Woodland Park Zoo

BABY GORILLA UPDATE! Our newest baby, a little male gorilla, is healthy and thriving under the expert care of our gorilla keeper staff. Akenji, a first-time mom, has not shown any interest in her newborn. But the good news is that he is doing well—and some of our other experienced adult female gorillas who have successfully raised their own babies are showing an interest in this little gem! “He’s steadily gaining weight and drinking more human infant formula. He now can easily pull himself up with his arms and push off with his feet and he’s starting to focus on lights and objects and track sounds, all of which are important developmental milestones,” said Rachel Vass, Interim Animal Care Manager. “He’s also reaching a milestone where he is reacting with joy when something seems to make him happy. For instance, if we give him a light tickle on his tummy, he makes a tiny gorilla giggle noise that melts my heart.” Catch up on all the sweetness in the latest zoo blog: https://lnkd.in/gfUTh2Pj #ThisIsHowWeZoo #WoodlandParkZoo #BabyGorilla #SavingSpecies #Gorilla

Hello, little one! Following a flurry of excitement around our pregnant gorilla, Woodland Park Zoo is proud to announce that Akenji gave birth on June 28, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. (PT) to her first baby…and it’s a boy! He weighs 4.4 pounds, is healthy, has a strong grip and a great appetite. The zoo’s gorilla and animal health staff closely observed the birth and post-birth behaviors in the off-view bedrooms. Unfortunately, Akenji did not show appropriate maternal behaviors. Within an hour after delivery, the animal care team intervened for the baby’s safety and well-being. Throughout the weekend gorilla staff provided round-the-clock care for the newborn such as bottle-feeding human infant formula, providing comfort and keeping him warm. In between feeding sessions, the baby was kept within proximity in a warm bedding of hay to allow Akenji short visits and opportunities to bond or within line of sight so she could see, hear and smell him. The short-term plan is for the gorilla staff to continue caring for the baby gorilla and offering opportunities to unite mother and son. Get all the details on Akenji's birth, how our dedicated team is caring for the infant, and the plan moving forward: https://lnkd.in/gTdAkkQy #ThisIsHowWeZoo #WoodlandParkZoo #gorilla #baby #SavingSpecies #conservation

Woodland Park Zoo was grateful to be one of five Seattle-area projects visited by the Seattle Seahawks employees as part of their annual day of service! 🙌 A group of 28 volunteers helped our horticulture team with weeding and landscaping and worked with our membership team to put together "memberobilia." We appreciate your hard work and support of Woodland Park Zoo's mission! #ThisIsHowWeZoo #WoodlandParkZoo #SeattleSeahawks

Woodland Park Zoo welcomed Governor Jay Inslee, state Senator Marko Liias and their family members to visit in celebration of National Pollinator Week last week. We are inspired by legislation of several pro-pollinator bills which were set into law and benefit pollinator education and habitat conservation. We applaud Gov. Inslee and Sen. Liias for their commitment to Northwest pollinators and the incredible community dedicated to protecting our diverse ecosystems. 🦋 Everyone can do something for pollinators—find our pollinator toolkit and learn about pesticide-alternatives at zoo.org/hellopollinators #ThisIsHowWeZoo #protectpollinators #WoodlandParkZoo

We’re expecting!!! For the first time in 35 years, a baby orangutan is on the way at Woodland Park Zoo! 🦧 Read all about it: #ThisIsHowWeZoo #woodlandparkzoo #babyorangutan

We're grateful for the group of 15 volunteers from Brighton Jones who joined our Horticulture Team last week to pitch in with weeding and cleaning up pathways inside and outside of the zoo! 🌿 Volunteer projects like these are hugely helpful in maintaining our zoo and we appreciate your hard work and willingness to jump in! #ThisIsHowWeZoo #corporatevolunteers

Tonight was the official kick off the 40th BECU ZooTunes presented by Carter Subaru! The SOLD OUT Mother Mother/Cavetown with Meet Me @ The Altar brought some fun energy to the meadow! New this year we are also excited about a collaboration with Fremont Brewing Company on a special Zoo Brew! Thanks to our incredible sponsors for their support this season: The Seattle Times, FOX 13 Seattle, KEXP, Anheuser-Busch & Kim Crawford Wines Limited. Thanks to all your support and to our concert attendees as well. We are looking forward to an amazing season! See Concerts. Save Animals. #ThisIsHowWeZoo #ZooTunes

Thank you to the Microsoft volunteers who spent a recent morning helping our Sustainability team sieve and pack compost in our Zoo Doo yard! 🦏 🦁 Woodland Park Zoo composts approximately 500 tons of animal waste each year, and we couldn't "doo" it without our volunteers! #ThisIsHowWeZoo #WoodlandParkZoo #sustainability

Woodland Park Zoo’s 14-year-old female gray wolf, Shila, has received a pacemaker in an innovative and groundbreaking medical procedure to treat a life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia! For the pacemaker procedure, Woodland Park Zoo partnered with Dr. Brian Maran and the team at Olympic Veterinary Cardiology, PLLC, who specialize in state-of-the-art animal heart care. The successful procedure took place June 12, and Shila is recovering well behind the scenes. Learn more about this incredible procedure below! 🐺 #ThisIsHowWeZoo #WoodlandParkZoo

Last Thursday evening, the zoo hosted our annual Zoofari event exclusively for our members. We were thrilled to see a record turnout, with over 4,000 attendees joining us! Guests enjoyed a diverse array of activities, including sneak peeks at upcoming exhibits and engaging animal keeper talks. 🦉 We extend our heartfelt thanks to all our members for their ongoing support of the zoo and our vital mission! #ThisIsHowWeZoo #WoodlandParkZoo #memberappreciation