WE ARE LIVING NORTHWEST 2021 ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT
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These are the lands of the Tribal signatories of the for the waters, plants, land and animal relatives in th Woodland Park Zoo acknowledges this stewardship our responsibility to join with these Tribes to ins between humans and the
Lushootseed
gʷəɬ dibəɬ, ti dᶻixʷ ʔaciɬtalbixʷ, tiʔəʔ dəxʷƛ̕ubatə sgʷaʔčəɬ swatixʷtədčəɬ. ləcutix̌dub ʔə ti dᶻixʷ ʔaciɬta swətixʷtəd, ti qʷuʔ ʔi ti x̌ʷəlč, ti tatačulbixʷ ʔi ti titč ləcustix̌dxʷ ʔə ti dᶻixʷ ʔaciɬtalbixʷ ʔi ti sgʷaʔs šəɬx̌əčəb ʔəsq̓ʷuʔ ʔə ti dᶻixʷ ʔaciɬtalbixʷ dxʷʔal kʷi ɬubəshəliʔtx ʔal ti qʷuʔ ʔi ti x̌ʷəlč, ʔal ti šqulgʷədxʷ. ti Woodland Pa shəliʔ. ʔəsx̌aƛ̕tub ʔə ti Woodland Park Zoo gʷəp̓aʔcutə
02. WELCOME
OW L E D G M E N T
e Treaty of Point Elliott (1855), whose stewardship he Northwest has continued since time immemorial. p, the sovereign rights of the Tribal signatories, and spire and advance the restoration of relationships e living world around us.
d Language
təb ʔə ti tudᶻixʷqsčəɬ ti tliti ʔal bəkəltiu (1855). talbixʷ tul̕ʔal tudiʔ tudᶻixʷ pədtab ti swatixʷtəd ʔi ti čulbixʷ. suxʷtəb ʔə ti Woodland Park Zoo tiʔəʔ cədiɬ bs dxʷʔal ck̓ʷaqid. huy, ʔuyayus ti Woodland Park Zoo xʷs ti swatixʷtəd ʔi ti bək̓ʷ ʔucəɬdalb ʔal ti swatixʷtəd, ark Zoo gʷəl ʔabyid ti tatačulbixʷ ʔi ti titčulbixʷ ʔə kʷi əs kʷi bək̓ʷ gʷat dxʷʔal kʷi skʷaxʷads tiʔəʔ q̓ič syayus.
TO OUR FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS, What does it mean to be Living Northwest? Living Northwest started as a Woodland Park Zoo signature conservation program. Now it has grown to include a feature exhibit and movement of individuals, partners, and policymakers committed to a shared vision—a Northwest that sustains people and wildlife together. As President and CEO of Woodland Park Zoo, I am Living Northwest. As one of our like-minded supporters, you are Living Northwest, too. This movement is about discovering our connections with nature, green spaces and wildlife all around us. It is about restoring habitats, recovering wildlife and recharging our communities for a thriving Northwest. And it is about respecting the need to coexist with animals and each other. It is a movement started here in our own backyards that can be duplicated in communities all over the world. The Living Northwest movement is fueled by our community’s belief in the long-term viability of Woodland Park Zoo, particularly as we emerge from one of the most challenging periods in our 122-year history. Having begun 2021 amidst the continued uncertainties of the pandemic and a projected operating loss of approximately $4 million, the zoo proactively sought all sources of federal and local governmental support, which included a second PPP loan (and forgiveness), IRS employee retention tax credits and a Shuttered Venues Operating Grant. This governmental support combined with solid attendance, an end of year revenue boost with WildLanterns, record membership and record philanthropy led to solid financial results for the zoo. Meanwhile, our vision to create a social movement for conservation has not slowed down. As you will see in this report, we celebrated important milestones with our signature conservation programs for tree kangaroos, pond turtles and silverspot butterflies. We are amplifying the voices of community led conservation, including local PNW tribal partners, community scientists and female leaders in Borneo and Malaysia. Zoo guests were back in droves, and many told us about the zoo being a special place during these times of upheaval. With you by our side, this means that our zoo is well positioned to reaffirm the aspirations of our strategic plan and embrace our singular opportunities to inspire a more sustainable world for animals and people. Thank you for exploring this report and for supporting us this past year. It is through the generosity of donors, like you, that we brought this great work to life. We are all Living Northwest, and I am grateful to you for standing beside us as we work together to save species and inspire everyone to join us in making conservation a priority in their lives.
Alejandro Grajal, President and CEO
04. WELCOME
WE ARE LIVIN NORTH
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Discovery, recovery and coexistence are central to conservation in the Pacific Northwest. What began as a Woodland Park Zoo signature conservation program has grown to include the diverse voices and actions across our community that are shaping a region where wildlife can thrive alongside people.
