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Zoo Animals Visit Tacoma Students
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Fourth and fifth graders at Tacoma’s Arlington Elementary were giddy with excitement as they gathered in their gym. Which animals were they about to encounter? Maybe an armadillo? A skink? … Continued
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Thank You, Keepers!
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National Zookeeper Week takes place July 18-24 this year. The week is devoted to sharing the passion and dedication of keepers. Our zookeepers are a dedicated group of people who … Continued
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2022 Year in Photos
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Another year is in the books! Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium provided a new home for many animals this year, including Damaraland mole rats and walruses Balzak and Lakina. The … Continued
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Patrolling with the Zoo Ranger
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Early on this crisp fall morning, Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park is quiet and still. A jogger glides by in the distance; a deer grazes peacefully. The parking lot is empty at Point Defiance … Continued
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Meet Keeper Heather
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This Zookeeper Week, we shadowed Heather, a zookeeper at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Heather works with the animals in the Asian Forest Sanctuary. We asked her about her experiences … Continued
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Happy Zookeeper Week
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National Zookeeper Week takes place July 17-23 this year. The week is devoted to sharing the passion and dedication of keepers. Our zookeepers and aquarists are a dedicated group of … Continued
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Meet Aquarist Mark
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This Zookeeper Week, we shadowed Mark, an aquarist at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Mark works with the animals in the Pacific Seas Aquarium. We asked him about his experiences … Continued
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Meet Keeper Jarek
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This Zookeeper Week, we shadowed Jarek, a zookeeper at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Jarek works with the animals at Kids’ Zone. He is also the coordinator of the Association … Continued
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Meet Keeper Margaret
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This Zookeeper Week, we shadowed Margaret, a zookeeper at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Margaret helps care for Suki the elephant, our two muskoxen Hudson and Charlotte, and three of … Continued
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Meet Keeper Suzanne 
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This Zookeeper Week, we shadowed Suzanne, a zookeeper at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Suzanne works with the animals at the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater. We asked her about her … Continued
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Meet Keeper Kelsie
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This Zookeeper Week, we shadowed Kelsie, a zookeeper at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Kelsie works with the animals in the Rocky Shores / Arctic Tundra habitats. We asked her … Continued
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Metro Parks Tacoma Wins Two WRPA Spotlight Awards
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Metro Parks Tacoma’s Dickman Mill Park and groundbreaking nature science education curriculum Wildlife Champions have won 2022 Spotlight Awards from the Washington Recreation & Park Association (WRPA). The awards, open … Continued
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2021 Year in Photos
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What a year this has been! Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium provided a home and second chance to a rescued sea lion named Björn, celebrated the births of a Southern … Continued
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Clouded Leopard Conservation
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Clouded leopards are endangered. Their tropical forests are being cut down for logging, human habitat and to grow palm oil, a common food product. Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium plays … Continued
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Double Exposed
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Zookeepers and the animals they love What’s the animal you feel most deeply inside? The one you connect with, love, relate to, share traits with? For National Zookeeper Week 2021, … Continued
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Zookeeper Life: Piper
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What do you do if your 760-pound male muskox refuses to do what you ask him? Well, if you’re a zookeeper, you have other strategies in your pocket. For keeper … Continued
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Zookeeper Life: Sam
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Two things make zookeeper life in the Asian Forest Sanctuary quite different from anywhere else at Point Defiance Zoo: lots of meat, and lots of doors. And in a typical … Continued
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Zookeeper Life: Monica
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Chef. Dietitian. Physical therapist. Hydrotherapist. Public speaker, cleaner, cricket-handler. When keeper Monica signed up to become a zookeeper, she knew it wouldn’t ever get boring – but caring for animals … Continued
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Zookeeper Life: Jamie
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Summer sunlight dapples through Douglas firs. The air hums with insects, pierced by sharp raven calls. All else is quiet – and keeper Jamie climbs into the truck. Time to … Continued
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Zookeeper Life: Jessie
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There are a lot of moving parts to being a zookeeper in the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium – but training ambassador animals is a … Continued
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Zookeeper Life: Stephanie
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Keeper Stephanie’s day involves quite a lot of fish – and shrimp, and clam, and squid. When you care for ten marine mammals and four flocks of seabirds in nine … Continued
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Elephant Facial Recognition
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At the elephant habitat at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Shannon and Russell are doing something usually reserved for zoo visitors, not keepers. Side by side, phones held aloft, they’re … Continued
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Sea Otter Surgery
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Dr. Karen Wolf, left, and Dr. Caitlin Hadfield prepare Sekiu for surgery. NOTE: Graphic visual content further down the post. On a cold winter’s morning at Point Defiance Zoo & … Continued
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Thanksgiving Feast for the Animals
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Just as humans get excited for a full plate of food- so do animals. Some of the Zoo’s animals were recently given their own Thanksgiving feast, thanks to the creativity … Continued
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9 WILDLY FUN HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS
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The pandemic has reminded us about the importance of connecting with family, friends and loved ones. For the holidays this year, consider gifting those close to you something to experience … Continued
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National Zookeeper Week
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National Zookeeper Week takes place July 19-25 this year. The week is devoted to sharing the passion and dedication of keepers. Even though Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium was temporarily … Continued
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Teen Zookeepers – for One Day
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For parents of teens who won’t clean their room, it might seem amazing that six 13- and 14-year-olds would willingly spend a freezing winter morning chopping vegetables. But for the … Continued
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