Conservation Archives - Page 3 of 12

After seven years of settling in, the Western lowland gorillas at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo are officially a cohesive troop! 32-year-old Goma – the troop’s silverback – is living with the four females full-time, which means they’re ready to take the next step as a family.

Goma came to CMZoo on a breeding recommendation in 2016. Joining a tightly bonded group of females was no easy task for the silverback, who came from a bachelor group without much experience living in a traditional family unit. He had to learn how to lead and communicate with females, 30-year-old Asha, 30-year-old Kwisha, 42-year-old Juju and 46-year-old Roxie.

“It’s a fine line because he had to gain their respect, but also show them respect,” said Jon Wild, lead keeper in Primate World. “Now that they’re living together comfortably all the time, we can start working on one of the main reasons he came here: to hopefully help bring a bundle of joy to the group.”

The Western Lowland Gorilla Species Survival Plan recommended Goma and Asha to breed, and although Goma has no experience in that department, they’re hopeful Asha will lead the way. In the coming months, keepers will end Asha’s oral contraception (birth control).

Keepers have seen ‘flirting behavior,’ from Asha, where she’ll sit extra close to Goma or stare intensely at him. She throws hay and plays near him to get his attention, but Goma hasn’t responded. The end of birth control means Asha’s hormones will shift, so it’s likely she’ll be even more motivated to get on his radar. If Goma were human, some might think he’s playing hard to get. What’s more likely is that inexperienced Goma simply doesn’t know what to do yet.

“We haven’t seen any breeding behavior from Goma yet,” said Eleanor Knox, senior keeper in Primate World. “That’s not the case with confident Asha. She’s quite interested in him. Asha and Goma sit, sleep and eat comfortably near each other, within about five feet, which is promising. He’s learned so much already, so we’re hopeful he’ll be able to learn this new role, too.”

Asha has experience as a teacher. She previously taught breeding behaviors to another silverback. Of all the females, keepers say Asha led the way in helping Goma get settled into the troop. With the change in her hormones, the rest of the troop will likely adapt to her behaviors, too.

They’re a family that lives together 24/7, so, like any family, they have disagreements and they work them out in their own way. To communicate they’re not thrilled with something that’s happening, gorillas will ‘stiff stance,’ which is when a gorilla stands on all fours with stiff front arms while facing another gorilla intensely. They also chase, vocalize, or make noise with objects near them. This might look alarming to the untrained eye, but it’s all normal conflict resolution for gorillas.

Juju has mellowed out in her advanced age and after bouts of health issues. She very rarely initiates conflict anymore. However, she’s happy to participate with a grunt from a distance and a little chase, or she might dish out a signature ‘bop’ on the head as someone chases by her.

Because the keepers know the gorillas so well as individuals, they can identify behavioral changes and look for physical changes that could indicate pregnancy. Weight is a factor, but gorillas are naturally round-bellied, so keepers will depend on scale training and specific weights, rather than whether a gorilla ‘looks pregnant.’ Similar to humans, gorilla pregnancies can also be confirmed with a urine test.

“Guests sometimes ask if they’re pregnant now,” said Knox. “Asha and Kwisha, our younger two females, have round bellies. It’s understandable why guests might think that. Obviously, if there’s a pregnancy, no one would be more excited than us, and we would be shouting it from the mountainside when the time is right.”

The team is hopeful for a baby for a variety of reasons. Having kids in a gorilla troop generally helps make a cohesive troop even more bonded. Asha has two offspring, 16-year-old female Tumani and 10-year-old male Dembe, who now live at other zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Having young gorillas in a troop is a natural part of gorillas’ dynamic and it’s enriching for everyone to have a baby around.

“Roxie is in the last years of her life, and she has loved playing with the kids in the past,” said Knox. “We would love to see her enjoy that role as a grandma one more time. We also want to help maintain the species, and there’s nothing like a baby to get people’s attention and inspire a new generation of conservationists.”

Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered in the wild. In addition to disease and poaching, they face habitat loss due to logging for agricultural use, human settlements and mining. Many of the west African lowland forests and swamps that these animals call home contain natural deposits of coltan, a mineral used in cell phones and other electronics. Due to the ever-increasing demand for cell phones across the world, the destruction of these gorillas’ habitats for mining purposes has unfortunately only increased.

