing a “crossroads” or a “turning point”, has lived at Woodland Park Zoo for almost his whole life. He arrived here in 1992, along with a female emu around the same age named Kowia. Both o

Posted by Lauren Carroll-Bolger, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo March 3 is United Nations (UN) World Wildlife Day focused on “Recovering Key Species for Ecosystem Restoration.” The zoo joins the UN in highlighting the status of critically endangered species, like Kitoko and the western lowland gorilla, and promoting sustainable use of habitats to ensure the planet’s ecosystem can thrive. We are also celebrating the 2nd birthday of western lowland gorilla, Kitoko.  Since March 4, 2020, bright-eyed and curious Kitoko has melted hearts and grown from a small baby in the arms of his mother Uzumma to a 30-pound, adventurous climber leaping off the ledges of anything he can climb. He has become the class clown of the gorilla bunch and revels in rambunctious play sessions with his 1-year-old half-sister, Zuna, and 6-year-old family member, Yola. “Kitoko doesn’t mind being out of Uzumma’s sight if that means he can play with Zuna and Yola,” said Martin Ramir

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Xerxes, King of the African Savanna Woodland Park Zoo is mourning the loss of our amazing lion Xerxes, who was euthanized February 23, due to kidney failure. Xerxes was 14 years old, which is within the range of median life expectancy for male lions in zoos. The geriatric lion had been undergoing treatment for possible kidney disease. Because Xerxes’ activity and appetite levels were recently low, an examination was scheduled for next week. However, the zoo’s animal health team moved up the exam to earlier this week because he was showing signs of decline and possible dehydration. Xerxes was administered IV fluids and antibiotics, and samples of blood, urine and feces were collected. “While we were waiting for test results, signs of kidney disease in our geriatric lion were becoming more apparent,” said Dr. Rob Browning, associate veterinarian at Woodland Park Zoo. “His appetite had improved, and

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, Woodland Park Zoo Say hello to Sotong, our Asian small-clawed otter pup born on December 9! The tiny pup's animal keepers have fondly named her Sotong (soh-TAWNG), Malay for squid or octopus—think Seattle Kraken! The 2-month-old pup is the first offspring for mom Little Frei and dad Conner. Little Frei was among the last litter born in 2016 at Woodland Park Zoo and was named after Seattle Sounders goalkeeper, Stefan Frei. The parents were paired under the Asian Small-clawed Otter Species Survival Plan. Species Survival Plans are cooperative breeding programs across accredited zoos to help ensure healthy, genetically diverse, self-sustaining populations of select species or subspecies. Asian small-clawed otters are very social, gregarious animals. Both mom and dad feed and help care for their young. At birth, the pups weigh about 1½ ounces, a little more than a slice of dense, whole-grain bread! Newborns can’t