Under the current agreement, the society has the authority to acquire, sell or otherwise dispose of the zoo’s animals in accordance with laws, industry guidelines and “any adopted acquisition and disposition policies approved by the city.” Councilmember Kshama Sawant cited the provision in 2015 when she sponsored an ordinance that would have directed the elephants Chai and Bamboo to a sprawling sanctuary. “Being able to have a place to go where you can see things and experience animals that are out of your everyday experience and have your vision of the world broadened means a lot to kids in particular.” “I have seen the kind of difference (visiting the zoo) can make,” said Holly Dzyban, with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound. The zoo’s animal care is “second to none” and its exhibits promote wildlife conservation, Grajal said.
The zoo’s president, Alejandro Grajal, assured council members that the animals are treated well, and representatives from multiple charitable organizations that receive free tickets from the zoo urged the council to approve the new deal, which would require the society to provide about $3 million in public benefits each year. “This proposal that’s before the City Council does take away any authority over the animals at the Woodland Park Zoo.” “We really ought to do better than funding an organization that takes wild animals and locks them up in cages,” Rachel Bjork, board president at the Northwest Animal Rights Network, told the committee, echoing several others speakers. The controversy peaked between 2012, when a Seattle Times investigation found that elephants across the country were dying at double the rate they were being born, and 2015, when the society closed Woodland Park Zoo’s elephant exhibit under pressure from the activists, shipping the zoo’s two remaining elephants to the Oklahoma City Zoo.Ĭouncilmember Debora Juarez called that episode “the elephant in the room” during Friday’s meeting, as her parks committee heard public testimony about the matter and then questioned representatives from the society and the Parks Department. But that agreement is scheduled to expire in February, and a new agreement proposed by the society and the Parks Department is attracting scrutiny, particularly from activists who battled the zoo for years over its elephants. Woodland Park Zoological Society, a private nonprofit, has run the city-owned zoo since 2002 under an operations and management agreement. The Space Needle comes with two entries, one during the day, and the other in the evening, which was a fun surprise.SEATTLE – Some animal-rights activists raised concerns Friday about Seattle’s relationship with the Woodland Park Zoo, warning that a $250 million new pact proposed for the city and the zoo would eliminate public oversight of the zoo’s animal collection and ticket prices while increasing the zoo’s public funding.Īt a meeting on the matter, some City Council members asked about those points and signaled they may make some changes before approving the deal. The lines were relatively short, and we had no issues getting in when presenting out passes. Our tickets were available to use just a few minutes after purchasing them. The Woodland Park Zoo was beautiful, and has a wide variety of animals to see, and very family friendly. The Aquarium is right by the water and Pike Place Market, and several of their exhibits look to use sea water and wave simulation for some of their animals.
Easy & Fun Way to Explore Seattle! My husband and I purchased Seattle CitiPasses for our visit and loved getting to see what Seattle had to offer! Unfortunately, the harbor tours that are usually included in the "pick 5" options was not available due to Covid, however, the 5 attractions included and open are fantastic! 3 of the 5 attractions are right next to each other at the Seattle Center (Museum of Pop Culture, Space Needle & Chihuly Garden) so be sure to schedule some time to explore each of these sites! The other two sites are also very interesting.