Coltan is recyclable, and by donating old cell phones, gorilla advocates can supply valuable coltan for future phone production. In Primate World, guests can deposit their old and unused cell phones in a recycling bin near the gorilla habitat. CMZoo sends them to Eco-Cell, an organization that recycles the phones, as well as tablets, smart watches, Bluetooth devices, GPS devices, e-readers, digital cameras, handheld gaming systems and their accessories.

CMZoo will provide updates on the gorilla troop’s progress as the group reaches milestones.

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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has reached a huge conservation goal: reducing its overall annual water usage by nearly half. To offset its water usage, CMZoo also continued a commitment to Trout Unlimited’s water conservation efforts right here in Colorado.

You can’t make homes for hippos and penguins without a whole lot of water, but CMZoo’s previous aquatics building was never going to meet the Zoo’s long-term water saving goals, due to outdated life support system design. From 2009 to 2017, CMZoo used an average of 29 million gallons of water per year. Now, thanks to creative solutions throughout the Zoo and techniques and technologies in Water’s Edge: Africa, the Zoo uses around 16 million gallons per year. That’s a forty-five percent reduction in water use and a savings of 13 million gallons per year.

To offset the environmental impact and to reduce water usage, the team got creative and specific, by:

Designing a new hippo habitat with more efficient methods of water filtration than the old aquatics building possessed.
Improving animals’ water quality and reducing water used in animals’ habitats by fine-tuning water testing and filtration methods.
Catching water that was previously drained when the hippo pools were vacuumed.
Installing pumps to improve water pressure and reduce water volume on hoses used to clean animal areas.
Reinforcing a ‘water aware’ culture throughout the Zoo, with leaks reported more often and repaired more quickly.
Offsetting the 16-million-gallon annual usage by funding the release of equal annual amounts into the Rio Grande basin of southern Colorado.

“Water conservation really is about collectively saving every single drop we can,” said Nicole Chaney, CMZoo conservation and sustainability coordinator. “It’s wild to think that by making a minor adjustment to the hippo pool vacuum, we saved 1,883,400 gallons of water per year. I hope CMZoo guests and fans will look for opportunities in their own homes – even if they don’t have a huge river pool that houses four hippos – to look for small changes that can make big impacts.”

CMZoo guests also make a contribution to water conservation efforts by supporting the Zoo. Every visit to CMZoo is conservation in action. CMZoo recently continued its funding support for Trout Unlimited (TU), a CMZoo conservation partner and nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of habitat for animals that rely on our local rivers, which operates a program in the Rio Grande Basin of southern Colorado.

Under the program, TU arranges for releases of water from storage reservoirs to restore river flows for the benefit of fish populations and the riverine environment. From 2019 to 2021, the Zoo donated $45,000 to support the water releases. For 2022 usage, the Zoo donated $20,000 for Trout Unlimited to release 65 acre-feet of water (which translates to 21,180,315 gallons or 50 football fields one foot deep in water) from storage into the Rio Grande River or its tributaries.

Roughly ninety percent of Colorado’s water supply is used by farmers and ranchers, according to Trout Unlimited, and this agricultural water use drives rural economies. Rivers also support many important functions in our state: feeding diverse ecosystems of plants and animals; generating tourism and making an economic impact on local business through its fishing, hunting, camping and whitewater sports; and transporting water from reservoirs to those who need it.

CMZoo supports TU’s program to partner with water users and incentivize them to re-time portions of their water for delivery during the winter months when possible. Restoring stream flows below working reservoirs during the winter months, while simultaneously satisfying water-user needs, creates a better balance of water delivery for the environment, and the people who rely on it.

Water rights are complicated in Colorado, but the experts at TU have established partnerships with water rights holders so TU can lease and re-time water rights that are used to restore waterways while benefiting the San Luis Valley communities. The annual water use volume that CMZoo uses is purchased and then released back into streams in the winter months, helping to restore winter flows to the Upper Rio Grande Basin.

Every drop of water saved helps wildlife and wild places, so look around your own habitat to see what small changes you could make. Colorado Springs Utilities offers rebates and incentives for locals who install water-saving appliances, like high-efficiency toilets and showerheads. Find more information about how you could help save Colorado’s waterways by being water-wise at home at https://www.csu.org/Pages/WaterConservationEfficiency.aspx.

