United States Woodland Park Zoo Historical Thread

Komodo Dragon

Komodo Dragon

Well-Known Member
Here is a thread for posting about various historical items centered around Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo.

To start, here is a news report on David Hancocks' resignation from Directorship of the Woodland Park Zoo. Very interesting snapshot of an important time in global zoological garden transformation.

Description:

"Evening Edition Channel 9 story about David Hancocks' resignation from Directorship of the Woodland Park Zoo. Includes interviews with zoo architect Grant Jones, Mammal Curator Lee Werle, zoo veterinarian Dr. James Foster, and Hancocks himself. Hancocks discusses the reasons that led him to retire, including lack of capital funding and poor elephant conditions. The piece describes the changes and impact that Hancocks made on WPZ, particularly the move towards naturalistic and ecosystem-based exhibits. Recorded on January 20, 1984 and originally aired on January 26, 1984."

 
Save Our Elephants KIRO Presentation (February 8, 1985)

Description:

“In a KIRO news presentation, John Marler describes the plans for a new 5-acre elephant exhibit at Woodland Park Zoo using a small model and footage of the zoo's elephants.”


 
Alaska in Your Backyard: The Northern Trail Exhibit at Woodland Park Zoo (1992)

Description:

"This documentary describes the Northern Trail exhibit design and layout prior to its opening, and how it will replicate the natural environment of animals such as bald eagles, brown bears, wolves, mountain goats, snowy owls, and red foxes.

Features interviews with Gary Lee (Exhibit Designer), Greg Toffic (Curator of Birds), Wayne Buchanan (Senior Zoo Keeper), Lee Werle (Curator of Mammals), and Gary Mozel (Naturalist)."

 
These where played in the Northern Trail starting in 1994. I'm not certain when they where phased out or where exactly they played in the complex.


Video introduction/selection loop:



Keeping It Green:



Indigenous Peoples:



National Parks:



Tree Farms/Forestry:

 
Project Pachyderm: The Baby Elephant Story (2001)

A television documentary focusing upon the conception and arrival of Hansa, the first and only elephant birth in the history of Woodland Park Zoo.

 
A beautiful development plan from 1986, found from the Seattle Municipal Archives. Not too different from the landmark 1976 master plan, though still interesting to see all the biomes and species that unfortunately never made it to fruition. Losing a steppe complex for a parking lot hurts the most.

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A 1975 photo from the Nocturnal House. Love those paintings, though I am unsure if they were removed when this area closed and thus survived the 2016 fire.

The Nocturnal House, which hadn't housed any animals since 2010, was recently demolished to make room for the upcoming Forest Trailhead exhibit.

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Komodo Dragon said:
A 1975 photo from the Nocturnal House. Love those paintings, though I am unsure if they were removed when this area closed and thus survived the 2016 fire.

The Nocturnal House, which hadn't housed any animals since 2010, was recently demolished to make room for the upcoming Forest Trailhead exhibit.

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So disappointed they aren't building a new Reptile House... We could really use more indoor space at the zoo in our climate.
 
Komodo Dragon said:
The Golden Monkeys of China at Woodland Park Zoo, 1986

Description:

"Background and information on Golden Monkeys, and other animals, from Chongqing, China in the China Corridor at Woodland Park Zoo."

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Do you know when they died or were phased out? I never really knew that Golden Snub-Nosed Monkeys were kept in captivity.
 
From 1991, a video petition for the 1995 AAZPA (American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums) Conference to be held in Seattle. It’s quite a strange video in a few parts. But they won the bid, so it did work.

 
Komodo Dragon said:
A beautiful development plan from 1986, found from the Seattle Municipal Archives. Not too different from the landmark 1976 master plan, though still interesting to see all the biomes and species that unfortunately never made it to fruition. Losing a steppe complex for a parking lot hurts the most.

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Interesting to see a zoo master plan with zero reference to basic visitor functions (restrooms, food service etc.). Dreamy and visionary, but clearly a relic of its time.
 
tigris115 said:
It really is a shame we didn't get that 5 acre exhibit.
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Actually, “we did.” About the only part of this plan that didn’t happen was the walk-through aviary and sun bear exhibit. Note that nowhere was it stated there would be a 5-acre elephant “enclosure.” The total exhibit complex that opened in the late 80s was around 5 acres…the biggest flaw was the too-small elephant barn.
 
reduakari said:
Actually, “we did.” About the only part of this plan that didn’t happen was the walk-through aviary and sun bear exhibit. Note that nowhere was it stated there would be a 5-acre elephant “enclosure.” The total exhibit complex that opened in the late 80s was around 5 acres…the biggest flaw was the too-small elephant barn.
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I visited Woodland Park Zoo for the first time in the summer of 1989, just after the new elephant exhibit opened, and it was a really beautiful complex. The contrast with the Oregon Zoo (then Washington Park Zoo) elephant complex in Portland was really striking. The Oregon Zoo elephant program was world-famous, but their exhibit was brutal, and really unpleasant and disappointing.
 
reduakari said:
Actually, “we did.” About the only part of this plan that didn’t happen was the walk-through aviary and sun bear exhibit. Note that nowhere was it stated there would be a 5-acre elephant “enclosure.” The total exhibit complex that opened in the late 80s was around 5 acres…the biggest flaw was the too-small elephant barn.
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Yeah I read a lot about how the elephant barn was not only too small but it didn't have enough space to rotate animals which seemed a quite foolish oversight
 
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