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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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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 
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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
Blog Post
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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Groovy Goats Day-Spa
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Bentley stared into the distance, eyes half-closed in rapture. He leaned into the gentle strokes massaging his skin, and soaked up the sunlight. Then came the utter bliss of a … Continued
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National Zookeeper Week
Blog Post
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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