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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s conservation team recently returned from Panama. The trip highlighted CMZoo’s commitment to support ongoing research, education and breeding efforts for amphibians facing threats in the wild.

As part of the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation (PARC) project, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is actively involved in saving 12 top-priority species of Panamanian amphibians threatened by an infectious fungus called chytrid.

Thanks to the breed and release work done with Wyoming toads, CMZoo and its partners have played an important role in helping support PARC. While the CMZoo conservation team was in Panama, they shared valuable knowledge and provided a case study to help further release strategies and future planning. With the sharing of information and financial support, we are excited to help develop future release plans for PARC.

Amphibians worldwide are facing a mass extinction, and by visiting CMZoo, you’re supporting teams focused on finding solutions. This trip was funded by our Quarters for Conservation program. Every time you visit the Zoo, you are making a difference for Panama frogs and many other species around the world.

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Looking at Jumbe [JOOM-bay], Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s 2,800-pound Eastern black rhinoceros, visitors might assume that his demeanor matches his stature. On the contrary, according to Annie Dinwiddie, senior keeper in Encounter Africa who has worked with Jumbe for nine years.

“He’s actually really gentle,” said Dinwiddie. “I have worked with three black rhinos and two greater one-horned rhinos, and they’re all amazing, but there’s something special about Jumbe. He has this look where he tucks his upper lip in, and he makes eye contact with you, and you kind of just see each other quietly. You can tell he’s really observant.”

20-year-old Jumbe, who came to CMZoo in 2012, is an Eastern black rhino – a species of rhino native to Africa whose most distinguishable feature is its prehensile top lip. Eastern black rhinos’ ‘pointy’ lips help them strip leaves and bark from shrubs and trees in their native landscapes, whereas white rhinos’ flat lips help them most efficiently mow grass in their native African savannahs.

CMZoo guests who participate in Jumbe’s seasonal rhino feeding opportunities know his pointy lips well. At noon every day from March through October (weather permitting), guests can line up in Encounter Africa for a paid opportunity to hand-feed Jumbe. By extending his top lip to wrap it around the produce being offered, he gently accepts it – and usually leaves guests with a slobbery goodbye.

“To be that close to a rhino is a life-changing experience for most of our guests,” said Dinwiddie. “The slobber is part of the fun!”

Jumbe’s snack times also help guests make a direct connection with rhino conservation. The $10 cost to participate supports CMZoo’s black rhino and African elephant conservation partner, Tsavo Trust.

Being messy is a way of life for Jumbe, who loves a good mud wallow, which his keepers provide whether he’s inside or outside. He lies down on his side in the mud and rolls around until he has a thick coat of cool, protective mud all over. When he’s inside, he has the option of a hands-on mud bath, courtesy of his keepers.

“Jumbe loves to get a bath, and we happily oblige,” said Dinwiddie. “He walks into a stall where we have access to him from every angle through bollards. We reach in and scrub him with long brushes, warm water and vet-approved soap. After that, we get big handfuls of mud, and he walks over so we can rub it all over him. Sometimes he makes quiet happy little squeaks and really leans into the bollards so we can reach all of his favorite spots.”

Dinwiddie says he likes to get scrubbed between his toes and will even lift his feet up one at a time to tell them where to scrub. If a mud bath isn’t on the day’s agenda, you can bet daily scratches are. Jumbe also likes to be scratched behind his ears and in his armpits, which feel velvety soft compared to the rest of his body, which feels a bit like a cantaloupe.

“Jumbe consistently chooses to spend time with people when it’s an option, and we always have plenty of activities for him to choose to do,” said Dinwiddie. “He’ll be enthusiastically tossing a huge barrel around, or stacking huge tires on his horns, or mud wallowing, but if he sees us, he almost always comes over to see what we’re doing.”

That doesn’t mean he’s longing for attention, though. Jumbe, like the preference of wild male black rhinos, is solitary at the Zoo. Because his genetics are well represented in the assurance population of black rhinos, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be recommended to breed. Apart from his keepers, he seems to enjoy socializing with his elephant neighbors.

