Polar bear keeper Stephanie traveled to Churchill, Manitoba with Polar Bears International to see polar bears in the wild and learn about the effects of melting sea ice. Inspired by what she saw, she’s sharing ways we can all protect these Arctic icons! 🌎🐻‍❄️💙 pdza.org/a-keepers-journey-to-churchill

Meet Fender, a majestic 6′7″, 230-lb bowmouth guitarfish! One of only nine pups to survive after his mother was caught in a fishing net, Fender represents a critically endangered species. Come see Fender at the Tropical Reef Aquarium and learn how you can help protect ocean wildlife. 💙

It’s #PolarBearWeek! 🐻‍❄️ Meet Laerke, our polar bear ambassador, as we celebrate and raise awareness for her wild cousins facing a changing Arctic. Polar bears rely on sea ice to hunt, travel, and raise their young, but that ice is melting earlier each year as our climate warms.

No bones, no brains, no teeth, fins or even blood – in fact, jellies are mostly water. But they survive in oceans all over the world, and are mesmerizingly beautiful as well. Drift with the jellies at our Pacific Seas Aquarium. 🪼 #WorldJellyfishDay

Celebrate #WorldJellyfishDay! 🪼 Jellyfish have no bones, brains, or blood, just pure underwater grace. 🌊 Come marvel at the mesmerizing Pacific Sea Nettles and more in our Pacific Seas Aquarium! ✨

🐾🐻‍❄️ It’s #PolarBearWeek! 🐻‍❄️🐾 Laerke the polar bear is celebrating with a special icy treat made from propeller clams, sweet potato, and Gatorade for extra hydration! 💙 This cool enrichment keeps Laerke curious and engages her natural foraging instincts.

Wishing everyone a safe, fun, and wildly happy #Halloween! 🎃

An adorable throwback to Tilli the aardvark using her incredible sniffer, putting her powerful sense of smell to the test! She inspected keeper Brynn’s 53-pound homegrown Cinderella pumpkin, filled with yogurt for a fun and enriching treat. 🎃 #HappyHalloween 📷: Keeper Alex

Albert, our black-and-white ruffed lemur, is going bananas for #WorldLemurDay! These endangered lemurs inhabit the rainforests of Madagascar and primarily feed on fruit, as well as nectar, flowers, and leaves. Their fruit-heavy diet makes them important seed spreaders, helping the forest grow!

Lemur pumpkin fun for #WorldLemurDay! 🎃 Lemurs live in a matriarchal society, where females are the ones in charge. Lemurs are social primates and tend to live in groups where communication is key.

Tiny pumpkin, big progress! 🎃 Clara the rescued sea otter is learning new behaviors through positive reinforcement training. These sessions help strengthen trust with her care team, and make learning fun! 🦦 📹: Keeper Kristyn #happyhalloween #seaotter #pumpkin

We asked our veterinary team to give us an inside look at some of our animals, and their not-so-spooky skeletons! 🦴👻 Veterinarians use radiographs (x-rays) to check on animal health and provide the best care possible. 🩻 pdza.org/inside-look-at-animals-skeletons

Join us October 31–November 2 for Día de los Muertos, a celebration of remembrance and reflection. In partnership with Tacoma’s SAMi High School Spanish students, the Zoo’s ofrenda honors animals that have touched our lives.

Our 12-year-old clouded leopard, Sang Dao, spent some time rolling around her pumpkin for enrichment and savoring some tasty meat Jello. 🐆🎃 #NationalCatDay 📹: Assistant Curator Erin & Volunteer Coordinator Stacey

Indah’s got the purr-fect pumpkin treat for #NationalCatDay! 🎃🐯 Our Sumatran tiger wasted no time tearing into her pumpkin, especially once she discovered the meaty surprise inside. Enrichment like this keeps her active, curious, and lets her show off those incredible feline instincts!

Those paws aren’t just cute, they’re powerful! 🦦 Sea otters use their dexterous paws to open clam shells and investigate everything around them.

Polar bear Laerke loves a good swim and an even better snack! Enrichment items like her big bone help keep her active and engaged! 🐻‍❄️

Say hello to Pippa, our newest Southern tamandua! This one-year-old is settling in behind the scenes and learning from her care team before joining Gonzo in Wild Wonders shows and encounters. 💛

Goats meet gourds! 🎃 Pumpkins aren’t just tasty treats; they’re a fun, healthy form of seasonal enrichment for our playful goats. 🐐🍂 📹: Keeper Dana

Hudson the muskox has something to say... Those grumbles are one of the many sounds muskoxen use to communicate, from friendly chatter to showing who’s boss. 📹: Animal curator Jen

Family meeting! 💕 Did you know tapirs use squeaks and whistles to communicate? 💬 8-month-old Ume has lots to say when she’s catching up with her parents, Yuna and Baku behind the scenes. 📹: Keeper Katie

Vespa, our 6-year-old armadillo, is rolling into adventure mode! 🌿 She recently enjoyed an outdoor exploration for enrichment. Southern three-banded armadillos are the only armadillo species that can roll completely into a ball, turning their armor into the perfect shield against predators!

