A new year and a new decade have everyone – even the animals – making New Year’s reZOOlutions. Which animal’s 2020 resolution do you best identify with?

With under two weeks until Christmas, staff at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park are as busy as Santa’s elves creating unique holiday gifts for the animals. The weekend after Christmas, Dec. 28 and Dec. 29, is “Winter Wildland” at Northwest Trek. At the annual event, animals will be given their holiday-themed treats and gifts, known as “enrichments.” Enrichments are created to challenge animals’ brains and bodies, providing them with the environmental stimuli necessary for their well-being. “During Winter Wildland, our keepers create festive themed enrichments that are made from materials that our animals do not have the chance to interact with …

Running over snow. Digging through frost. While other animals (like us!) might prefer to sleep inside during winter, wolverines are made for the cold – and our wolverines Rainier and Ahma are no exception. “Wolverines are made for winter conditions,” says keeper Miranda Mauck. “They have fur that sheds frost and massive paws for walking on snow. I can’t wait to see our two when it snows!” Wolverines naturally live in mountainous areas, like the North Cascades. With a scientific name of “gulo gulo” (“gluttonous glutton,”) they’ll eat anything and fight anything – especially in winter. Their powerful jaws and …

On a misty fall morning at Northwest Trek, Cheveyo cocks her white feathered head and eyes a pile of meat. Gold feet spread wide for balance, she stretches one glorious wing. On her other shoulder is a small feathered nub. Then she hops down and grabs the food in swift, fierce bites. One of four rescued bald eagles to find homes in the new Eagle Passage exhibit, Cheveyo is the only one who simply cannot fly. But as her Hopi name describes, she’s still very much a spirit warrior. Injured, survived, rescued “Cheveyo was rescued in New York state with …

She’s named after a mountain, but she’s the smallest of the herd. As her human care team watched closely, little mountain goat Ellinor – one of ten kids cared for at the wildlife park after recent mountain goat relocation efforts in the Olympic Mountains – trotted out to the Free-Roaming Area Wednesday morning to meet the rest of the Northwest Trek herd. There to meet her were the five yearling goat kids who’d found a home here after last year’s relocation project, and an older nanny. And while there was some initial surprise all round, it was soon clear that …

Regional zoos partner with agencies on Olympics mountain goat relocation; 10 kids cared for at Northwest Trek before finding new homes. Eatonville, Wash. – Ten fluffy white mountain goat kids paused halfway up a log behind the scenes this week at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. Then, as one, they scampered outside to explore. The kids were making history in two ways: They were the largest group of mountain goats the Eatonville wildlife park has ever cared for. But more importantly, the kids represented another successful collaboration by Northwest Trek, regional zoos and government agencies to relocate mountain goats out of …

It couldn’t fly, but it had all the tiny, angular cuteness you could possibly want. In a small meshed container in the Northwest Trek veterinary clinic, a little brown bat hung in folds of soft pink cloth, sleepily chomping a mealworm and getting ready to be an ambassador – a new lease on life, thanks to Northwest Trek staff. “One of our keepers found him on the floor of the exit breezeway,” explained keeper Wendi Mello, gently lifting the sleepy bat out of its temporary house. “It was injured and couldn’t fly, but we knew we could help.” Keepers brought …

Q: What does it take to move bald eagles into a new home? A: An expert keeper and animal care team – and plenty of patience. It was the week of the Eagle Passage Grand Opening, and two of Northwest Trek’s new bald eagles were ready to move in. Quiet, please Early one morning, before the park filled with guests and noise, veterinarian Dr. Allison Case gathered with curator Marc Heinzman, keepers Wendi Mello and Miranda Mauck and a team of keepers and interns. All were ready to gather up the eagle pair from where they had been living behind …

Hard to believe, but it’s been a year exactly since our two grizzly cubs arrived as rescued orphans. Now well over a year old, Huckleberry and Hawthorne are much bigger, much stronger but just as lovable. The bear equivalent to teenagers, they are looking a lot more like adults, but still love to play like cubs. Our keepers are celebrating with a special enrichment at 1pm Saturday Aug. 3: yummy watermelon cake for both bears. We decided to honor the moment with a side-by-side comparison of our cubs, then and now. WEIGHT Then: Hawthorne weighed 90 lb, Huckleberry 80 lb. …

They’re smart, strong and full of personality – and they’re back at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. Brother-and-sister wolverines Rainier and Ahma, both born at Northwest Trek, have returned home, and they will make their official public debut July 13-14 in a newly renovated, 10,800-square-foot habitat. You can meet their keepers at Keeper Chats 11:30am and 1:30pm Saturday July 13 and Sunday July 14 They’ll be visible at different times as they get used to their new home – come back later if you don’t see them at first. They have plenty of trees, boulders and logs to climb and explore, …