Woodland Park Zoo facts for kids
 |
|
Main Entrance
|
|
| Date opened | 1899 |
|---|---|
| Location | Woodland Park, Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Land area | 92 acres (37 ha) |
| Coordinates | 47°40′06″N 122°20′59″W / 47.66834°N 122.34984°W |
| No. of animals | 900 |
| No. of species | 250 |
| Annual visitors | 1+ million |
| Memberships | AZA |
| Major exhibits | Trail of Vines, Northern Trail, Tropical Rain Forest, Banyan Wilds, African Savanna, Australasia |
The Woodland Park Zoo is a special place in Seattle, Washington, where you can see animals from all over the world. It's also a big part of protecting wildlife. The zoo has won over 65 awards for its amazing work. About 900 animals from 250 different species live here. More than 1 million people visit the zoo every year!
Contents
Exploring Woodland Park Zoo's History
The zoo started a long time ago, in 1899. It began as a small collection of animals on the land of Guy C. Phinney. He was a lumber mill owner and real estate developer. After he passed away, his wife sold the land, called Woodland Park, to the city of Seattle.
In 1902, experts from Boston helped design the city's parks, including Woodland Park. Soon after, a collection of animals from another park was moved to the new zoo location.
How Zoo Exhibits Changed
In 1975, a person named David Hancocks, who was the zoo's director, had a brilliant idea. He wanted to design animal exhibits that looked just like their natural homes. This idea was called "landscape immersion." For example, the gorilla exhibit was made to look like a real jungle, with natural plants and rocks. Even the sounds were made to feel like a real forest!
At first, some people worried about this new idea. They wondered if the plants would grow well or if visitors could see the animals easily. But the idea worked wonderfully! It became a new standard for zoos everywhere. Many zoos around the world now use this "landscape immersion" style.
Zoo Facts and Figures
As of 2010, the zoo covered 92 acres. This area includes exhibits, public spaces, parking, and playgrounds. The zoo is open every day and welcomes over a million visitors each year.
The zoo is home to:
- 1,090 individual animals
- 300 different animal species
- 35 endangered species and 5 threatened species
- Over 7,000 trees
- More than 50,000 shrubs and herbs
- Over 1,000 plant species
- A special garden for your senses
Amazing Animal Exhibits
Woodland Park Zoo has won many awards for its exhibits. It's known for creating the world's first "immersion exhibit" for gorillas. Let's explore some of the other cool exhibits:
Tropical Asia
This is the zoo's largest section. It shows animals from South and Southeast Asia.
- Assam Rhino Reserve: This area has a large home for the zoo's Indian rhinoceroses. It used to be the Elephant Forest.
- Banyan Wilds: Here you can find Malayan tigers, sloth bears, Asian small-clawed otters, and a bird aviary.
- The Trail of Vines: This part is home to orangutans, siamangs, pythons, and Malayan tapir.
African Savanna
This section feels like the grasslands of Africa.
- The biggest area is for plant-eating animals like giraffes, zebras, and ostrich.
- You can also see hippos, African lions, warthogs, and Patas monkeys.
- There's even a small aviary for savanna birds.
- The area also looks like an East African village. This exhibit won an award in 1981!
Australasia
This area features animals from Australia.
- An outdoor exhibit is shared by emus, common wallaroos, and red-necked wallabys.
- At Willawong Station, you can feed Australian parrots with a seed stick for a small fee.
- There's also a snow leopard nearby.
The Living Northwest Trail
This habitat shows animals from the forests of Northwestern America.
- You can see grizzly bears, mountain goats, elk, river otters, Steller's Sea Eagles, and wolves.
- This area is designed to look like a real trail in Alaska's Denali National Park. It won an award in 1995!
Tropical Rainforest
Explore the animals of the jungles in South America and Africa.
- The South American part has a jaguar exhibit.
- The African part is home to western lowland gorillas, ring-tailed lemurs, red ruffed lemurs, and colobus monkeys. This exhibit won an award in 1993!
Temperate Forest
This area shows creatures from woodlands around the world.
- You can find southern pudus, red pandas, Chilean flamingos, Red-crowned cranes, White-naped cranes, and Maned wolves.
- There's a wetlands area and a special aviary for rare birds.
- The Bug House has Partula Snails.
- At the farm exhibit, you can pet friendly animals like Kunekune pigs, Sheep, Goats, and Miniature Jersey Steer.
Penguin Enclosure
This exhibit has many Humboldt penguins. It was updated in 2009 so visitors could watch the penguins swim underwater. It also uses green energy! The new penguin habitat won a top award in 2010.
Other Fun Areas
- The zoo has a beautiful butterfly garden.
- A raptor center houses different birds of prey.
- The Trail of Adaptations building is home to a Komodo dragon and meerkats.
- Some animals, like tree kangaroos and Indian Peafowl, roam freely around the zoo grounds.
- Zoomazium is an indoor play area for young children. It encourages exploration, exercise, and learning.
- There's also an old-fashioned carousel that now runs on solar energy! It was first built in 1918.
Zoo's Role in the Community
Woodland Park Zoo is very involved in helping the environment and protecting animals. Besides its own programs for school children, the zoo works with universities like the University of Washington. The zoo also helps with conservation projects for endangered species.
Fun Fundraisers
ZooTunes is a summer concert series held at the zoo since 1983. It's a fun way to raise money for the zoo's programs. The zoo's North Meadow turns into an outdoor concert area for 3,700 people.
Famous Animals at the Zoo
From 1953 to 1968, a famous gorilla named Bobo lived at Woodland Park Zoo. He was a western lowland gorilla. Bobo was bought as a baby from a hunter and raised by a family before coming to the zoo. He was so popular that many people came to Seattle just to see him! His fame helped the zoo get money to build a new home for primates.
An anthropologist named Dawn Prince-Hughes spent many years watching the gorillas at Woodland Park Zoo. She wrote a book about her experiences.
Recent Animal News
- Two lionesses, Busela and Nobuhle, moved from the zoo to another zoo to have cubs. Nobuhle gave birth to three cubs: Brutus, Titus, and Calliope.
- In December 2015, a baby gorilla named Yola was born at the zoo. Her mother, Nadiri, was also born there!
- On June 20, 2017, a baby giraffe named Lulu was born. She was 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 149 pounds! Her parents are Tufani and Dave.
- A male snow leopard cub named Aibeck was also born that summer. Aibeck means "long life" in the Kyrgyz language.
- In 2022, two brown bear cubs, Juniper and Fern, came to the zoo. They were orphaned as young cubs in Alaska and Montana.
Protecting Animals: Conservation Efforts
The Woodland Park Zoo works with other zoos and government groups to help save animals. They help with projects for many threatened and endangered species. For example, they work to protect the Oregon silverspot butterfly and the western pond turtle.
Images for kids
-
Butterflies and Blooms exhibit
-
Keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) at the Tropical Rain Forest exhibit
-
Penguin
-
Zoomazium
-
Hippos
-
Giraffe
-
Zebras
-
One of many unique plants at the zoo
-
Wallaby
-
Carousel
-
Many different performances are held at the zoo.
.jpg)
