Polar bear twin sisters Astra and Laerke are celebrating their 3rd birthday at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium November 18-19. Since first arriving at the zoo in June, the pair have captivated the South Sound and the entire country, with multiple videos of them going viral in the last few months. They love to polar plung– […]
9 Wildly Fun Holiday Gift Ideas
For the holidays this year, consider gifting those close to you something wildly fun to experience together at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium or Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. Get up close to a moose, pet a goat (in a holiday coat!) or touch a jellyfish. 1. Enjoy Zoolights Give a magical evening of holiday wonder […]
Free admission for veterans on Nov. 11 to Northwest Trek, Point Defiance Zoo
U.S. military veterans are invited to enjoy both Pierce County sister zoos, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, at no charge on Veterans’ Day on Nov. 11. The offer is open to all who are serving or have served honorably in the United States armed services. Veterans’ immediate family members will […]
Celebrate polar bears at Point Defiance Zoo
TACOMA, Wash.—We think polar bears are so extraordinary we’ve decided to celebrate them with not one but two public events in November at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Polar Bear Weekend: Nov. 4-5 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Step into the Arctic Tundra to meet the zoo’s polar bears and understand what wild polar bears need to […]
Point Defiance Zoo: Zoolights Tickets Now on Sale
TACOMA, Wash.– It’s only October, but the Zoolights crew at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is already hard at work setting up for the biggest and best holiday event in Pierce County. That’s right – it’s almost Zoolights time and you can get your timed online tickets now. The zoo’s annual holiday extravaganza returns this year […]
Zoo Staff Visit Polar Bears in the Arctic Tundra
It’s a long way from Tacoma, Washington, to Churchill, Manitoba: about 1,420 miles as the crow flies, at least eight hours by plane. There’s no road. In icy isolation on Canada’s Hudson Bay, it’s a world away from the lush, evergreen Puget Sound region. But it has a magic all its own. And the thing […]
Muskox calf Willow moves to the large habitat
Willow, the fuzzy, spunky, six-week-old muskox calf, now lives in the large muskoxen habitat (babyproofed, of course!) with her mom, Charlotte. “She loves galloping around the grassy hillsides of the Arctic Tundra habitat, occasionally head-butting rocks and running back to mom,” said assistant curator Shannon, who helps care for the muskoxen. Willow was born to […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Aquarium’s Volunteer Dive Team
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s volunteer dive team won a significant achievement award in volunteer engagement from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) in September. The national award recognizes Point Defiance Zoo for effectively engaging volunteers in the overall mission and operation of the organization. “Our exceptional team of volunteer divers plays a vital […]
Thank you, vet techs
For Veterinary Technician Week (Oct. 15-21), we’re celebrating the zoo’s three fantastic full-time vet techs! The vet techs assist the zoo’s three veterinarians in every aspect of animal health care: “Our veterinary technicians, Julie, Sara, and Bianca, perform a vast array of duties, and the veterinary hospital could not function without them,” said Head Veterinarian […]