Woodland Park Zoo General Information

Founded in 1899, Woodland Park Zoo engages more than a million visitors of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, and walks of life in extraordinary experiences with animals, inspiring them to make conservation a priority in their lives. The zoo is helping to save animals and their habitats in the wild through more than 35 wildlife conservation projects in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. Woodland Park Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and certified by the rigorous American Humane Conservation program. The Humane Certified™ seal of approval is another important validation of the zoo’s long-standing tradition of meeting the highest standards in animal welfare. For information, visit www.zoo.org or call 206.548.2500. Follow the zoo on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Establishment For 120 years, Woodland Park Zoo has served as an urban oasis, gathering generations of people together to enjoy the natural world. In the late 1880s, Guy Phinney, a developer and business man, purchased a large tract of forest land about six miles north of downtown Seattle. On December 28, 1899, several years after Phinney’s death, the City of Seattle purchased the estate for $100,000.

Size Woodland Park Zoo spans 92 acres, 70 of which are developed as exhibits and public spaces including entries and parking. The remainder is devoted to administrative offices and support facilities, a buffer zone and neighborhood parks.

Hours May 1–September 7: 9:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. daily September 8–September 30: 9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Monday–Friday; 9:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Saturday– Sunday October 1–April 30: 9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. daily Woodland Park Zoo is open every day except Christmas Day

Admission Prices April 1–September 30: Adult (13–64) $22.95; Senior (65+) $20.95; Child (3–12) $13.95; Toddler (0–2) Free. October 1–March 31: Adult (13–64) $15.50; Senior (65+) $13.50; Child (3–12) $10.50; Toddler (0–2) Free. Discount for people with disabilities: $2 off regular admission; 1:1 aides are complimentary. Active, retired, and veteran U.S. military and their families receive an admission discount of $4 off zoo admission for themselves and up to six (6) family members. Zoo members receive free zoo admission year round.

Parking: $6 for the first two hours, $2 each additional hour

The zoo’s South Entrance will be closed until further notice. Discounted parking is still available in the Hippo and Flamingo Lots for $4/day. All guests parked in these lots must proceed to the West Entrance for entry (approximately 2–5 blocks depending on lot).

Animals Animal care professionals at Woodland Park Zoo are experts in their field and provide the highest quality care for animals every day. The zoo manages the largest number of live animals in Washington state, with 900 animals representing more than 250 species. The zoo provides a home for 46 endangered and 15 threatened or vulnerable animal species, and participates in 111 Species Survival Plans, overseen by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. The zoo’s botanical collection includes more than 92,000 plants and trees representing more than 1,300 species.

Updated May 28, 2020

Woodland Park Zoo Management In 2002, the City of Seattle transferred management and financial responsibility of Woodland Park Zoo to the Woodland Park Zoological Society. Founded in 1965, the nonprofit Zoo Society initially served as the zoo’s fundraising partner, but over the years has taken on an increasing number of responsibilities, such as marketing, earned revenue and membership. A 39-person, volunteer Board of Directors governs the Zoo Society with seven Board committees and two task force committees providing forums for information sharing between the Board and staff for various areas of zoo administration. The President and CEO reports to the Board and supervises all zoo staff. The City of Seattle continues to own the zoo’s grounds, buildings and exhibits.

Membership The zoo currently has more than 35,000 member households ranging from individual to family. The zoo boasts one of the largest membership bases among Puget Sound museum and cultural attractions. Membership dues support exemplary animal care program, wildlife conservation projects in the Pacific Northwest and around the world, hands-on environmental learning for all ages, and action-centered programs that engage communities in protecting wildlife and living landscapes.

Attendance Woodland Park Zoo serves a large regional audience and is a major Washington state attraction, drawing more than a million visitors annually. In 2019, nearly 1.4 million guests visited the zoo to learn about the important connections between plants, animals, habitats and people (peak months are April through September).