DISCOVER Woodland Park Zoo invited guests to discover local wildlife, habitats, and community-driven conservation with the first phase of the new Living Northwest Trail and its companion website.
Click here to hear from Roger Fernandes about the meaning and tradition behind the animal symbols and nature appreciation woven into each detail.
Local Wildlife, Local Voices, Local Action The Living Northwest Trail exhibit has been a flagship initiative supported by public and private funding through a multi-year effort. Through generous contributions from supporters, like you, Woodland Park Zoo has reimagined the former Northern Trail as the Living Northwest Trail, an inclusive and representative space where community members can reflect upon their own connections and commitments to a thriving Northwest. In 2021, Woodland Park Zoo created a new Land Acknowledgment in partnership with Headwater People and with participation and input from representatives from the Snoqualmie, Suquamish and Tulalip Tribes. The Land Acknowledgment is permanently placed at both zoo entrances and at the entrance to the Living Northwest Trail. An oral recording in English and Lushootseed, a language spoken across many Tribes in the Puget Sound region, is played each morning over the loud speaker at the entrances to the zoo. While the Land Acknowledgment can be found on zoo grounds, the work of Woodland Park Zoo extends far beyond our 92-acre oasis, and as such the Land Acknowledgment represents the entire Pacific Northwest. Click here to read or listen to the Land Acknowledgment.
During this time, new Coast Salish carvings were also added to the Living Northwest Trail. The art features Bear Invites You Into Her House and two Salmon Gives Life to Everyone cedar panels, underscoring the interconnectedness of all life in the Pacific Northwest. The pieces are the work of renowned artists Al Charles, Jr. (Lower Elwha S’Klallam), Toma Villa (Yakama) and Roger Fernandes (Lower Elwha S’Klallam). Art can spark curiosity and learning, and artwork connects zoo guests to the rich history and culture of Indigenous people, who have been stewards of this region for generations. Additional works will be installed later in 2022 when the full reimagining of the Living Northwest Trail is complete.
08. LIVING NORTHWEST
Building Connections by Building a Website The companion website to Woodland Park Zoo’s Living Northwest conservation, exhibit and advocacy efforts was created to provide a centralized home for the We Are Living Northwest movement. It is a place where people can explore calls to action, find reasons for hope, discover ways people like them are leading change and express their commitments to the cause.
Get out and EXPLORE your wild animal neighbors at home and in the zoo! Check out DID YOU KNOW for fascinating facts and stories!
Learn how you can discover, recover and coexist at www.WeAreLivingNorthwest.org and share your favorite nature moments using #IAmLivingNorthwest
LOOK FOR THESE STICKERS AS YOU EXPLORE THE WEBSITE!
Meet those who are examples of #IAMLIVING NORTHWEST in their daily lives! TRY THIS to find fun activities and experiments you can do at home!
Read positive Northwest stories that give us REASON FOR HOPE!
Our SPOTLIGHT features important information that stands out!
Read about current projects and positive forces to GET INSPIRED! TAKE ACTION highlights activities that you can participate in at home or online!
RECOVER Celebrating milestone anniversaries, the zoo’s recovery programs boosted endangered species populations from wetland waters to coastal skies.
30th Anniversary of Pond Turtles From the brink of extinction to back on the map, 2021 was a momentous year as Woodland Park Zoo celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project.
Click here to learn more about the 30th anniversary of the Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project.
In 1990, the western pond turtle population was nearly extinct with only 150 turtles left in the wild due to predation by bullfrogs, disease and habitat loss. Three decades later, a self-sustaining population has been re-established in two regions of our state with 800 to 1,000 thriving and surviving turtles at six recovery sites. Woodland Park Zoo, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Zoo, and other nonprofits, government agencies, and private partners work together on this multi-institutional recovery project by incubating fertilized turtle eggs from the wild to hatch and grow under animal keeper care. When the turtle hatchlings weigh about 2 ounces, larger than the size of a bullfrog mouth, the team of turtle experts release the juvenile turtles into a protected habitat. These collaborative recovery efforts have resulted in more than 2,300 turtles being given a head-start.
10. LIVING NORTHWEST
Oregon Silverspot Butterfly Program Anniversary Our hearts were aflutter in 2021 as we marked 20 years of Woodland Park Zoo’s participation rearing and releasing endangered Oregon silverspot butterflies. Between 1,000 and 2,000 Oregon silverspot butterflies have been released along the Oregon coastline, where their essential food source—wild blue violets— remain abundant. This population recovery program has such promise that the partnership between Oregon Zoo, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Woodland Park Zoo earned a $1.1 million grant in 2021 to help these pollinators recover from the threat of extinction. To give the Oregon silverspot butterflies a head-start, the program partners work to induce butterflies to lay eggs in a lab. These butterflies are brought in near the end of their life cycle, so they have already bred and laid eggs in the field before arriving at Woodland Park or Oregon Zoo. Pupae, larvae and occasionally adult butterflies are then released along the Pacific Northwest coast. Today, these continued efforts augment three butterfly populations and the partners are working to establish two new populations in Oregon. Click here to learn more about the silverspot butterfly.