First-class pampering for Jumbo Jet! 🐢 Our 31-year-old endangered radiated tortoise loves his “spa day” shell scratches. A radiated tortoise’s shell is full of blood vessels and nerves, so he can actually feel every gentle scratch, and clearly, he’s loving it! 💚

Otterly spooky snack time! 🎃 Asian small-clawed otters, Sebastian and Pintar, enjoyed tasty treats in their creepy-crawly pumpkin at #ZooBoo! 👻 📹: Assistant curators Shannon & Erin

It’s #InternationalSlothDay! 🦥 Meet Siesta, our 25-year-old two-toed sloth who’s perfected the art of taking it slow. He spends his days napping, snacking, and reminding us that sometimes, life’s better in slow motion. 💚

A polar bear and her pumpkin. 🎃🐻‍❄️ Meet Laerke and her keepers tomorrow during Zoo Boo! 👻 📹: Keeper Brittany

Indah the Sumatran tiger checking out today’s #ZooBoo setup! 🐯🎃 📹: Keeper Skylar

Gibbon brothers Aries and Orion are all about the gourd life! 🎃 They spent Zoo Boo enjoying pumpkin treats made just for them today. 📹: Assistant curator Erin #zooboo #enrichment #pumpkinseason #gibbon

Otterly adorable! 🎃 Rescued sea otters, Libby, Moea, and Clara enjoyed seafood pops and krill-flavored candy corn in piles of ice at #ZooBoo today (ice is a crunchy favorite enrichment for them). The fun continues tomorrow! 🦦 📹: Keeper Kristyn

The beaver family goes bobbing for baby pumpkins! 🎃 Watch Butternut, Walnut, Nutmeg, and friends enjoy pumpkin enrichments all weekend long during Zoo Boo, Oct. 18 & 19. 👻 📹: Keeper Alex

Happy #HumpyDay! 🐟💙 In honor of the Mariners’ fin-tastic salmon mascot, we’re cheering from the aquarium with our own Humphrey the humphead wrasse, ready for Game 4 tonight with his blue #Mariners spirit! ⚾ #SeizeTheMoment

Ever seen a 750-pound muskox face off with a 210-pound pumpkin? 💥 Hudson did, and won! 🏆 Catch more pumpkin-smashing, leaf-crunching, fall fun during #ZooBoo, October 18 & 19. 🎃🐾

Otterly ready for Zoo Boo! 🦦 🎃 Libby, Moea, and Clara celebrated with seafood otter pops, frozen pumpkin-shaped treats, and krill-flavored candy corn. Dress up and join the fun this weekend at Zoo Boo! 👻

A walrus-approved seafood smash hit! 👻 Watch our walruses enjoy Zoo Boo jack-o-lanterns made of sustainable, restaurant-quality seafood, because enrichment should always be spooktacular! 🎃 Don’t miss the fun at Zoo Boo this weekend. www.pdza.org/zoo-boo

Muskox Monday mood: activated. Willow and Pretzel are zooming into the week like pros! 💕 #MondayMotivation 📹: Curator Jen

It’s National Veterinary Technician Week! 💙 We’re thrilled to honor our three incredible vet techs, Julie, Sara, and Bianca, for everything they do to keep our animals strong, safe, and thriving. 1/3

Our goats (and one very good dog) are rooting for the real G.O.A.T.s, our Seattle Mariners, today! ⚾💙 #SeizeTheMoment

Ruby the hornbill is fetching baseballs, flying between bases, and rooting for the Seattle Mariners to bring home the big win tonight! 💙 🧢 Wear your Mariners gear and score $5 off general admission at the ticket window (offer valid through the Mariners’ postseason run). #seizethemoment

PSL season!

Ume, the Malayan tapir calf, isn’t exactly dainty when it comes to eating her salad behind the scenes. 🥬 Now, 8 months old and 400 pounds, she’s growing fast, and those loud crunches mean she’s getting all the greens she needs to thrive. 💗 📹: Keeper Katie

Ever noticed a walrus’s big, curious eyes? 👁️ They can actually bulge out a bit, helping walruses see both forward and upward, perfect for spotting friends (or predators) above the waves. 1/2

Ruby the hornbill is stepping up to the plate for more Mariners enrichment! ⚾ She’s fetching baseballs, flying between bases, and rooting for the Mariners to bring home the big win today! 💙

Today’s a special day for Sumatran tiger, Indah! 🐯 Join us in wishing her a very happy 11th birthday. Born at the Zoo, Indah has been a beloved member of our family since day one. She reminds us of the importance of protecting and saving this magnificent species. Happy birthday, Indah! 🎂

Resembling saber-toothed fuzzy potatoes, these adorable rodents use their long incisors to gnaw through soil, digging elaborate tunnels. Damaraland mole rats spend nearly their entire lives underground, communicating using squeaks and growls. Meet our mole rat colony at Kids' Zone!

Laerke, the polar bear, carefully weighs her options before taking the plunge. 🐻‍❄️ After all, polar bears like to size things up before diving straight in. Once she decided to enjoy her fresh, saltwater pool, she had a blast splashing around with fun enrichment. 💙 📹: Keeper Kacie

It’s #TongueOutTuesday, and Hudson’s giving us his best muskox blep! 😝 📷: Keeper Russell

It’s dinner time for Indah! 🐯 Tigers are solitary hunters, using stealth and power to bring down prey in the wild. Here at Point Defiance Zoo, Indah’s meals are part of her enrichment, encouraging those natural behaviors that keep her mind and body active. 📹: Keeper Skylar

Hornbill Ruby’s got the bases covered! ⚾ She’s fetching baseballs and rooting for our Seattle Mariners to bring home the win. Wear your Mariners gear and score $5 off general admission at the Zoo’s ticket window (offer valid through the Mariners’ postseason run)! 💙 #SeaUsRise #GoMariners

Guests are invited to visit Astra this weekend, Oct. 4 & 5, to wish her well before she leaves for her new home.💙 Her move is part of a nationwide conservation effort to support polar bear breeding, genetic diversity, and the future of this threatened species. www.pdza.org/farewell-polar-bear-astra

A young rescued river otter is swimming free again! Found orphaned along a roadside, she was brought to the Zoo for care before continuing her recovery at Center Valley Animal Rescue with other two male rescued otters. Last week, all three were released back into the wild!