2019 Press Releases
2019 Releases
Explore the ocean in virtual reality at the Zoo
Dec. 23, 2019: Stay dry while exploring our oceans underwater with Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s new virtual reality experience in the Pacific Seas Aquarium. Guests can choose to swim with humpbacks, come face to fin with sharks or even go in a mini-submarine.
New deputy director Sarah Oliver brings passion for people
Dec. 3, 2019: The Olympia, Washington native with a career in nonprofit leadership is bringing her people-focused expertise to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium as its new deputy director.
Two orphaned walruses reunite at the Zoo
Nov. 15, 2019: They were rescued as orphans in the same week. And now, after seven years, they’ll be together again. Young male walruses Mitik and Pakak have arrived at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
Read release | Download pdf | Walrus page
Farewell, walruses Basa and Kulu
Oct. 1, 2019: Our lady walruses Kulusiq and Basilla are leaving for SeaWorld San Diego, and we’re giving them two weekends of farewell: Oct. 5-6 and 12-13.
Two elephants test positive for tuberculosis
Nov. 13, 2019: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s two elderly elephants, Hanako and Suki, have tested positive for tuberculosis, zoo officials announced today.
Safety stepped up as staff test positive for latent tuberculosis
Sept. 25, 2019: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium leaders are taking extra steps to ensure the health and safety of their staff, visitors and animals after some staff members who work with and around elephants tested positive for latent tuberculosis infection. There is no risk to the public, and no known active cases.
Toss the Tusk and help protect wildlife
Sept. 25, 2019: Have any ivory carvings tucked away? A shark fin souvenir? Thanks to the Washington Animal Trafficking Act, those wildlife products are now illegal to sell in Washington state. Hand them over at Toss the Tusk from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Oct. 26 at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.
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Whoo-hoo – it’s time for Zoo Boo!
Sept. 23, 2019: Break out the costumes and candy! Parents, kids, animals and zoo staff all love Zoo Boo (Oct. 12-13), the annual fall-themed celebration at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
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Free admission for veterans on Veterans’ Appreciation Days
Sept. 17: U.S. military veterans are invited to enjoy the splendor of Northwest Trek Wildlife Park and the wonder of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium at no charge on Nov. 9, 10 and 11. Veterans’ immediate family members will receive half-off general admission at each zoo.
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It’s a Baby Animal Zoolights this year!
Sept. 17, 2019: It’s been a big year for baby animals at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium – and now they’re coming to Zoolights! An LED tapir mom and calf, tamandua pup, beaver kit and eight red wolf pups will join the annual holiday lights display, brightening the Zoo and delighting guests with over 700,000 lights.
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Chill out at End of Summer Blast this weekend
Aug. 29, 2019: Polar bears, tigers, elephants and more will chill out with icy treats and other enrichments during the End of Summer Blast at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium over Labor Day Weekend – along with a baby Malayan tapir, making his debut.
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Kazu the tapir calf makes his debut Aug. 30-Sept. 2
Aug. 29, 2019: Trotting over green grass. Swimming. A brand-new, exciting world for Kazu the tapir calf is in store this weekend at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, as the seven-week-old makes his public debut Aug. 30-Sept. 2, the perfect family treat for Labor Day Weekend.
Name the tapir calf at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Aug. 21, 2019: He’s thriving, growing and exploring the pool: The endangered Malayan tapir calf born July 12 at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is nearly ready to meet his adoring fans. But first, he needs a name.
Baby tamandua is born at the Zoo
Aug. 20, 2019: A boy? A girl? We won’t know for a while, but the Southern tamandua pup born Sunday night at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium – the first in the zoo’s history – is a very welcome addition to the family.
Butternut the baby beaver makes her debut
Aug. 6, 2019: Butternut, the beaver kit born in May at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, will make her public debut in Close Encounters near the zoo’s Discovery Hut at 2 p.m. Aug. 10 & 11– but she’ll have mom Nutmeg and dad Walnut there to keep her company as she meets her adoring fans.
Time for spirited fun at Zoo BOOze& Bites
July 30, 2019: Zoo BOOze & Bites returns Friday Oct. 18 from 6-9 p.m. for a pre-Halloween party like no other. Tastings and bites from local breweries and chefs, a DJ, silent auction, fabulous raffle prize and costumes, all in the amazing setting of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium right by the new red wolf pups.
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Healthy, nursing and curious: Tapir calf’s first exam
July 16: He’s healthy, weighs around 25 pounds and follows Mom everywhere. The Malayan tapir calf born July 12 at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has just received his first wellness exam, and he appears to be in perfect health, says Dr. Karen Wolf, head veterinarian.
Endangered Malayan tapir calf born at Point Defiance Zoo
July 15: It’s a boy! An endangered Malayan tapir calf was born at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium Friday night. He is the first tapir calf born at the zoo in its 114-year history.