COEXIST From empowering wildlife-friendly communities, to leading a nationwide howl for wolves,Woodland Park Zoo championed humane coexistence for people and wildlife.
12. LIVING NORTHWEST
Coexisting With Carnivores Coexisting With Carnivores is both a program and an ethos at Woodland Park Zoo, and recovery of species is essential to our mission. In 2021, Woodland Park Zoo completed a three-year Coexisting With Carnivores project in Issaquah focused on preventing human-wildlife conflict and fostering a sense of pride for local wildlife. Made possible through support from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and private donors, the Coexisting With Carnivores project was a collaboration between Woodland Park Zoo and multiple partners to assist educators in delivering science curriculum for more than 2,600 Issaquah School District sixth graders and hosting professional development workshops for more than 100 teachers. Through outreach and education events, including an annual public gathering where students presented the results of their inquirydriven classroom projects, Woodland Park Zoo raised awareness on humancarnivore coexistence for approximately 2,300 community members. Coexisting With Carnivores engaged more than 20 community science volunteers, who managed three remote camera sites in Issaquah parks and green spaces and developed a variety of outreach materials promoting daily actions residents can take to support human-carnivore coexistence, including a digital scavenger hunt, doorhangers, yard signs and a social media toolkit.
protected by the ESA, leaving hunting without permits as a decision left to individual states. Over the course of 2021, hundreds of wolves were killed, with some states aiming to decrease the wolf population by as much as 90 percent and putting them back on the path to extinction. In response to the ESA delisting, Woodland Park Zoo embarked on a campaign to rally community members and zoos and aquariums around the country to join together for policy change. The zoo released a wolf policy statement calling on elected leaders to focus on science and peaceful coexistence, and participated in a campaign to encourage community members to sign a federal petition to relist wolves under the ESA. In December 2021, Woodland Park Zoo joined with dozens of zoos around the nation asking United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to issue an emergency relisting of federal protections for wolves.
Click here to read the full letter.
The Coexisting With Carnivores project was a collaboration between multiple partners including the City of Issaquah Parks Department, Issaquah School District,Western Wildlife Outreach and several community groups and neighborhood associations.
In addition to community engagement and education, Woodland Park Zoo also led advocacy to ensure the survival of a regional keystone carnivore – the gray wolf. Following the passage of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973, wolves were listed throughout the contiguous US as Endangered as a result of the population being decimated. In January 2021, the Trump administration ruled that wolves should no longer be
WE ARE LIVIN GLOBAL
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Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference around the world. Working with conservationists and researchers, Woodland Park Zoo focuses on a conservation strategy that includes: habitat and species conservation, research, education, local capacity building and community support.
LIVING OUR MISSION AROUND THE WORLD
“There are not many summer camps that ta that do exist are quite expensive.The eco-ca to learn about the flora and fauna in their b protecting the land around them.”
16. GLOBAL IMPACT
Tree Kangaroo Conservation Project 25th Anniversary In 2021, the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) at Woodland Park Zoo celebrated its 25th anniversary. This remarkable program supports local communities in Papua New Guinea who are preserving wild habitats for the endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroo and protects biodiversity throughout one Snow Leopard Trust 40th Anniversary Snow leopards were once considered the kings of the mountains, but these majestic cats are now globally vulnerable to extinction. Woodland Park Zoo became the U.S. center of snow leopard conservation 40 years ago when its then-Curator of Education, Helen Freeman, founded the Snow Leopard Trust. Inspired by the zoo’s pair of snow leopards, Freeman broke new ground by researching the behavior and breeding habits of snow leopards and helping zoo visitors learn about the threats facing snow leopards and their habitats. Today, Snow Leopard Trust works hand-inhand with local conservationists to foster community-led coexistence and create economic opportunities that preserve the snow leopard’s shrinking habitat. Woodland Park Zoo is a proud partner in this work and the lasting legacy Snow Leopard Trust continues to build. Snow Leopard Foundation in Kyrgyzstan (SLFK), supported by Woodland Park Zoo, is working to protect this vulnerable species — and they’re getting help from kids to do it! SLFK led in-person eco-camps in summer 2021, teaching 60 local students through experiential, hands-on learning about snow leopards and how to protect them, and also about nature and conservation for all local species. The kids set up remote cameras to photograph animals in the wild. They learned how to spot and identify species like vultures and ibex, because protecting snow leopards requires learning about the entire ecosystem.
