Woodland Park Zoo and Zoological Gardens

Written by Scott Messmore

The Woodland Park Zoo and Zoological Gardens is one of the oldest and most highly regarded zoos in the country and led the way releasing animals from iron-barred cages to live in recreated habitats. The largest zoo on the West Coast of the United States, the Woodland Park Zoo is 92-acre zoo with 1,100 animals, birds and fish that represent more than 280 species. Since the zoo places animas in recreations of their natural habitats, Woodland Park is covered with 7,000 trees and 50,000 shrubs and herbs. More than a million people visit the zoo each year. Woodland Park Zoo is at the forefront of breeding animals in captivity, endangered or not. Zoo staff and Seattle residents were thrilled with the birth of a 235-pound baby Asian elephant in 2000. Woodland Park Zoo is also the site of a new Komodo Dragon exhibit showing off the fierce Pacific Ocean animals. Meat-eating Komodo Dragons can reach more than 9-feet long and tear into their prey with razor-sharp

Woodland Park Zoo Instructor with Owl at Woodland Park Zoo

Ralph Radford

claws.

Woodland Park Zoo Exhibits

The Woodland Park Zoo has several award-winning exhibits for the public. The Elephant Forest opened in 1989 with bamboo fields where live African and Asian elephants roam at their leisure. Modeled after the environment in Thailand, elephants can lay in the sun, bath in ponds or eat as they please. The Tropical Rain Forest is home to 70 animals and nearly 700 plant species that represent Africa, Asia and Latin America. Madagascar lemurs, lowland gorillas, poison dart frogs and ocelots wait in the Tropical Rain Forest. For lovers of television wildlife documentaries of Africa, the place for you is the African Savanna, a four-acre area with hippos, zebras, monkeys, giraffes and the king of the jungle, the mighty lion. The Northern Trail is six acres of tundra and Mother Baby Asian Elephants at Woodland Park Zoo

Mother Baby Asian Elephants at Woodland Park Zoo

taiga showing the brutal winter conditions called home by elks, otters, grizzly bears, balk eagles and wolves. Visitors can get a close up look at some of the most dangerous animals in the wild on the Northern Trail. The Trail of Vines is an environment showing the land of India complete with tapirs from Malaysia, Indian Pythons, orangutans and lion-tailed macaques. The Dragons of Komodo is a brand new exhibit featuring the meat-eating lizards that can weigh more than 300 pounds and grow to 7 to 9 feet long. Other interesting features of the Woodland Park Zoo include Bug World, the award-winning Rose Garden, Butterflies and Blooms and the Family Farm petting zoo.

Hours of Operation and Location

The Woodland Park Zoo is open every day of the year at 9:30 a.m. The zoo closes at 5 p.m. from March 15 to April 30. From May 1 to September 14, the zoo closes at 6 p.m. Until October 14, the zoo closes at 5 p.m. and at 4 p.m. from October 15 to March 14. Admission is: adults, $9; seniors and students with identification, $8.25; children six to 17 and handicapped visitors, $6.50; Children ages three to five, $4.25 and kids under two years are admitted for free. Parking for cars is $3.50, bus parking is $10.