Zoo Babies: A Gorilla, a Pudu, Otters ... Even a Scorpion
By Chris Stay
While a visit to the zoo is always fun, it can be extra rewarding to go when there are baby animals to see. We recently contacted local zoos and aquariums to see if there were any new arrivals this spring.
This year’s baby star at Woodland Park Zoo is a 6-month old female western lowland gorilla. The zoo held a naming contest earlier this year and announced that the winning name was Uzumma, which means “bearer of joy to the family” in the African language Igbo. “Because gorillas have a long infancy period, she’s still very close to her mother, Amanda, and can most often be found by her mother’s side in the exhibit,” says zoo spokeswoman Rebecca Whitham.
Another baby was born May 24 at Woodland Park Zoo, and is on view next to the new Chilean flamingo exhibit. This 1.5-pound male pudu is the fourth offspring born to a 10-year-old mother and 8-year-old father. Pudus are the world’s smallest species of deer and are native to Argentina and Chile.
Woodland Park Zoo’s hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Admission: $15 adults, $13 seniors and disabled, $10 ages 3 to 12, free ages 2 and younger. $4 discount after 4 p.m. Fridays. $4.50 parking. Location: 5500 Phinney Ave. N., Seattle. 206-548-2500. www.zoo.org.
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has three babies to show off. They are Asian small-clawed otters, the world’s smallest otter species. Mac, Hank and Charlie were born to Chunk and Denali on Super Bowl Sunday this year. The babies made their public debut in April and have been showing off for the public ever since.
Another set of babies doesn’t have quite the same cuteness factor: scorpions. The venomous insects are currently on view in Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s newest exhibit, Animal Avenue.
Point Defiance’s hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Admission: $11 adults, $10 seniors, $9 ages 5 to 12, $5 ages 3 to 4. Pierce County residents receive a $1 discount. Location: 5400 N. Pearl St., Tacoma. 253-591-5337. www.pdza.org.
The free-roaming area of Northwest Trek Wildlife Park boasts a bevy of babies this year, with six bison calves and six bighorn sheep lambs. They may be hard to find in the exhibit, since the moms tend to be protective, but the bison should be easiest to locate. Says park spokesperson Cherilyn Williams: “Early in the summer the bison are very orange which makes them easier to spot. As the summer progresses, they will get darker until the fall when they are close to the same color as the parents.”
Northwest Trek’s hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends (9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily June 28 through Sept. 1). Admission: $15 adults, $13.50 seniors, $10 ages 5 to 12, $7 ages 3 to 4, free ages 2 and younger. Location: 11610 Trek Drive E., Eatonville. 360-832-6117. www.nwtrek.org.
The newest babies born at Wolf Haven International are not on view to the public. The four endangered Mexican gray wolf pups were born in May as part of Wolf Haven’s participation in the Federal Species Survival Plan. “As these wolves are bound for release into the wild, they are not available for public viewing,” spokesperson Trudy Soucoup explains. “However, we do record their activities via remote cameras for later viewing at our summer events.” YouTube footage of the pups can also be viewed on Wolf Haven’s Web site.
Wolf Haven’s hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, noon to 3 p.m. Sundays. Tours start every hour, on the hour. Admission: $8 adults, $6 ages 3 to 12, $7 seniors, military and students (ID required). Location: 3111 Offut Lake Rd. S.E., Tenino. 800-448-9653. www.wolfhaven.org.
Chris Stay is the calendar editor for Seattle's Child.
