UPDATE: Sad news – our hero rat Chiku passed away in November from a large invasive tumor. We will miss her. Turns out, when you give physicals to giant pouched … Continued

UPDATE: Sad news – our hero rat Chiku passed away in November 2020 from a large invasive tumor. We will miss her. They’re fuzzy. They’re cute. They’re smart. Three HeroRATS … Continued

He’s healthy, weighs around 25 pounds and follows Mom everywhere. The Malayan tapir calf born July 12 at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has just received his first wellness exam, … Continued

UPDATE: Our tapir calf is now three weeks old and doing really well. He’s bonding with mom behind the scenes. Here’s the latest video: It’s a boy! An endangered Malayan … Continued

UPDATE Oct. 2020: We continue to collaborate with the University of Washington in dyeing polar bear hair and taking samples. It’s Thursday, and Blizzard is waiting to get his hair … Continued

What kind of shark are you: Relaxed? Intense? Take the quiz and find out! Loading…

CHICK UPDATE: Our penguin chicks have gone behind the scenes to grow bigger and learn to swim. They’ll be back out in a few weeks when they’ve lost their downy … Continued

PUPDATE: The red wolf pups are now roaming outside on view to the public. They also have names – meet them here. When Dr. Karen Wolf picks up eight newborn … Continued

BEAVER UPDATE: The baby beaver is a girl, and her name is Butternut! All the family are doing well behind the scenes.   First there was Walnut, a male beaver … Continued

PUPDATE! – Red wolf pups are exploring outside, on view to the public.  Meet them here.   And suddenly, there are eight. What appeared at first to be a litter … Continued

On the stage at the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater, two dogs are waiting to ride a “hot air balloon” (actually, a basket and beach ball on a cable). One, with … Continued

It’s like being inside a cloud of excited children who’ve all been given a bright yellow jacket and two cups of coffee. We’re inside Budgie Buddies on a sunny spring … Continued

Zoological Aide Katie Schachtsick holds a long-handled back-scratcher and applies just the right amount of pressure as she rubs it across the black-and-white hide of endangered Malayan tapir Yuna. It’s … Continued

At age 33, Boris is very likely the oldest male polar bear on the planet. We know he’s the oldest male of his species in zoo-related databases that keep track … Continued

New year, new tiger. There’s a cool new cat in town, and he’s making his official public debut this weekend, with appearances in the main Asian Forest Sanctuary Waterfall Exhibit … Continued

She’s calm and confident– and loves her breakfast. Moea (pronounced “Mia”) is the newest sea otter at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and she’s already settling into life at the … Continued

Endangered Malayan tapirs Yuna and Baku strolled around one of the Asian Forest Sanctuary exhibits on Wednesday afternoon, grazing on grasses – and keeping a secret. Not even the birds … Continued

Dozer, the lovable, 3,078-pound walrus with the 17-inch-long tusks and unmistakable whistle, is leaving Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium mid-September. But there’s still time to bid him farewell. He’ll be … Continued

With soft pale fur and sharp claws, Terra moseys up a log. She goes farther, her long tail wrapping for balance, sniffing and exploring until she’s way overhead. Then, without … Continued

For a meet-up of two engineers, things were going swimmingly. Walnut, the Zoo’s North American beaver, was grabbing a willow branch in his mouth and purposefully dragging it across the … Continued

Dozer is back! He arrived mid-November, and will spend part of each day on exhibit. All the ladies love Dozer The hunky 3,450-pound walrus with the 17-inch tusks has come … Continued

Our baby boy muskox Hudson is growing up – and just met his girlfriend Charlotte. After 2-year-old Hudson got closer in size to the 3-year-old Charlotte) keepers put him together … Continued

Feb. 10, 2018 It isn’t just visitors and keepers loving our animals this month. There’s also plenty of love going around the zoo… Listen out as you pass the budgie … Continued

June UPDATE: Our penguin chicks are now behind-the-scenes, learning to swim. Yes, you read that right. While their downy feathers stiffen and become more waterproof, they’ll live in temporary quarters away … Continued

Ivan. The one word name has been recognizable in Tacoma, the Puget Sound region and around the world for more than half a century. The western lowland gorilla who grew … Continued

For 33 years, E.T. the Pacific walrus was a Tacoma icon. Having arrived at the Zoo as an orphan in 1982, he won hearts with his famous flipper wave and … Continued

Sept. 22, 2017 Azul is a diva, but curious. Sunny’s more a chill kinda guy. But aquarist Melissa Bishop loves both of the green sea turtles that just arrived at … Continued

Aug. 16, 2017 It had all the complex choreography of a ballet. Last Friday, four scalloped hammerhead sharks and two spotted eagle rays arrived at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. … Continued