Woodland Park Zoo Woodland Park Zoo News 2013

Ex-WPZ Director David Hancocks has had his latest article printed by the Seattle Times, and once again the focus is on elephants. Woodland Park is a wonderful zoo and it has won many AZA Best Exhibit awards, but the persistence of maintaining a dysfunctional trio of elephants in an outdated enclosure is frustrating. All of the articles in local papers and annual demonstrations (not to mention Chai failing to become pregnant after innumerable insemination attempts) has created a mountain of negativity that is beginning to tarnish a truly great zoo. I've been insisting for years that the zoo has to end its elephant program and at one time there was the possibility of Indian Rhinos being added to the collection and they would make the perfect replacements. The worst case scenario for the image of the zoo is to endure a saga similar to what has happened at Toronto Zoo, but it might well be the best thing to occur for the elephants.

Guest: Elephants first at Woodland Park Zoo | Opinion | The Seattle Times
 
I did not notice he was a former zoo director until the end of the article. They sounded like an antizoo person. Although I agree the elephants should be removed from the zoo collection, I was surprised how hard he was bashing the zoo. I almost found it hypocritical. If he knows or thinks these bad conditions are happening to the elephants, why did he not do anything during his term as president? Also being a zoo director, you would think he'd support the AZA and the excellence of care needed to be accredited. But yet he criticizes the Toronto Zoo for not releasing their elephants to PAWS.
 
blospz said:
I did not notice he was a former zoo director until the end of the article. They sounded like an antizoo person. Although I agree the elephants should be removed from the zoo collection, I was surprised how hard he was bashing the zoo. I almost found it hypocritical. If he knows or thinks these bad conditions are happening to the elephants, why did he not do anything during his term as president? Also being a zoo director, you would think he'd support the AZA and the excellence of care needed to be accredited. But yet he criticizes the Toronto Zoo for not releasing their elephants to PAWS.
Click to expand...

David Hancocks was an architect before he became a zoo director. He was opposed to having elephants at the Woodland Park during his time there, but the city of Seattle wouldn't have the change. This and the lack of funding to complete the 1976 long-range plan for the zoo were reasons for him leaving. Its safe to say that he left the zoo and the city on bad terms.

Also the AZA was a different culture when we was a zoo director in Seattle and Tucson, before he left for Australia. Today the AZA is a very different organization that is more worried about being a brand name and insuring that zoos have a sustainable future. David has a keen opinion for animal welfare and conservation over a zoo's bottom line, and is outspoken when he feels necessary. While I have not personally met the man, I have read some of this books and articles. He appears to have a rather hands off approach to animal husbandry that is very different from the hand-on and full contact type husbandry that is often used today in many zoos.
 
Thank you for that information. That explains his position on the topic. It's going to be interesting in the next decade to see what becomes of elephants in zoos.
 
I'm not sure if this pamphlet has always been @ WPZ, but it seems like something management worked up in light of the current controversy. It can be found in a couple of different places around the Elephant Forest/Thai Village

Elephant Program

We care about elephants at our zoo... and around the world.

Woodland Park Zoo is dedicated to the care of its elephants and the protection of the wild elephants. As part of our conservation mission, we support vital field projects in Africa and Asia that protect elephants and their habitat, reducing human-elephant conflict and incorporating community-based involvement to effect action and solutions.

EXHIBIT

The zoo's elephants enjoy the densely vegetated Elephant Forest, winner of the Association of Zoo & Aquariums' Best Exhibit award. Trails offer a varied, rolling terrain to explore, including soft dirt and grass to walk on and graze; sand, mud, and a deep pool for splashing and swimming. The plentiful trees, grass, and shrubs provide shade, texture, and leaves to browse on.

Most of the year, the elephants are given free choice to outdoor access 23 hours a day. Elephants are held in the warm barn only rarely: when overnight temperatures are below 40°F. Regardless of weather, they often choose to be inside the barn, which they view as "home." They are comfortable there, interacting closely with the keepers.