Endangered species, sculpted in new sand sculpture
June 17: An elephant, tiger, anoa, green sea turtle, scalloped hammerhead shark and more have been slowly carved out of sand in “Species in the Sand,” a sand sculpture on the Zoo’s grassy lawn that kicked off mid-May and will last all summer.
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Red wolf pups get their names and wander outside
June 12: They’ve got their legs under them now. And venturing out a bit, even learning how to climb the steps into their root cellar den.Now, the eight endangered red wolf pups born May 10 at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium are ready for their names.
Joan, beloved Pacific walrus, dies at Point Defiance Zoo
May 30: Pacific walrus Joan died today at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium following a decline in her health over the past several weeks. She was 24.
May 30, 2019: Peck. Peck. Peck. A tiny beak hammers away from the inside of an egg shell. It’s a rare Magellanic penguin, which along with its sibling hatched out on video, just in time for World Ocean Weekend.
Read release | Download pdf | World Ocean Weekend
May 22, 2019: Our eight new red wolf pups need names, and we’re asking the public to vote in an online survey for two slates of names chosen by Zoo staff: one of place names, the other of trees in the wolves’ ancestral habitat in North Carolina.
May 14, 2019: First there was Walnut, a male beaver living at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Then came Nutmeg, a female beaver who came to Tacoma from Northwest Trek Wildlife Park as a companion for Walnut. And now baby makes three.
May 13, 2019: What appeared at first to be a littler of four rare red wolf pups on Friday afternoon became a squirming mass of eight healthy newborns over the weekend. Red wolf mom Charlotte whelped the pups during about a 12-hour period between Friday afternoon and early Saturday morning.
Happy Mothers’ Day! Four red wolf pups born at Point Defiance Zoo
May 10, 2019: Four apparently healthy red wolf pups were born Friday afternoon at the Zoo, part of a breeding program to ensure the survival of this critically endangered species. All four, plus mom Charlotte and dad Hyde, are doing well.
Zookeepers rescue three stranded ducklings from a storm drain
May 10, 2019: When Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium Senior Staff Biologist Marc Duncan heard the small noises coming from the depths of a storm drain at about 4:15 p.m. today, he instantly knew there were ducklings in trouble and swung into action – just in time for Mothers’ Day.
Moms get half-off general admission May 11
April 30, 2019: There’s a lot new to see and “zoo” at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and there’s no better time for a family outing than Saturday May 11, when all mothers will receive half-off general admission.
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Zoo, Northwest Trek certified as “sensory-inclusive”
April 10, 2019: Northwest Trek Wildlife Park and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium each recently earned prestigious designation as “sensory inclusive” sites from a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness, acceptance and inclusion for people with autism and other special needs.
Ocean Voices speaker series brings story, science, inspiration
Mar. 11, 2019: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium brings ocean story, science and inspiration to venues around Tacoma every Tuesday during April in an Ocean Voices speaker series highlighting scientists, filmmakers and environmentalists who work to protect the ocean.
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“Turtle Wave” community art to help save the ocean
Mar. 11, 2019: Make and see “Turtle Wave,” a community artwork being created at Metro Parks Tacoma facilities and elsewhere in the community over the next few weeks, with a grand finale scheduled April 26-28 inside the Pacific Seas Aquarium at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
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Daily openings coming March 1, plus Northwest Trek tours
Feb. 13, 2019: Daily openings are coming soon to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. Plus, the popular premier Keeper Adventure Tours will soon resume at Northwest Trek, and an all-new Photo Tour program for youths is nearly ready for its debut.
Community invited to Pacific Seas Aquarium Celebration
Feb. 12, 2019: Sea turtles. Art-making. Scientists. For the entire month of April, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium will celebrate its new Pacific Seas Aquarium, home to green sea turtles, hammerhead sharks, eagle rays and hundreds of other sea creatures. And the zoo is inviting the whole community to join in.
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Attendance records smashed in 2018 at Zoo and Northwest Trek
Jan. 8, 2019: In 2018, 820,776 guests walked through the turnstiles during 2018, the largest such total in Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s 113-year history. Coupled with the 222,294 guests who visited Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, that added up to over 1 million visitors for the sister zoos.
Outer loop Five Mile Drive and Northwest Trek closed due to wind damage
Jan. 6, 2019: The Outer Loop of Five Mile Drive in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park will be closed all day today due to trees that fell during last night’s fierce windstorm. Northwest Trek Wildlife Park near Eatonville will be closed all day today due to a wind-related power outage.
Rescued Southern sea otter Moea makes her debut
Jan. 3, 2019: A 10-year-old Southern sea otter who was rescued and rehabilitated at Monterey Bay Aquarium has joined the “raft” of sea otters at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.