ake kids into the mountains, and those amps that we host give kids an opportunity backyards and teach the importance of –Kubanychbek Zhumabai uulu, SLFK Director
In partnership with Seattle’s Caffe Vita coffee company,TKCP provides localand sustainably grown coffee from Papua New Guinea’s Yopno-Uruwa-Som (YUS) region.These coffee growing operations leave the Matschie’s tree kangaroo’s pristine cloud forest habitats untouched while offering a revenue stream to the local communities who are leading conservation in their area. Exciting plans are being developed by the Papua New Guinea-based leadership to introduce new crops to the program and build community resilience in the face of climate change. And thanks to the efforts of TKCP and the local YUS communities, the government of Papua New Guinea expanded protections for wildlife and habitat throughout the area.
Click here to learn more about our Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program.
of the world’s most unique cloud forest ecosystems. TKCP established Papua New Guinea’s first and only nationallyrecognized Conservation Area and protects 390,000 acres of rain forest. This community-run, forest-focused work is critical to preserving a healthy planet and fighting against the climate crisis. It also protects the rich and diverse cultures and creates economic, health, and education opportunities for the people of 50 villages who live and coexist with wildlife in those areas. Lisa Dabek, PhD, the founder of TKCP and Sr. Conservation Scientist at Woodland Park Zoo, was the first woman ever to receive the George Rabb Award for Conservation Innovation by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The George Rabb Award is the most prestigious conservation recognition awarded by the IUCN for outstanding innovation and creativity in species conservation. This milestone achievement was earned due to Dabek’s outstanding leadership and innovation in saving the Matschie’s tree kangaroo from extinction and her 25-year commitment to species conservation and the people of Papua New Guinea.
COMMUNITY-LED CONSERVATION WOMEN LEADING CHANGE “The responsibility of keeping so many fragile seedlings alive is nerve-racking. I was delighted when a group of village women volunteered for the job, assuring me that they had been planting all their lives and that they possessed the required physical and mental resilience to carry out the work.” –Isabelle Lackman, Co-founder of HUTAN
Rebirth of a Forest
Making an Impact in Malaysia
In the Malaysian state of Sabah in Borneo, the Kinabatangan floodplain is home to endangered species such as Asian elephants, Bornean orangutans and wrinkled hornbills. After years of deforestation, the landscape is highly degraded, but hope remains. An allwomen team of reforesters is fighting back and rebuilding forests from the ground up. For the past 23 years, Woodland Park Zoo’s conservation partner HUTAN has been working to restore critical habitat corridors for all these endangered species and to help meet the needs of people who live in the region. Since 2008, HUTAN’s all-local, all-women team of reforesters has been transforming old logging sites and even palm oil plantations. With each sapling planted, a future forest is one step closer.
Wai Yee Lam is working to save tigers from poachers in the jungles of Malaysia. Lam is the Chief Operations Officer for Rimba’s Harimau Selamanya project, which Woodland Park Zoo proudly supports as a conservation partner. Along with her mostly-male team, Lam treks miles into the jungle to stop poachers and save endangered species like tigers and clouded leopards, a job that requires exceptional physical and mental strength. The Rimba team also works with government agencies like the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Royal Malaysian Police, and Terengganu State Parks to reduce poaching and protect forest habitats. Lam hopes to inspire more women to join this conservation work. “I first started working with the Wildlife Conservation Society and saw a lot of other young women doing long distance trekking, which inspired me,” said Lam. “Conservation isn’t just for biologists or people trained in conservation science. Each individual that has the passion for conservation is unique, you always have something in you that you can offer.Trust in yourself.You have something special to bring to the world of conservation.”
The team has now planted more than 150,000 trees across eight reforestation sites. Some of the team’s plots have been growing for nearly 10 years, now able to provide fruit, shade and safe passage to local wildlife such as Borneo’s pygmy elephants to weave through growing trees.
Click here to learn more about HUTAN.
18. GLOBAL IMPACT
Click here to learn more about Rimba.
SIGNS OF SUCCESS AROUND THE WORLD Return of the Rhinos Rhino populations are rapidly disappearing from the wild due to global demand for their horns. With support from Woodland Park Zoo, International Rhino Foundation (IRF) completed its final planned translocation of rhinos, relocating two adult rhinos to Manas National Park to help rebuild the protected population. The three-day, multi-agency effort marked the conclusion of the 15-year-long coalition to restore rhinos to Assam under Indian Rhino Vision 2020. The rhino population in India’s Manas National Park was once poached to local extinction. Now through years of translocation, new calves being born, and increased community-led security, the rhino population has gone from zero to 48 and growing. “Moving a rhino is no easy feat, but we’ve translocated 22 rhinos into Manas, and they’ve been busy producing lots of calves,” said Bibhab Talukdar, PhD, and IRF Senior Advisor for Asia. “I’m so thrilled to have been able to help bring rhinos back to this important habitat. We’re now working on plans for establishing more new habitats so that the greater one-horned rhino population can grow even larger.”
