This summer the Woodland Park Zoo is happy to introduce new, young residents getting ready to meet visitors in the nearly 100 acre park.
Daisy is a new mountain goat kid, born June 16th (during our Solstice celebrations,) to mom Bluebelle. Visitors to WPZ can see Daisy while on the Northern Trail’s revamped boardwalk.
Our other two, most recent arrivals are red panda twins, still hiding behind the scenes while they bond with their mother, Hazel, and receive care, as needed, from Zoo staff. Born on June 19th, these twins are the first red pandas born at WPZ in nearly three decades. Animal care experts hope the two little bundles of joy will be able to welcome visitors by the end of the summer.
The Red Panda cubs are both females and, as is normal, they were born blind, relying solely on their mom for care. Due to the solitary nature of Red Pandas, father Yukiko will remain separated from his new family. A curator at WPZ, Mark Myers, explained, “We’re monitoring the new family via a den cam to ensure the cubs are thriving. Our animal care staff have minimal contact with the mom and cubs in order to minimize disturbance and allow Hazel a quiet environment. At this early stage, we’re seeing great maternal care.”
Hazel came to WPZ two years ago to be paired with Yukiko, under the Red Panda Species Survival Plan, a conservation breeding program intended to help ensure a healthy, self-sustaining population of red pandas, an endangered species. The Woodland Park Zoo participates in 108 Species Survival Plans, involving a variety of collaborative conservation activities aimed at aiding the strength and survival of animal species around the world.
This weekend, June 30th and July 1st, the Woodland Park Zoo will host its annual ‘Red, White & Zoo’ event, where the animals are treated to July 4th themed treats. In addition, on July 5th, WPZ will honor improvements made around the park to better welcome those visitors with special needs, and make the Zoo more inclusive to all our neighbors. This special day, designated ‘Zoo for All’, celebrates the Special Olympics USA Games going on in our city during this first week of July, and falls on one of the WPZ ‘Evening Zoo’ nights – allowing for visitors to explore the park from 9:30a – 8:30p that day!
Normal summer Zoo hours, through September 30th, are 9:30a – 6p daily. For more information on entry fees and special events, visit Zoo.org or call 206-548-2500.