PROTECTING ELEPHANTS

Elephants are under extreme pressure from habitat loss and poaching. The most widespread and difficult issue to tackle in elephant conservation is human-elephant conflict, particularly in Asia. Over the past 25 years, the African elephant population has fallen from 1.6 million to fewer than 500,000. The Asian elephant population has plummeted from 150,000 to an estimated 30,000.

Committed to the Care and Conservation of Elephants

EXPERT ELEPHANT CARE

The elephants at Woodland Park Zoo have a very high quality of life and provided excellent nutrition, exercise, veterinary care, and environmental enrichment. They are cared for by a dedicated team of elephant-care experts and board certified veterinarians with approximately 160 combined years of elephant management experience.

MEET OUR ELEPHANTS

The zoo's herd of all females: Asian elephant Bamboo, born in 1967; Asian elephant Chair, born in 1979; and African elephant Watoto, born in 1969/70.

(a picture of the three elephants can be found on the pamphlet in this space.)

HOPE FOR ELEPHANTS

If people are to care about preserving elephants and their habitat, they need to learn about and understand them. Zoos provide a powerful venue to make this happen. When people learn about elephants, they discover that their actions do matter. Elephants need to zoos and zoos need elephants to help their cousins in the wild. Zoo studies on elephant biology and behavior would be challenging or impossible in the field. Working with populations in zoos has a positive effect on conservation, and the information gathered is relevant to helping and understanding wild populations.

The pamphlet ends with a link: To learn more about elephants and what you can do to help this magnificent species, visit zoo.org/elephants and elephanttag.org

I'll take a picture and upload it if anybody cares; otherwise, the zoo's site gives a very nice overview on their exhibit.
 
another article about the birth of the North American Porcupine :
April 27, 2013
Prickly Porcupette a Surprise for Woodland Park Zoo

2013-04-19RHawk027PorcupineBaby

Sometimes zoo babies are a surprise, and that’s exactly what happened when Molly, a North American Porcupine, surprised keepers at the Woodland Park Zoo by delivering a male porcupette (the actual name for a baby Porcupine) on April 18.

Molly and her mate Oliver joined Woodland Park Zoo in June 2011 shortly after their second birthdays. At such a young age, zookeepers expected that Oliver was a year shy of sexual maturity, but Oliver wasn’t paying attention to the zoo keepers’ timetable. As keepers look back, they now realize that Molly became pregnant in September, giving her a seven-month gestation period before birthing the pair’s first baby.

2013-04-19RHawk077PorcupineBaby

2013-04-19RHawk087PorcupineBaby

2013-04-19RHawk059PorcupineBaby

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Photo Credit: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo

A porcupette is born with a full coat and open eyes, in contrast to many other rodents. Within hours of birth its soft coat of quills begins to harden, immediately preparing it for protection from predators. The baby becomes active quickly and—as a natural tree dweller—its climbing instincts take hold within weeks of delivery. That climbing ability will come in handy as the youngster weans itself from mom and transitions to an herbivorous diet of leaves, twigs, and bark.

Molly and the newborn are currently in an off-exhibit den, though Molly sometimes leaves to stretch her legs in their exhibit. In the wild, a mother Porcupine would leave the newborn to nest in a safe area on the ground and she would retreat to the trees for food and shelter.
In the warmth of their den box, the pair nuzzles close to one another until the porcupette breaks free from her embrace and explores their shared space. Time and time again, Molly will swoop her paws beneath his belly and pull him back to her chest for what looks like a Porcupine hug.
Source : Zooborns
 
Tawny frogmouth hatched :
May 08, 2013
Tawny Frogmouth Chick Emerges at Woodland Park Zoo

Woodland_TawnyFrogmouth 1

Last week Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle welcomed a fluffy white Tawny Frogmouth chick. One day after its birth, the little chick weighed in at just over half an ounce. While the parents have been doing an excellent job caring for it thus far, keepers will keep a close eye on the chick's development and provide the family with additional food if they aren't satisfied with its progress.

Woodland_TawnyFrogmouth 2
Photo credits: Ryan Hawk / Woodland Park Zoo

The chick's parents are held off exhibit at as part of a nationwide breeding program for Tawny Frogmouths. Woodland Park coordinates this Species Survival Plan for the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, which includes 125 individuals at 48 facilities. The zoo is also home to a second breeding pair and is known for having a great track record of breeding this species. In fact, this chick's parents have another fertile egg in their nest which keepers expect to hatch soon.

