Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications We are thrilled to announce the homecoming of male lion, Tandie, who will turn 8 on October 24. He was born here at Woodland Park Zoo in 2014 to parents Adia and Xerxes. And now Tandie, which means “fire,” has returned home to Seattle after living at Oakland Zoo since 2016. Welcome home! Tandie will turn 8 years old on October 24. Photo: Courtesy of Oakland Zoo Tandie is known for being a thoughtful, smart lion. He is affectionate, displays calm dominance behaviors and we're told he enjoys eating a variety of meat and blood popsicles. Right now he is acclimating to his new home in the behind the scenes areas—getting acquainted with (and in some cases, re-acquainted with) his animal keepers—but you should be able to see him on the public side of the lion habitat very soon. Tandie and his brothers were the most adorable trio of cubs (seen here in 2014). Photo: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo Tandie’s arrival at the zoo is particularly exciting bec

 Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications For three years, female African lion Kamaria has delighted guests alongside her twin sister Ilanga here at Woodland Park Zoo, but now it’s time for the 5-year-old lioness to set forth on a new international journey and possibly start a family of her own. Zoo guests are invited to come bid Kamaria adieu before she departs to Zoo de Granby in Quebec. The last day to see Kamaria is October 17. African lion Kamaria, on left, expresses a moment of tenderness with her twin sister, Ilanga, with Xerxes in the background at Woodland Park Zoo. Kamaria will move to Zoo de Granby in Quebec to be paired with a new mate. Oct. 17 is the last day to see Kamaria. (Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo) Kamaria and Ilanga arrived at Woodland Park Zoo in 2019 under a breeding recommendation with male lion Xerxes. Breeding was never successful due to changing dynamics in the group as the sisters matured, and sadly the geriatric Xerxes was humanely euthanized thi

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications This female grizzly cub will be introduced to our other orphaned cub, a brown bear named Juniper. The two of them will live together in the Living Northwest Trail bear habitat. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo  In mid-July, we welcomed a brown bear cub rescued in Anchorage, Alaska . Now, 3 months later, Woodland Park Zoo welcomes another cub: a female grizzly that was orphaned in Montana due to conflicts between her mom and humans. The cub currently weighs 95 pounds and arrived at the zoo October 3. She is currently in a 30-day quarantine at the zoo’s hospital—standard practice for new arrivals to ensure the wellness of all our animals. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) had recently responded to a wave of bear conflicts stemming from a combination of human safety concerns, habituated bear behavior, unsecured attractants and other issues. On Sept. 20, FWP bear specialists captured an adult female grizzly bear—the mother of the

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Photos by Kaeli Swift, University of Washington's School of Environmental & Forest Sciences Crows are awesome birds—and they are also awesomely misunderstood. What better time then, during October’s “spooky season”, to set the record straight! Crows are social and family-oriented birds that are extremely protective of each other—especially their offspring. If you've been swooped or scolded by one during nesting season, you know exactly what we mean! They communicate using various caws, scolds, croaks, comb-calls, whistles and clicks. But despite their obvious intelligence, crows and other birds in the Corvidae family (which also includes ravens, jays, magpies, rooks) have gotten a bad rap! In some cultures, crows and ravens have long been associated with negative concepts including bad luck, evil spirits and omens of death. The fact that a group of crows is called a “murder” doesn’t really help their reputation either. But what doe

Posted by Craig Newberry, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo While the rest of the world was slowing down during the pandemic, newest census data reveal greater one-horned rhinos were having a baby boom in Assam, India. Today, on World Rhino Day, Woodland Park Zoo is celebrating a massive milestone for the vulnerable species—the population has climbed to 4,014 in the Assam province.  Rhino in Manas National Park Assam is home to 70% of the world's greater one-horned rhino population, with Nepal being the only other country with this rhino species. Earlier this year, the government of Assam completed its biannual rhino census and found that the greater one-horned rhino population increased by 274 since they last counted! Woodland Park Zoo's conservation partner, International Rhino Foundation , says the pandemic played a significant role in this latest rhino population growth, sparking that baby boom while many protected areas were closed to visit

Posted by Lauren Carroll-Bolger, Communications Humboldt penguin chick, Yolanda! Photo: Celine Pardo/Woodland Park Zoo One of Woodland Park Zoo’s Humboldt penguin chicks was named by kids at Seattle Children’s, and we are delighted to share the name they have chosen for this penguin is YOLANDA! Our Animal Care Team provided four names for the children to vote on, and Yolanda, meaning violet, was the clear winner. Help us give a warm welcome to Yolanda! Hello, Yolanda! Photo: Celine Pardo/Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo partners with Seattle Children’s to provide uplifting virtual animal experiences for the hospital’s long-term patients. Monthly virtual experiences range from rhino feedings to veterinary exams for the animals, and the kids get to spend time asking questions and getting to know the animals and staff. In previous months, animal keeper Celine Pardo introduced the kids to our Humboldt penguins which led to an opportunity for the children to name our newest chick. “I can

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications   Kitoko loves to climb! It's a skill he learned from his mom, Uzumma. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Many of you already know that we now have two Western lowland gorilla family groups here at Woodland Park Zoo, each led by its own silverback. And both are continuing to do really well! Nadaya is a spectacular silverback! Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Silverback Nadaya is one of three gorillas we welcomed earlier this summer to form a new family group with 37-year old Jumoke, who had been living alone since Vip (an elderly silverback who was her mate) died last year. This is 21-year-old Nadaya’s first time as the head of his own group of females and he is making great strides as he learns how to be an adept leader. In addition to Jumoke, Nadaya’s group includes females Olympia (26-year-old) and Jamani (22). In the rare instance when he might "get on the wrong side" of one of them, all three femal