ACE for Wildlife Empathy Collaborative
Budding Wildlife Advocates Attend Detective Camp
The Advancing Conservation through Empathy for Wildlife (ACE for Wildlife) Network continued to grow in 2021, adding two zoos and expanding to 20 zoos and aquariums around the country. This network based at Woodland Park Zoo shares learnings and best practices from programming, guest and community engagement and up-close experiences with animals to inspire empathy that leads to conservation action.
Middle school students became antiwildlife trafficking advocates with the return of socially-distanced and COVID19-safe Summer Day Camps in 2021. The special new curriculum was made possible with funding from a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As part of their camp experience, the kids searched marketplaces on social media to see if they could find sellers hawking trafficked items. Within minutes they found results for items, like keychains and trinkets, made from body parts of endangered animals. Once they found the items, the camp worked with kids to help them feel empowered to find a solution.
Supported by a private funder, Woodland Park Zoo assumed a new level of leadership in 2021 by serving as a grant intermediary and disbursing more than $1.1 million to zoos and aquariums in the ACE for Wildlife Network through a competitive grant process.These grants fund a diverse crosssection of empathy-building projects that engage community members and partners in the Seattle area and around a select group of states in the U.S.
About 100 campers ages 9-13 years old took part in a letter writing campaign to members of the U.S. House of Representatives calling for passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act. The students showed both knowledge and emotional investment as they called on federal elected officials to protect lions, tigers, jaguars, and all big cats from being trafficked or held in dangerous and deadly conditions. The Big Cat Public Safety Act would create federal guidelines for the ownership and display of big cats and bolster efforts to prevent trafficking these highly dangerous and extremely endangered animals.
Click here to learn more about the International Rhino Foundation.
WE ARE LIVIN INCLUSI
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From early learners to seniors, on and off grounds, our developmental approach to lifelong learning is to foster empathy for nature, build conservation knowledge and skills, and increase people’s personal ownership for action that benefits wildlife and habitats.
WE ARE FOR EVERYONE
Explore, Discover and Partner To make the zoo truly accessible to everyone, the zoo expanded its free and discounted access and its partnerships with community service-based organizations. Even with pandemic-required capacity restrictions for part of the year, the zoo partnered with local human service organizations to distribute 80,000 free tickets through the annual Community Access Program. The Explorer Pass and Discover tickets, which are a $35 family membership or $5 daily admission, respectively, were expanded to be inclusive of kinship and foster families in addition to the previously-included WIC/EBT recipients. Woodland Park Zoo also continued building relationships through virtual programming, grant-based partnerships and in-person experiences with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Make-A-Wish, Seattle Children’s Hospital and many others.
Guest Inclusion Program Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for how to develop lessons and assessments with the goal of using a variety of teaching methods to give all people, regardless of ability, equal opportunities to engage. Woodland Park Zoo garnered a 2020 – 2022 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to create a new Guest Inclusion Program and begin adopting UDL perspectives in our exhibit design and guest experiences. The zoo partnered with disability organizations in our community to receive expert guidance on components including creating a welcoming environment that promotes accessibility and inclusion, and offers meaningful learning experiences for guests with disabilities to engage with conservation. Woodland Park Zoo is committed to continuing this powerful inclusion work with the belief it will have no end-date, but instead become an ongoing evolution of the role of the zoo in our community.
22. INCLUSIVITY
Wild at Heart Arts, science and heritage are the heart of Seattle. This community is home to a vibrant and rich collection of cultural partners—from artists to actors to animal lovers, museums to musicians, and singers to scientists. Together we are all Wild at Heart, and we celebrated our unique and collective contributions that bring life to this city through a year-long multimedia project.
Click here to learn more about Wild at Heart.
Woodland Park Zoo hosted its third annual All for Animals Giving Day, a 24-hour online giving event to raise funds for animal care, conservation and education programs. In addition, the zoo launched the first All for Animals Walk to further engage our community to help fundraise on behalf of the zoo and join together for an early morning walk on zoo grounds. Through both events, $116,000 was raised from 472 donors and 80 walk participants! Donor support like this allows us to sustain our The zoo conservation mission. partnered with zoo.org/givingday. legendary public radio station KEXP to create a extraordinary musical experi on the zoo’s picturesque mea 2021. Because of COVID, the zoo reimagined seating and distancing to event for concert-goers. KEXP curat for the 2021 season, which feature artists. This community-focused series provided work for seve Seattle’s musical icons wh had not performed since early 2020.