“We have seen him and Jambo, one of our six African elephants, standing on either side of bollards next to each other,” said Dinwiddie. “Jambo will smell Jumbe with her trunk, and Jumbe will nudge her with his horn, and they just seem to be enjoying the tactile interaction for a few minutes. But, we don’t think he would enjoy sharing the space with the elephants. He still enjoys having his own space and being able to interact when he chooses to.”

Eastern black rhinos are one of five remaining species of rhinoceros, along with two species native to Indonesia, the Javan and Sumatran rhinos, which each have only 70 or fewer wild individuals remaining. The greater one-horned rhino is native to India and Nepal, with around 4,000 wild individuals remaining. White rhinos are native to Africa and have around 15,000 in the wild. Eastern black rhinos, like Jumbe, are native to Africa with around 6,000 individuals in the wild.

“For most people in the U.S., he’s the only rhino they’ll ever see,” said Dinwiddie. “Even people who visit Africa multiple times aren’t guaranteed to see them, so we’re very aware of what a special opportunity it is to work with or meet Jumbe.”

Tsavo Trust works to protect the last of the big tuskers, which are African elephants with tusks weighing more than 100 pounds, and Eastern black rhinos, in Tsavo National Park, in Kenya. Funds raised through Jumbe’s snack times and scheduled daily seasonal elephant feedings help pay for pilot hours of frontline aerial surveillance that protects rhinos and elephants from poachers seeking their ivory and horns.

Along with funding from the Kratt Family Foundation, CMZoo guests’ support has helped build permanent housing that allows staff to live on the land where these endangered giants live. It has funded the construction of a vehicle maintenance building and special projects in local communities.

“By feeding Jumbe, you’re making a connection with him, and you’re directly supporting his wild counterparts,” said Dinwiddie. “That’s why we’re here, and Jumbe can inspire guests to care for wild rhinos better than any of the rest of us can.”

One way to prevent further destruction of Indonesian habitats where rhinos live is by supporting companies that use sustainable palm oil, rather than using unsustainable palm oil production. Download the free WAZA PalmOil Scan app, launched by CMZoo, Auckland Zoo and Chester Zoo, under the direction of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) last summer, and scan products before purchasing them. (Learn more and download the app at cmzoo.org/palmoil.)

Jumbe’s attentive gentle nature makes him an excellent voluntary training participant. He participates in target training, positioning his body in different ways so keepers can get closer looks at different parts of him, x-rays, presenting his horn, injection training and blood draws.

“One of the first things I trained with him on was a blood draw,” said Dinwiddie. “He quickly picked up what we were asking him to do. He presents one of his front legs so we can draw blood from a vein where his skin isn’t as thick. He has been such an exemplary student that we’ve been able to share our training methods with other people who care for rhinos. We communicate with him, and he communicates with us throughout the sessions.”

During blood draw training, Jumbe puts his foot on a black mark on the ground. When he is ready to move on to something else, he knows he can move his foot off that mark, and his trainers will end the training session. His favorite training rewards, or reinforcers as they’re known in the zoo profession, are apple, banana and carrots dipped in peanut butter and jelly, or blueberry bagels – all in vet-approved treat-sized amounts.

“He’s truly amazing, and I just can’t imagine a world without rhinos,” said Dinwiddie. “Rhino and elephant conservation can be complicated. It can be de-motivating because the problem can feel so big that it’s overwhelming, but all of us can make a difference. People can directly support Tsavo Trust by visiting our Zoo, and we can teach them not to purchase rhino products. The leading cause of decline for all five rhino species is horn poaching and habitat loss. We have to stop the demand for rhino horns by educating people that rhino horns don’t contain medicinal materials. Their horns are made of keratin, and are literally no different than a fingernail.”

Next time you’re at CMZoo, stop by Encounter Africa to wave hello to Jumbe and plan your day to line up for a scheduled seasonal feeding opportunity. Even if you don’t make it to feed Jumbe, you’re supporting black rhino conservation by visiting CMZoo. 75¢ from every admission supports local and worldwide conservation efforts through our Quarters for Conservation program.

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Five Rocky Mountain goats call CMZoo home. Twinkie (17), Yazhi (12), Albert (8), Lena (3) and Blanca (9 months) make up the herd seen high up in their customized habitat made up of cascading rock formations. This steep habitat mimics the terrain Rocky Mountain goats experience in the wild.