Tawny Frogmouths are native to the Australasia region and are found on the Australian mainland, Tasmania and New Guinea. They are nocturnal carnivores that feed primarily on insects and other small prey. While adults have dark mottled coats to bled into tree bark, young are born fluffy and white as you can see with this little chick. When full grown this little chick will weigh around one and a half pounds.
Source : Zooborns
 
Has anyone seen the new otter exhibit and aviary? I'm curious about how the aviary and everything turned out.
 
Zoo babies EVERYWHERE!
This time it is the small-clawed Asian otters that had pups.
Otter baby blog post
The zoo has set up a cam to watch the otters remotely.

I was actually at the zoo the day that mom went into labor, but the pair had been behind the scenes all day.

So on Father's Day, June 16th the zoo will be handing out free Otter Pops while supplies lasts.
 
Update from a June 15th, 2013, zoo visit:

- Bamboo Forest Reserve (first phase) is excellent, with a tastefully designed Asian Small-Clawed Otter exhibit as its centerpiece. The otters are currently off-exhibit as they had an undetermined number of pups but the trickling stream and large shady tree in the enclosure make for a peaceful, well-designed exhibit. There is no underwater viewing but the pool at the base of the sloping habitat is directly at the feet of visitors and so viewing opportunities are plentiful.

- The Asian aviary in the new complex is solid but unspectacular, with 5 species contained within the mesh: Nicobar Pigeon, Collared Finchbill, White-Rumped Shama Thrush, Great Argus and Red-Billed Leiothrix.

- The third part of Tropical Asia: Bamboo Forest Reserve is a children's play zone with a bamboo shaky bridge, a second wooden plank bridge, a mini zipline, several seating areas made of huge chunks of wood, and the area is superb for kids as my own can attest. Between this new zone, the African Village, Zoomazium and Habitat Hollow there are now 4 play areas sprinkled throughout the zoo that are all tastefully done and somewhat hidden away from the eyes of zoo nerds who do not care for such additions.

- WPZ has been experiencing an unprecedented baby boom, and during the past 7 months there has been a lot of high-profile youngsters born at the zoo. Babies include 4 Lions, 2 Sloth Bears, at least 5 Humboldt Penguins, 1 Red-Crowned Crane, 1 North American Porcupine...and off-exhibit for now are several Asian Small-Clawed Otters, 3 Jaguars and 1 Matschie's Tree Kangaroo. A baby bonanza in 2013!

- The zoo has added Kaman's Art Shoppes, a company that arranges a new set of experiences for zoo visitors. There are now photographers and photo booths set up at each entrance that charge outrageous amounts for family shots, and face painting booths, caricature artists and glitter tattoo stations have been added to the grounds. There are only 3 locations for these additions (including both entrances) and so it seem like a valid attempt to raise more funds for the zoo.

- There is lots of new signage (with an orange background instead of the usual shades of green) all around the zoo, with several updated exhibit signs and many directional signs all being new. A couple more food shacks have been added, the Historic Carousel is being repainted this week, and the grounds are looking lush and green. To be honest the zoo looks terrific and it seems primed for a busy summer season with all of the new babies and the Bamboo Forest Reserve complex now open to the public. It will be just under 2 years before that zone is complete with Malayan Tigers and Sloth Bears being the final phase of the $21 million project. At that point the oldest section of the facility will become the newest and the zoo will have very few poor areas whatsoever.

- The Elephant Task Force that the zoo set up recently will have several more meetings and a decision will eventually be made whether or not to retain the elephant program. The award-winning exhibit opened 24 years ago and it is obviously much smaller than many of the modern elephant habitats that have made their debut in the past decade. Also, having 1 African and 2 Asian elephants (and the trio are never all together due to being incompatible) is obviously a major flaw for such a great zoo, and over the years Indian Rhinos have been rumored for that area so it would not be a surprise to see that switch occur at some point in time.
 
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