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The 2021 Jungle Party felt an outpouring of generosity – raising the most-ever financial support for our Fund-Our-Future campaign at $1.16 million from 236 donors. The new, hybrid party featured an online auction and programming for a live audience of nearly 400 guests and livestreamed to hundreds more. Jungle Party participants contributed more than $1.8 million to help us continue to raise the bar on world-class animal care, wildlife conservation and zoo experiences for all.
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Wo o d l a n d Park Zoo brought prehistoric creatures to lif for visitors in a temporary exh featuring full-sized and scient accurate, animatronic dinosaurs. Gu a walk back in time to learn about the ancient relatives through behavior up-close interactions. Nearly 225 visited Dinosaur Discovery wandered through a comp immersive exhibit featur over 20 life-sized dinosaurs.
W W H IL ISK D E BI Y T & ES
Featuring 16 of Seattle’s premiere chefs, Whiskey & WildBites provided guests with delicious, gourmet bites paired with a variety of exciting whiskey expressions from local distilleries. Each Thursday during the month of August, four different chefs and distilleries were featured at this after-hours zoo event. After guests enjoyed their bites, they were able to explore the zoo grounds to complete their full zoo experience.
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During the 2021 holiday season, the zoo welcomed more than 150,000 guests to an all-new, larger-than-life holiday spectacular! This magical, immersive experience dazzled and wowed guests of all ages with more than 65 different installations featuring more than 300 lanterns. The event also included ambassador animal encounters, special live traditional Chinese artistic performances at the zoo’s Picnic Shelter area, and a nod to WildLights of the past with an all new WildLights Trail featuring tens of thousands of LED lights artfully designed throughout the zoo’s discovery loop.
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WE ARE LIVIN SUSTAIN
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As the region’s premier zoo and aligned with Seattle’s Climate Action Plan goals, we aspire to become our community’s living showcase of sustainability. Our Sustainability Zoo Plan provides a roadmap for preserving and enhancing natural resources that sustain wildlife and the human economy.
GOING GREEN AND BEYOND Sustainable Food Sources Three Decades of Gardening for Good! Volunteer Cinda Langjahr has been bringing browse to Woodland Park Zoo since 1991! In coordination with the zoo’s horticulture and animal keeper teams, she contributes from her personal garden and coordinates organic browse collections amongst her neighbors. “I was doing some pruning in my garden –and it grew from there. I originally planted my garden with the gorillas in mind and included ferns, willow, elaeagnus and bamboo in the landscaping. I then learned what sloth bears and small-clawed otters can use. Bears like things that smell interesting (lavender, rosemary, agastache) – and I bring in grasses and sedges for the otters to use for nesting material,” said Langjahr. “It's always meant a lot to me to know I'm contributing something for the animals, and supporting the keepers as well.”
Woodland Park Zoo is committed to sustainably feeding the animals in our care and providing healthy, organic and diverse diets. One way to supplement and diversify the diets is by partnering with local farms, like Oxbow Farms in Carnation, Wash. Not-so-pretty produce might look imperfect or be less desirable to humans, but the herbivores at the zoo are more than happy to munch on the nutrient-rich treat. Through organic farming, hands-on education camps for kids, and a shared commitment to sustainability, Oxbow donates vegetables such as fava beans, kohlrabi and broccoli to the already exceptional animal diets at Woodland Park Zoo.
Sustainable food partnerships extend beyond produce and have taken root all over the city. Tree branches and leaves, also known as browse, are a favorite food source for many leaf-eaters at Woodland Park Zoo. By collecting organic browse from the zoo’s own grounds, and by partnering with public and private organizations to gather donated, organic browse from around the city, the zoo adds to the variety and abundance of healthy options for animals. Current browse partners include Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Center and the Washington Park Arboretum. The zoo looks forward to expanding the number of partners in 2022.
Komodo Dragon Exhibit Upgrade The Komodo dragon habitat in the Adaptations Building underwent significant upgrades in 2021 to meet the rising standards of care for the largest lizard on the planet. At Woodland Park Zoo, the dragons are now enjoying ultraviolet heat lamps concealed by artificial logs and climbing structures, as well as hot spots under logs and on a basking rock. In a move toward better energy efficiency, the zoo can now control all the lighting, temperature, humidity and ventilation conditions throughout the dragon spaces, allowing for more effective management that suits the needs of the animals. This renovated exhibit not only reflects the most cutting-edge technology in Komodo dragon husbandry, but also enhances the zoo’s sustainability efforts by reducing energy needs. The new exhibit, along with a new roof and sustainable modifications to the Adaptations Building, is expected to reduce carbon emissions compared to its pre-renovation incarnation by 20 to 40 tons each year. This project was made possible through a private-public partnership that included Seattle Park District funding and private philanthropy. Click here to read more about the Komodo exhibit.
