Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications
Photo: Jeremy Dwyer Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo
Huckleberry and Holly are half-brothers. |
Woodland Park Zoo’s elk herd just got bigger with the addition of a new male, Huckleberry, and a female, Holly. Both half-brothers, the elk, were born at the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, North Dakota. Both will be one year old this summer. A new moose brings the herd to a total of 5 individuals. The zoo is home to huckleberries and holly, as well as female lilies, willows and buttons. Last summer, the zoo mourned the death of its only male moose, Goodwin, who died at the age of 20 from geriatric-related problems.
For now, Holly and her half-brother are smaller than the other moose in the herd. But they still have room to grow. |
“We were very fortunate to be able to increase the herd so that visitors to Woodland Park Zoo could learn about the natural behavior of moose and see how they are socialized. After losing its only male, Goodwin, in the summer of 2018, the addition of a new male has returned it to its natural herd,” said Pat Owen, animal control manager at Woodland Park Zoo. “Huckleberry and Holly appear calm and confident. Huckleberry, despite being a young male, is already behaving like a bull, both in posture and in his desire to dominate the bull, and that Until they put him in their place.”
Huckleberry and Holly are getting to know all the members of the herd. |
The extensive elk meadow on the zoo’s Living Northwest Trail features wolves in the foreground to teach visitors about the important predator-prey relationship between elk and wolves in their natural habitat. designed to give visitors the opportunity to see
There are two subspecies in Washington’s moose range. The Roosevelt elk, which resides primarily on the west side of the Cascade Range, and the Rocky Mountain elk, which resides primarily on the east side. Huckleberry, Holly and Button are Rocky Mountain, Lily and Willow are Roosevelt.
Buttons is ten years old. She joined our herd several years ago after humans believed her to be an orphan and started feeding her. Her story is a reminder of the need to keep wild animals wild. |
Button came to the Woodland Park Zoo from the wild after gaining notoriety in the area between Ellensburg and Cle Elm a few years ago. So her inhabitants, believing her to be an orphan, began feeding and petting her and even carrying her children on her back. For her safety and her community, biologists with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife tried to move Buttons to a more remote location, but she was unable to integrate into the wild moose herd. Woodland Park Zoo became her new home in 2019. Her story is a reminder of the need to coexist safely with wildlife and keep them wild.
Handsome Huckleberry, who turns 1 this summer, is just starting to grow what look like antler antlers. |
Woodland Park Zoo advocates and protects species and spaces around the Pacific Northwest. Living Northwest Program, pond turtles, wolves, wolverines and many other turtles. The recently renovated Living Northwest Trail exhibit features the zoo’s elk, Canadian lynx, brown bears, snowy owls, and other native wildlife. exhibition and related websites, “We live in the northwest” We offer visitors a number of conservation activities to help the species that share the region’s iconic landscape. You can use #IAmLivingNorthwest to share how you live in the Northwest on social media.
Come meet the new moose and the whole herd.