TACOMA, Wash.—Happy Howl‐o‐ween! Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s Zoo Boo weekend returns Oct. 14‐15. The annual fun, fall‐themed weekend is always a hoot among families. There will be plenty of ghostly games and arts and crafts. Make your own bat wings to wear, inspect teeth up close to identify the animal, go on a spooky […]
Help name Point Defiance Zoo’s new muskox calf
TACOMA, Wash.— Voting is now open for our community to choose the name of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s newest baby animal- a female muskox calf. The calf, born to eight-year-old Charlotte, is now a week old and becoming more confident daily. “The young calf is rambunctious, curious, adventurous, and brave,” said assistant curator Shannon […]
It’s a girl. Muskox calf born at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
TACOMA, Wash. — Charlotte the muskox gave birth to a female calf Thursday morning (Sept. 7, 2023) at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. The day-old calf appears to be healthy, and in typical muskox fashion is beginning to wander around the zoo’s grassy Arctic Tundra habitat, sticking closely to mom. The zoo’s veterinary team did a […]
Celebrating Suki: The queen of the barn
Celebrate Suki’s 59th birthday at the zoo Sept. 22-24. Suki the Asian elephant is a celebrity around Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. At an estimated 58 years old, 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 […]
The Health of Puget Sound
Checking in on Puget Sound’s Health How healthy is Puget Sound? What areas are showing declines, and which are holding steady? Those are the questions divers at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium are helping to answer. Staff and volunteer divers are conducting underwater surveys in Puget Sound to monitor the abundance of kelp ecosystems and […]
End of Summer Blast at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
When: Sept. 2- 4, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. It’s time to chill out! Join animals at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in an all-weekend celebration jam-packed with cool activities – literally. Watch animals like the tigers, sea otters and elephant play with icy treats and summery enrichments (at scheduled times below, so you don’t miss it!). See […]
Penguin Chick Regina Joins Penguin Point
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 and Yellow, recently learned how to swim behind the scenes with keepers. In the wild, parents keep their chicks out of the water until they grow in […]
Zoo animals staying cool during hot temps
As a powerful heat wave hits the greater Tacoma area with temperatures in the 90s, keepers at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma are finding ways to keep the animals cool. The safety and well-being of the animals is the keepers’ number one priority, and keepers offer all of the animals round-the-clock access to […]
The tiniest buffalo
If the tiger is the king of the jungle, then the anoa would be the gardener. They’re not iconic like an elephant or acrobatic like a siamang. They don’t star in Pixar movies or cartoons. Even in the jungle, they can be impossible to find. But this tiniest species of buffalo, just 30 inches tall, has its […]