28. SUSTAINABILITY
The Climate Crisis and the role of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Woodland Park Zoo was a leader for zoos and aquariums on the climate crisis position paper for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Developed by lead author Peter Zahler, Woodland Park Zoo’s Vice President of Wildlife Conservation Initiatives, this paper spells out what is at stake for every animal and human on the planet. Click here to read the full position statement.
In 2021, the zoo also joined as a founding member of the #FramingOurFuture campaign to support nature-based solutions to climate change. Naturebased solutions involve protecting forests and restoring coastal ecosystems and doubling investments in global biodiversity conservation. The zoo joined AZA, Wildlife Conservation Society and nine other zoos and aquariums to lead the call for action at the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. Click here to read more about #FramingOurFuture
“AZA recognizes the collective power of all of [conservation action] efforts and their ability to decrease contributions to climate change. By exemplifying how to make choices to mitigate climate change, and adapting to the changes that are already underway, we can reduce the risks and overall impact of climate change on wildlife, communities, and our planet, and empower others to take similar action.These actions by AZA accredited organizations and their collective audience will help protect wildlife and the global ecosystems upon which all life on Earth depends.”
–AZA Climate Change Position Paper 2021
WE ARE ALL ANIMAL
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We are the people who would do anything for animals and caring for animals is what we do best. Woodland Park Zoo manages the largest number of live animals in Washington state. Every day, animal keepers, veterinary staff, behavioral experts, and welfare specialists carry out science-based wellness plans that cater to the unique nutritional, health, environmental and social needs of 250 species across every stage of life.
BUILDING BETTER
New Endowments You, our community, are the wellspring of our strength and ability to provide the best care for animals.Your generosity helps us continuously improve upon what we already do well. In 2021, Woodland Park Zoo became the steward of two significant endowment gifts that will help us care for animals here at the zoo and in wild habitats, creating the Pamela Foster Endowment for Animal Care and the Cathy Herzig Endowment for Living Northwest Conservation. We celebrate these investments in our future.
Construction as an Act of Care Woodland Park Zoo undertook numerous construction projects in 2021 to align with evolving animal husbandry standards with support from public and private sources. In addition to the Komodo dragon habitat, the zoo made modifications and upgrades to several other animal facilities. Rhinos Taj and Glenn now enjoy new substrate (flooring) in their rhino barn to cushion their feet and mimic the terrain they would naturally tread upon in the wild, and received pool improvements so they can relax in rhino-style, keeping their skin supple and moisturized year-round. Construction projects, many of which were made possible through donor contributions in support of animal welfare, also included installation of: a new substrate in the giraffe corral to improve drainage and indoor enrichment hangers; artificial UV lighting in the saki monkey exhibit; sensors in the penguin habitat to monitor temperatures in real time; a new substrate in the new snow leopard den to improve drainage; construction of an orangutan transfer enclosure to allow for safe movement and transfer of orangutans to and from their living units; and modifications to the training areas for rhinos, tigers, and jaguars for improved access for medical procedures and training. The Exhibits team was hard at work all year on these and many other projects to ensure the best well-being and environment for all the animals at Woodland Park Zoo.
32. ACCOLADES
IN THE END, IT’S ALL ABOUT ANIMALS A Lifetime of Care Saying farewell is the hardest part of the job, and in December 2021, Woodland Park Zoo and our community mourned the loss of beloved orangutan Melati. Through extraordinary care and a lifetime of dedication from her animal keepers and veterinary team, Melati lived to the age of 49 and was weeks shy of her 50th birthday, far exceeding the average life expectancy of 28 in the wild. With her passing, the community shared an outpouring of love and support, and this care and kindness defined Melati’s time at the zoo since 1974. She was well-loved with a life well-lived and a lasting legacy, and she will be deeply missed.
Click here to read more about Melati.
New Bonds in Bloom The newest red-haired beauty on the Trail of Vines is Batu, a confident, inquisitive and playful female orangutan who moved to Woodland Park Zoo to join our orangutan family. Batu and male orangutan Godek received a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. While Batu was cautious about her new friend at first, the pair has since grown to be inseparable.
Click here to learn about this blooming bond.
34. ACCOLADES
Growing Families
Babies are Born
Baby Zuna is the newest gorilla to be born at Woodland Park Zoo, joining half-brother Kitoko and half-sister Yola, who were eager to welcome the new arrival! After a challenging early start to latching and feeding, Zuna’s success story is a first – with mother Nadiri holding the baby in her arms and allowing animal care staff to bottle-feed the infant to ensure she gets the nutrients she needs to be a thriving, healthy gorilla.
For the first time in 16 years, Woodland Park Zoo celebrated the birth of red ruffed lemur babies. And they are triplets! This cute, vocal, and very social species lives in the zoo’s outdoor Tropical Rain Forest loop and they are adorable ambassadors for their cousins in the wild. To let the community get in on the fun, the zoo encouraged folks to help name the new babies! Click here to learn more about the triplets.
