5-Star Reviews
The zoo took up the western half of Woodland Park and began as a small collection of animals on Guy C’s property. On October 28, 1899, Phinney’s wife sold 76 hectares of Woodland Park to the city for the US $ 5,000 -Dollars in cash and a mortgage of $ 95,000. So large was the sum that in 1902, then-Mayor W. was commissioned by Boston-based Olmsted Brothers to design the city’s parks, including Woodland Park, and the following year Leschi Park’s private wildlife collection was released to Grat. In 1975, Woodland Park Zoo director David Hancocks redesigned the zoo’s gorilla exhibit to create so-called landscape diving exhibits, where animals could immerse themselves in landscapes that most faithfully represented their natural habitats. Despite the fact that visitors would also be immersed in the same recreated habitat. The living space was designed with natural plants and rocks, with special attention paid to the acoustic treatment of the exhibition in order to make the surrounding soft and quiet. Initially, the idea received a lot of criticism as many experts were concerned about the conservation of vegetation and the lack of visibility, as well as Washington’s temperate environment, which has a negative impact on the soil. The idea ultimately become the set for naturalistic displays and encouraged many imitators and replicas around the world.
The 92-acre Woodland Park Zoo is a national award-winning zoological garden and wildlife protection facility. It was awarded more than 65 prizes in several categories and recorded a whopping 1.4 million national and international visitors in 2019. It has more than 1,000 animals of nearly 300 species from around the world. Phinney, a Canadian wood mill owner, and real estate developer.
A visit to the Woodland Park Zoo is a must for animal lovers in Seattle. From the humid heat of an indoor rainforest to a pool where penguins dive, exhibits are so popular that the lines can be long when buying tickets; an online reservation is a time-saving strategy to avoid waiting times. With so much to see and do, Woodland Park Zoo could easily take a day to complete. Focus on the exhibitions you are most interested in, be it fascinated by the Assam rhinos that flutter the garden of the butterfly, or in the waste of wolves. Pick up a “Rainy Day Map” at the entrance and don’t miss the many indoor exhibits, including the rainforest, Bug World, nocturnal animals in the adaptation building, the Zoomazium playground, and more.