Snow leopards, Komodo dragons, grizzlies, lions, tigers and more carnivorous animals at Woodland Park Zoo will chow down on raw, store-prepared turkeys at the zoo’s annual Turkey Toss from 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday. It’s included in zoo admission.
(Photo by Ryan Hawk, WPZ.)
The early Thanksgiving treat is part of the zoo’s ongoing enrichment program to help enrich the lives of the zoo’s animals, promote natural animal behavior, keep animals mentally and physically stimulated and engage zoo visitors.
You can also drop off a non-perishable food donation outside the zoo’s South Entrance at North 50th Street and Fremont Avenue. Collected food will benefit the Phinney Neighborhood Association soup kitchen program, which operates two days a week at St. John United Lutheran Church located across from the zoo’s West Entrance, and one day a week at Calvary Lutheran Church in Ballard. Food items most in demand: non-perishable juice, jam, canned fruit, beans, canned vegetables, chili, ketchup and powdered creamers.
15 responses so far ↓
1 Megan the Vegan // Nov 20, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Meat is murder!
2 Whopper // Nov 20, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Where are all the zoo haters now? Shouldn’t they be demanding the zoo feed the zebras and giraffes to the lions like they do in nature? I know my kids would pay to see that!
3 Tahomajim // Nov 20, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Megan, write what you want but I dare you to try to take the meat from that lion.
Ya know, when writers are anonymous people write things they would never say publically.
I eat meat occassionally, I see little difference eating meat or a plant.
4 greenwoodmomma // Nov 20, 2009 at 7:08 pm
i have to say, i think it’s a bit gross… seems kind of out of place at a zoo. sure, it’s nature. but naked headless turkeys? i think i’ll skip that.
5 Alyssa // Nov 20, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Thanks for the great photo! I always wondered what the Turkey Toss was all about and “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
6 Dogleg Hernandez II // Nov 21, 2009 at 1:29 am
What a thrilling enrichment program by Woodland Park Zoo…throwing store prepared turkey carcasses to animals in captivity for holiday entertainment. How educational. Classy with a k.
7 Whopper // Nov 21, 2009 at 8:10 am
I agree Dogleg, they should let the lions loose with the zebra, antelope and giraffe. I’d pay to watch that. Of course, all the animal lovers might get sick to their stomachs on that much real nature.
8 Kat // Nov 21, 2009 at 10:02 am
I heard the zoo was getting some MAJOR cutbacks. Does anyone know more on this?
9 outside the box // Nov 21, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I think I would prefer the zebra…is it light meat, dark meat, light meat, dark meat??
10 Whopper // Nov 21, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Agreed, let’s feed them the zebra. How much of a head start should the zoo give them? What a great way to raise money for WPZ! Every week they can charge us to come ’see nature in all it’s glory’ as they let the lions loose on another zoo resident.
11 Harry Tracy // Nov 21, 2009 at 8:09 pm
To Kat, the one person so far who is being sensible. Here’s an excerpt from a recent zoo memo:
. . . we will have to make some other changes to our business model and operations to allow the zoo to be financially sustainable over the long term. These include:
We will reduce staff by 12 FTEs. This will include both represented and non-represented positions, and will include eliminating some vacancies.
We will close the Night Exhibit portion of the Day and Night House.
We will reduce expenses across all programs and departments, and discontinue some events, such as Pumpkin Prowl, which cost more to produce than they generate in revenues.
We will continue to seek additional revenues and increased efficiencies in our operations.
We hope to make these changes in as sensitive a way as possible, lessening the impact on our staff, maintaining our first-class animal care, protecting the experience of our guests, and continuing our dedication to wildlife conservation and education.
12 Tahomajim // Nov 21, 2009 at 9:34 pm
If our zoo fails we can thank the exotic animal haters, those conservative neighbors who oppose anything new at the zoo, and that cock sucking George W. Bush (I mean this in a BAD way) who spent 8 years ruining our national economy with his wars and planned deliberate raid on the US Treasury. Birds of a feather….no pun intended…………. Let’s face it, there are those who want WPZ to become a picnic park…. for homeless types. That will solve the parking problems! I disagree…..
13 Tahomajim // Nov 21, 2009 at 9:41 pm
What’s wrong with feeding headless naked turkeys to lions? I doubt the lion misses eating a beak or eyeball or two…. anyone know for sure?
14 Kat // Nov 22, 2009 at 10:22 am
Tahomajim:
and you don’t think Obama is doing this now? More dead in his term and the deficit climbing at a VERY steady rate…
15 ballardmike // Nov 22, 2009 at 11:33 am
Oh Those SOCIALIST Animals Getting a Free Handout from the MAN!
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