Moea, the 14-year-old sea otter, recently received her routine wellness exam. While under anesthesia, the rescued sea otter was weighed, x-rayed, and given a full dental exam and cleaning. Veterinarian … Continued

It takes many tons of food to feed the more than 12,000 animals that live at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. For example, zoo staff prepare 133,000 pounds of seafood … Continued

When it’s wet and cold outside, there are plenty of ways to enjoy Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and meet amazing animals! Warm, Indoor Aquarium The Pacific Seas Aquarium is … Continued

As another year ends, we reflect on the special moments Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium had the privilege of being a part of in 2023. We welcomed polar bear sisters … Continued

The first full week of December every year is Walrus Awareness Week. In recognition of the holiday and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s two walruses, Balzak (pronounced bell’-zik) and Lakina, … Continued

Plenty of evidence suggests animals are incredibly intelligent: elephants have exceptional memories and demonstrate self-awareness, octopuses use their arms to solve puzzles, and insects, such as bees and ants, work … Continued

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 … Continued

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 … Continued

Penguin chick Regina passed her “swimming lessons” and can now be seen in Penguin Point with the rest of the Magellanic penguin colony. The two-month-old chick, raised by parents Orange … Continued

So fetch! We can’t wait for you to meet penguin chick Regina – named after Regina George from the movie Mean Girls. The growing penguin chick currently lives behind the … Continued

It’s that time of year again! Our Magellanic penguins have found their mates and are ready for nesting. In April, keepers observed our penguin pairs snuggling in their nests. It … Continued

Lakina, our new female walrus, wears custom-made crowns to help protect her two tusks. Lakina did an excellent job holding still long enough for one of her crowns to be … Continued

They were born just weeks apart six years ago and have been closely bonded ever since. And now, the two young walruses have moved together from Aquarium du Québec to … Continued

Björn (pronounced bee-yorn), the sea lion, is definitely a fighter. The 11-year-old sea lion was rescued off the coast of southern California in December 2019 and brought to a rehabilitation … Continued

CLARA THE SEA OTTER MAKES DEBUT She’s calm and patient – and loves participating in training and enrichment sessions with her keepers. Clara, the newest southern sea otter, made her … Continued

On a rainy, late-summer morning in Tacoma, keeper Cindy is watching the puffins. She’s drenched, but that’s just part of the job she loves. The “unglamorous” part of keeper life … Continued

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is home to three sea otters in the Rocky Shores habitat. Every September, one week is dedicated to bringing awareness to sea otters. Sea otters … Continued

What’s the best way to take your first swim? Well, if you’re a hand-reared penguin chick, you find a penguin buddy. On a hot day in August, penguin chick Rio … Continued

Human athletes might be battling it out for medals at the Olympic Games in Japan this month, but here at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, we have our own incredible … Continued

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

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

A gentle sea lion, rescued after being blinded by bullets, arrived at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in May and will make his public debut July 3-4 at the Rocky … Continued

So you think you like seafood? How about 1,064 pounds of it every week? That’s what’s on order at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, where everyone from sharks to sea … Continued

It wasn’t your average concert situation. Fingers chilling in the February breeze, I stood with my double bass poised on the grassy edge of a deep moat. My endpin and … Continued

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

What a year this has been! From clouded leopard AI to a new muskox calf, from Zoolights to HeroRATs and everything in between, we’ve captured this year in our best … Continued

They were rescued together as orphaned calves. Then they went to live at separate zoos for seven years before reuniting as “teenagers” here at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Now, … Continued

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

You could say the double bass is the walrus of the music world. Large, bottom-heavy, ungainly and prone to awkward blurting noises, it doesn’t win any beauty contests. It doesn’t … Continued

Pakak the walrus has been busy visiting with the dentist. He was recently fitted for a new tusk crown. Walruses in zoos receive regular veterinary care, including dentist checkups. Walrus … Continued