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Explore the Shore

June 17, 2023
10:30AM - 12:30PM
Discover the world of low tide.
Owen Beach, Point Defiance Park.
Free.

Underwater, revealed

Uncover
the world of low tide
Discover a world that's uncovered and covered with each tide. Walk Owen Beach in Point Defiance Park with our naturalists, who'll help you spot and identify tidal animals like crabs, shellfish, anemones and more.
It's your beach.
Explore it.
Ages 5 and up. Free. Meet on the beach near the parking lot and register at the event tent. Beach walks last 2 hours, though you may stay longer if you like.
TUFTED PUFFIN CHICKS HATCHED

There’s some extra excitement in the Rocky Shores seabird habitat at the zoo: Five tufted puffin chicks, known as pufflings, hatched recently! After pufflings hatch, they stay in a nest while their parents take turns bringing food. Eventually, they “fledge” or leave their burrows and join the other puffins in the habitat, and the parents stop feeding them. Keepers then train each bird to hand-feed from them. “Hand-feeding all the puffins allows us to closely monitor individual birds and ensure…

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Celebrating Suki: The queen of the barn

Celebrate Suki’s 59th birthday at the zoo Sept. 22-24. Suki, the Asian elephant, is famous around Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Guests are invited to join her birthday festivities as she celebrates her 59th birthday this weekend, Sept. 22-24. She’s a super-senior among Asian elephants and a superstar to everyone who cares for her. That rings particularly true for Elephant Manager Shannon, who’s cared for the elderly elephant for over 27 years. “You can’t talk about Suki without mentioning Shannon,…

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Bringing Awareness to Sea Otters

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is home to three endangered sea otters in the Rocky Shores habitat. Every year, Sea Otter Awareness Week takes place during the last full week of September to celebrate and inspire deeper awareness of these marine mammals. Now protected, sea otters are still at significant risk from oil spills, parasites that reach the ocean via storm drains, and plastic ocean trash. All three sea otters living at Point Defiance Zoo were rescued from the wild and deemed…

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A Plastic-Free Ocean
Explore the shore, and you may find more than just marine creatures. Our oceans are filling up with plastic - and it's up to us to stop the tide.