Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and love is in the air at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. There’s no concrete way to measure an animal’s love, but many of the animals at Northwest Trek are coupled up or longtime companions and enjoy each other’s company. Of course, Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples- it’s about celebrating friendship and family, too! Moose “Moose are generally solitary animals, but our three moose calves love being in their own micro-herd,” said keeper Jordan. “They are seldom seen alone and prefer to forage, go on walks, swim, play in the meadows, and even …

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and love is in the air at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park! There’s no concrete way to measure an animal’s love but many of the animals at Northwest Trek are coupled up, or longtime companions, and enjoy each other’s company. Of course, Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples- it’s about celebrating friendship and family, too! Grizzlies Bromance. Bro-entines (like, galentines). Brotherly love. Whatever you want to call it, grizzly bears Hawthorne and Huckleberry have it. While not technically brothers, they both arrived to Northwest Trek as cubs around the same age, orphaned in the …

American badger sisters Poppy and Lavender recently had annual wellness exams with Northwest Trek’s animal care and veterinary team. Both sisters had their eyes checked, nails trimmed, X-rays taken, and received routine vaccinations. They also contributed to critical scientific research. During the exam, the veterinary team gathered a small tissue sample- a 4-millimeter biopsy- from the left ear of each sister. “This tissue will allow researchers to study the evolutionary history of badgers,” explained veterinary technician Tracy. Researchers are interested in studying the adaptations that lead to the badger’s underground and burrowing lifestyle. They reached out to Association of Zoos …

Just a few weeks ago, they were orphaned near Ellensburg. Their mother was killed by a car. And the two young badgers were being fed by a kindly landowner who worked to keep the foundlings alive until rescuers from the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife could arrive. Today, badger sisters Poppy and Lavender, named for flowering Northwest plants, are at home in a new habitat at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. “They likely could not have survived in the wild and were in need of care and feeding when they were rescued,” Northwest Trek Zoological Curator Marc Heinzman said. “We …