Their unique hooves have two toes with a soft center that acts as a kind of climbing shoe. Keepers help our goats get the best grip on the rocks through important voluntary hoof care training.

Our goats also participate in target training and scale training. When keepers ask the goats to touch or move to a target, they are rewarded with their favorite treats. This training allows keepers to weigh them on a scale, administer vaccines or other medications, and check their hoofs for overgrowth or foreign objects.

Next time you visit CMZoo, stop by the Rocky Mountain goat exhibit and watch members of the herd scale rocks with their nimble hooves!

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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is preparing for the arrival of a female Amur tiger, Mila [MEE-luh], in early March and the departure of a male African lion, Boma [BOH-muh], in late March. The two moves support their respective Species Survival Plans, but aren’t necessarily immediate breeding recommendations. Organizations accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) often work together, like this, to provide the best homes available as animals mature and develop different needs, like additional space or new social opportunities.

Mila, who will turn two on May 1, will travel to CMZoo from Toronto Zoo, where she was born and has lived with her mother, Mazy, until recently. Tigers are typically solitary in the wild, so Mila is prime to embrace the world as an independent young adult tiger, but she’s still a little young to become a mom herself. CMZoo’s tiger habitat in Asian Highlands has plenty of space to make a home for Mila.

Chewy, CMZoo’s nearly 8-year-old male Amur tiger, and Mila will certainly be aware of each other’s presence in the tiger building, where they’ll have separate dens, or in the yards they will take turns exploring. However, there are no immediate plans to introduce the tigers.

For animal transfers, keeper teams from both zoos typically work together to make animal moves as low stress as possible for all involved. They share information about an animal’s favorite treats, enrichment items, trained behaviors, den setups, behavioral tendencies and more. This helps the animal’s new care team provide the best possible welfare once the animal arrives.

“This is Mila’s first-ever move, so we want to make it as positive an experience as possible for her,” said Rebecca Zwicker, animal care manager in Asian Highlands. “She has been Toronto’s sweetheart, so we’re happy to welcome her to our community where we know she’ll be equally admired and respected with a life of choice, opportunity and care.”

Mila’s team will follow her lead as she learns the new faces, spaces and smells at CMZoo. Once she arrives, they’ll focus on building trusting relationships with her through training, enrichment, positive reinforcement and lots of her favorite activities and meals.

“There’s no need to rush things,” said Zwicker. “We’ll be excited to share her with guests as soon as Mila shows us she’s ready.”

Unlike tigers, African lions are social animals. As they mature, they sometimes outgrow their family units. Seven-year-old Boma, who was born at CMZoo in 2015 and has been living with his brother Aslan for the last several years, is showing signs he’s ready for his own pride.

Boma is moving to another AZA-accredited organization in California, where he will be the only male in the pride. Because Boma’s genetics are well represented in the assurance population of African lions in human care, this move is unlikely to result in a breeding recommendation.

“A huge part of our role as keepers is to provide the best possible environments for our animals,” said Rachael Hahn, African Rift Valley senior lead keeper. “When you see an animal is telling you it’s time for something new, we embrace the fact that there’s a reward for them that far outweighs the risk. Of course, it’s hard to say goodbye when an animal moves on, but we really think this new place and pride are going to be perfect for him.”

To prepare him for his road trip, the African Rift Valley animal care team has been familiarizing Boma with his travel crate and making sure he’s in tip-top shape to make the trip. Boma’s keepers at CMZoo have been in contact with his new care team in California, so they can welcome Boma and be aware of his tendencies, preferences and motivators.

“Boma is probably our most confident lion,” said Hahn. “I can just see him strutting into his new home with his impressive presence and quickly winning the hearts of the team and the respect of his new pride.”

With Boma leaving, African Rift Valley keepers are working to provide Aslan with social opportunities, too. Four African lions will remain at CMZoo: the patriarch, Abuto, the aging matriarch, Lomela, their daughter, Elsa, and their son, Aslan. The long-term plan is for Elsa and Aslan to share space, with interbreeding preventions in place, and for Lomela and Abuto to share space. The introduction plan will be ongoing, so guests may see groups of two or three lions together as the care team works to support the changes in the pride.