Click here to learn more about this bundle of joy.
A First for Female Felines Woodland Park Zoo was excited to welcome its first-ever female Malayan tiger, Azul. The zoo’s new queen of the jungle has a calm and mellow demeanor and has taken well to her new home and animal care team. In 2022, she is expected to be introduced to the zoo’s male tiger, Bumi, under a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Empathy for All Woodland Park Zoo has a corner on cute animals, but we believe all animals have value and are worth protecting! The charismatic creatures tend to get most of the attention, so this year the zoo made an extra effort to help showcase the critical role of lesser-known animals. In advance of Halloween 2021, Woodland Park Zoo teamed up with KING 5 Evening to help foster empathy and demystify bats, bugs and bloodsuckers (aka bats, spiders and leeches!).
CONSOLIDATED REVENUES*
2020**
$40.5 Million
36. FINANCIALS
Membership $2.6 (6%)
2021
Membership $4.0 (6%)
Visitor Revenues $6.5 (16%)
Visitor Revenues $19.0 (28%)
City and County Support $12.5 (31%)
City and County Support $12.7 (19%)
Seattle Park District Funding $1.1 (3%)
Seattle Park District Funding $2.3 (3%)
Paycheck Protection Program Federal Grant $5.4 (13%)
$66.7 Million
Direct Federal Covid-19 Aid $14.5 (22%)
Donations and Grants, including In-kind $9.5 (24%)
Donations and Grants, including In-kind $10.5 (16%)
Endowment Investment Unrealized Gain $2.9 (7%)
Endowment Investment Unrealized Gain $3.8 (6%)
*Unaudited. All numbers in millions. **2020 numbers reflect 3 months of closure and both 2020 and 2021 reflect some degree of limited visitor capacity due to COVID-19.
20 MORE YEARS OF ZOO-ING FOR ALL For two decades, Woodland Park Zoo and the City of Seattle have maintained a strong public-private partnership, the terms of which were originally outlined in the first Management Agreement between the two organizations in 2002. In 2021, after months of work and planning, the zoo reached new terms for a renewed 20-year Management Agreement with the City, cementing our close partnership for two more decades. The new agreement received unanimous City Council approval in December 2021 and will build on the momentum and success of the past 20 years. The new Management Agreement takes effect in March 2022 and helps ensure the long-term viability of the zoo as a community institution. The agreement expands public benefits, with the zoo’s renewed commitment to increasing access, inclusion, affordability and extraordinary experiences for diverse audiences. It also ensures a continuation of City financial support at similar levels,
with annual escalation paired with local CPI (Consumer Price Index). Additionally, the new agreement underscores and affirms the zoo’s commitment to the City and our community that wildlife conservation will be key to Woodland Park Zoo’s work locally and internationally. This renewed agreement is possible because of the success of the first agreement, which was put into place in 2002 when the zoo’s oversight shifted from City management to a public private partnership between the City and Woodland Park Zoological Society as a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Between 2002 and 2022, the zoo’s annual operating budget has grown from $22 million to $50 million, respectively. This growth represents not only more resources for the zoo to amplify our mission throughout our community and our world, but is also evidence of our community’s increasing investment in us as an unwavering pillar of the Pacific Northwest’s cultural ecosystem.
CONSOLIDATED EXPENSES*
2020
**
Animal Care $8.7 (24%) Horticulture, Maintenance, Exhibits, Facilities and Security $7.8 (21%)
2021
Guest Services, Admissions and Business Development $4.0 (11%)
$36.8 Million
Administrative and Support Departments $4.0 (11%) Development and Membership $3.4 (9%)
Animal Care $9.5 (21%) Horticulture, Maintenance, Exhibits, Facilities and Security $9.1 (20%) Guest Services, Admissions and Business Development $5.2 (12%)
$44.5 Million
Administrative and Support Departments $4.8 (11%) Development and Membership $3.8 (9%)
Marketing, Community Events and Government Affairs $3.4 (9%)
Marketing, Community Events and Government Affairs $4.3 (10%)
Education and Conservation $4.1 (11%)
Education and Conservation $4.9 (11%)
City Major Maintenance Funding $1.4 (4%)
City Major Maintenance Funding $2.9 (6%)
WOODLAND PARK ZOO SAVES WILDLIFE AND INSPIRES EVERYONE TO MAKE CONSERVATION A PRIORITY IN THEIR LIVES.
View our report and the year’s generous supporters at zoo.org/impact 37 BOARD MEMBERS and 274 PROFESSIONAL STAFF modeling excellence for zoos
Woodland Park Zoo is an accredited member of the
WOODLAND PARK ZOO 5500 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, Washington 98103-5858