Explore the Shore

When Asian Forest Sanctuary Assistant Curator Erin gives a tiger keeper chat at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, she often tells the crowd, “There are more people at the Zoo today than there are Sumatran tigers on the planet.” Sumatran tigers are vanishing from the wild at an astonishing pace. As few as 400 remain in their native habitat on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and the critically endangered population faces intense pressure from habitat loss and fragmentation, black-market poaching,…

Over 40 marine animal species joined the Tropical Reef Aquarium this month, adding to the roster of more than 130 species already living there! The new residents include four new blacktip reef sharks, a tasseled wobbegong shark, a grey reef shark, a black blotched ray, and dozens of tropical fish, including a spectacular humphead wrasse. There are now six shark species in the aquarium’s Outer Reef habitat and another two shark species reside in the Lagoon. There are now 21…

The 2024 Summer Olympics are starting this week, and our animals are joining in to show off their unique skills and talents. See who we think would win gold in the Zoolympics! Professional sports climbing is a newer sport in the Olympics. These goat kids were born experts at climbing and jumping to new heights. A vision of grace and majesty, the polar bears love swimming! Catch them diving off their platform and playing with their toys in the water.…