Zoo for All Woodland Park Zoo is committed to expanding access for those with barriers to visiting the zoo. Zoo for All is an initiative to build engagement in under resourced communities through special events, free, or deeply discounted entry and upgrades for a more accessible zoo. Through the Community Access Program, the zoo partners with 600+ human service organizations across Puget Sound to offer more than 100,000 complimentary zoo passes annually, which also include a free ride on the zoo’s Historic Carousel. The $5 Discover Ticket and $35 Explorer Pass membership program has expanded to include foster families and kinship caregivers as well as recipients of WIC or EBT/Washington Quest. Woodland Park Zoo is proud to offer one of the largest access programs of any cultural organization in Washington state.

Wildlife Conservation Through Woodland Park Zoo’s Signature Programs, Conservation Partners, and Wildlife Survival Program, the zoo is conserving wildlife, preserving fragile habitats, and increasing public awareness for wildlife and environmental issues. The zoo currently conducts or supports more than 35 wildlife conservation projects taking place in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. These include some of the smallest animals—the endangered Oregon silverspot butterfly and Partula snail—to some of the largest—the African elephant and the greater one-horned rhino. In 2018 alone, the zoo contributed more than $2.1 million toward wildlife conservation efforts in the Pacific Northwest and around the world.

Learning & Innovation As the Washington hub for excellence in conservation education, Woodland Park Zoo’s programs are grounded in a robust, science and outcomes-based framework for inspiring conservation. The guiding framework for program development is: connecting children to nature, developing ecological literacy and providing pathways to conservation. From early learners to senior participants, both on and off grounds, the zoo’s developmental approach to lifelong learning is to foster empathy for nature, build conservation knowledge and skills, and increase people’s personal ownership for action that benefits wildlife and habitats. In 2019, the zoo’s educational programming resulted in more than 1 million guest engagements across the zoo and more than 76,000 students, teachers, and chaperones participating in educational visits to the zoo or attending a zoo outreach program. The many educational elements at the zooclasses, public programs, interpretive signage and volunteer activitiesserve to illustrate the importance that conservation plays in the zoo’s mission.

Financial Zoo operating revenues are expected to increase slightly to nearly $45 million in 2020. Consolidated revenues for operating plus capital improvements for 2020 are budgeted at $53 million. Earned revenues (admissions, membership, community events, etc.) account for 56% of total operating revenues. Public

Updated May 28, 2020 funding sources provide 28% of the zoo’s ongoing support, including revenue from both the City of Seattle and King County. Private contributions provide the remaining 16%.

Staff There are approximately 290 full- and part-time employees and 120 temporary employees in departments such as administration, guest services, animal health, animal care, commissary, content and creative, development, learning and innovation, exhibits improvement, horticulture, maintenance, project management, marketing, membership and communications.

Volunteers In 2019, 1,310 volunteers donated their time through the zoo’s award-winning volunteer program. This included 823 adult and teen zoo volunteers and 487 individuals who participated in episodic service projects throughout the year. In total, volunteers contributed 92,498 hours of service to the zoo, valued at more than $2.7 million as an in-kind donation.

Award-winning Exhibits and Programs Woodland Park Zoo is famed for creating revolutionary naturalistic exhibits that began a shift that changed the face of zoos worldwide. The Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) has honored the zoo with seven major exhibit awards: Humboldt penguin, Jaguar Cove, Trail of Vines, Northern Trail, Tropical Rain Forest, Elephant Forest (closed) and African Savanna.

Other major awards by AZA include the top International Conservation Award for the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program in Papua New Guinea; a Significant Achievement Award for Fostering Empathy for Animals project; top honors in the North American Conservation Award category for its collaborative Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project and Oregon Spotted Frog Reintroduction Project; the Green Award for serving as an industry leader in sustainable operations; and the Excellence in Marketing Award for the “This is How We Zoo” campaign.

Group Sales From picnics for up to 2,000 guests, weddings in the Woodland Park Rose Garden, to formal receptions in the 1899 Grove, Woodland Park Zoo offers 19 unique and natural locations to host weddings, private parties and events of all sizes. Whether you want to offer a delicious catered picnic for your employees and their families, create an elegant and unique cocktail dinner or provide a memorable team building experience, the zoo’s on-site caterer, Levy, is happy to prepare a delicious selection of food to fit any theme or budget. Plan your next adventure at the zoo—it will surely be a wild time!

Updated May 28, 2020