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 […]
Zoo Works to Recover Critically Endangered Red Wolves
At Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, it’s a big “howl yes!” for American red wolf conservation. The Tacoma zoo has been a national leader in bringing this critically endangered species back from the brink of extinction since the 1970s. And decades later, 2023 has been one of the most successful years in the zoo’s history […]
Point Defiance Zoo earns AZA accreditation
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium earned kudos and another five years of accreditation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) in September. The Tacoma zoo also won a significant achievement award in volunteer engagement for its volunteer dive program. “We know that Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is well-regarded by guests, who return again […]
The votes are in: Zoo guests name muskox calf “Willow”
TACOMA, Wash.—Meet Willow, a fuzzy, two-week-old muskox calf at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Adoring fans voted online for her name, chosen from a slate of four names offered by keepers at the Tacoma zoo. Out of more than 11,200 votes, Willow was a clear winner with 43% of the vote, with runner-up names Aurora […]