Welcome to Seattle, kid! Woodland Park Zoo announced the birth of a baby mountain goat on June 16.
The female goat was born to mom Bluebelle and dad Albert. It's the first kid born to the zoo since 1995.
“So far, we’re seeing attentive maternal care by first-time mom Bluebelle," said animal care manager Deanna DeBo. "Nursing sessions are regular and mom and her newborn are bonding.”
The new goat weighed in at 10 pounds and all tests indicate that she is healthy. 2-year-old Bluebelle and her unnamed kid are not currently on display to the public. Zoo guests will be able to view them when the boardwalk in front of the goat exhibit reopens on June 20.
The baby goat's dad Albert moved to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs to help increase genetic mountain goat representation in other zoos across America.
Bluebelle and her half-sister Atlin will remain in Seattle with the newborn.
Mountain goats dwell on the steep, cold mountain ridges in southern Alaska, Canada, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. They eat, sleep, and live at elevations of 10,000 feet and higher, climb up slopes with pitches above 60 degrees, brace 100 mph winds, and can live in temperatures as low as -50 degrees.
Woodland Park Zoo is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. through September 30. The zoo closes at 4 p.m. starting in October and is only closed on Christmas Day.
