Woodland Park Zoo reopening after bomb threat, no bombs found

Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle is preparing to reopen after receiving a bomb threat Friday.

Seattle police cleared the zoo, and no bombs were found, the zoo confirmed in a Facebook post.

Woodland Park Zoo receives bomb threat around 11 a.m.

Around 11 a.m., the zoo received a phone call bomb threat and began evacuating. The zoo said it was in contact with the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and was prioritizing the safety of staff, guests, and animals. Staff evacuated around 3,500 guests and 200 camp kids, according to the zoo.

SPD responded and swept the area. Law enforcement did not find any bombs. The zoo was cleared for re-entry at 12:30 p.m.

Officials said staff has returned to the grounds, and the zoo plans to reopen at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, summer camp will resume on Monday.

The zoo thanked staff, guests, police, and the community for their response to the threat.

“In the face of something so frightening and serious, seeing the response today has been incredible,” Woodland Park Zoo President and CEO Alejandro Grajal stated. “Our staff remained calm and composed, and not only evacuated themselves, but helped out guests and summer camp kids evacuate seamlessly and with care. Our guests were responsive and measured, and helped us clear the zoo without any complications. Our young zoo campers were remarkably brave, and their families were so responsive.”

“The police department arrived quickly and behaved with professionalism and skill. And our community reached out with messages of concern, support, and kindness,” Grajal continued. “It was a terrible situation met by the best of our community, and we’re grateful that it resolved safely and quickly.”

The zoo said ticket buyers are welcome to return, may reschedule their visit, or request a refund by contacting zooinfo@zoo.org.

Emotional support services will also be made available early next week to zoo staff through the Employee Assistance Program.

U.S. zoos face series of swatting incidents

Woodland Park Zoo noted that in recent weeks, numerous zoos and aquariums have received threats that were later determined to be false swatting attempts, but regardless, the zoo treated the threat as a real emergency.

In March, Zoo Miami received four swatting threats on consecutive days, The New York Times reported.

The Association for Zoos and Aquariums told the media outlet the threats were the latest in a string of swatting incidents targeting around 40 zoos and aquariums across the United States this spring.

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