Guests who want to wish Boma well on his new adventure should do so before Mon., March 27. CMZoo will provide social media updates on Mila’s arrival, including when guests might be able to see her in Asian Highlands, as she settles in.

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Apart from being adorable and full of sassy antics, the African penguins at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo have a big job: to help visitors fall in love with and advocate for wild penguins. Napoleon, Biggs, Ivy and the rest of the flock inspire us to save wildlife and wild places, and their wild counterparts can use all the help they can get.

“Luckily, they have our guests’ and members’ support through our relationship with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB),” said Nicole Chaney, CMZoo conservation and sustainability coordinator. “Coastal birds, including African penguins, face a lot of challenges – especially right now. So, we continue to be exceedingly grateful for the amazing frontline efforts of the SANCCOB team.”

With guests’ and members’ support, CMZoo has previously sent staff to learn from and contribute to African penguin rehabilitation and release work at SANCCOB. CMZoo also provides ongoing support to fund staff for the Robben Island Ranger project, which allows on-site SANCCOB staff to monitor wild African penguin colonies, study them, and to react quickly if the birds need immediate support. As a member of the AZA African Penguin SAFE, CMZoo collaborates with a large team of penguin conservationists to pool resources and unite focuses and support African penguin conservation with the power of multiple organizations.

African penguins are endangered, with multiple ongoing factors negatively affecting their wild populations, including rising ocean temperatures and overfishing. Rising temperatures and changing ocean currents are causing adult penguins to molt during chick-rearing season. This means they’re not waterproof and are susceptible to hypothermia in cool ocean waters. Some have to turn back from fishing excursions without food for their families.

Overfishing has contributed to the decreasing abundance of fish that penguins can hunt in the wild, including small pelagic fish such as sardines and anchovies. Adult penguins raise their chicks in pairs, so while one parent stays with the chick or egg, the other parent hunts for food. With a dwindling food source, the hunting penguins must travel farther to find fish, leaving the parenting penguins without food for lengthy periods. Sometimes the parenting penguin responds as if the hunting parent won’t return, and abandons the chick or egg to find food.

SANCCOB saves abandoned African penguin eggs and chicks, incubates the eggs, and hand-rears the chicks, until they are strong enough for release back to the wild, where they will hopefully help grow the dwindling population. SANCCOB is the only organization in the world currently doing this. SANCCOB reports that hundreds of penguins were saved over the past year, thanks to rescue and rehabilitation efforts. Unfortunately, releases were delayed due to avian flu restrictions.

“In addition to all of these odds stacked against them, African penguins at SANCCOB are now affected by an outbreak of avian influenza within the rehabilitation facility, following an outbreak of the virus in wild bird populations in 2021 and 2022,” said Chaney. “SANCCOB is working hard to limit the spread of the flu while doing all they can to help birds through it. That meant setting up emergency off-site quarantine facilities and recovery teams, paying for expensive tests for the birds, and limiting volunteers and staff. So, more work, and more expenses with less hands.”

As well as providing ongoing funding for a variety of local and worldwide conservation efforts through Quarters for Conservation (Q4C) and the annual Member Conservation Vote, CMZoo has emergency reserves for immediate conservation needs. CMZoo responded to SANCCOB’s call for support in the amount of $5,000, which, along with the support of other organizations, allowed SANCCOB to quickly respond to the outbreak.

Despite extensive quarantine and biosecurity measures in place, the virus did spread among many birds, but SANCCOB reported the virus has not spread rapidly in most of their seabird patients and that many appeared to shed the virus and recover. A temporary off-site rehabilitation facility has been set up so that newly admitted seabirds can be cared for without exposing them to the birds under quarantine. They are optimistic that the penguins undergoing rehabilitation will continue to recover, and that no additional symptoms develop.

In January 2023, 51 healthy African penguins were reintroduced to the wild, despite the mountain of challenges SANCCOB endured. By visiting CMZoo, guests and members allow frontline conservation organizations, like SANCCOB, to monitor and respond to the immediate needs of the most vulnerable species on the planet. Next time you visit the flock at CMZoo, take a moment to recognize how the penguins you see before you are connected to the penguins that conservationists are working to save in the wild.

Special note: CMZoo’s veterinary, animal care and leadership teams are monitoring the local avian flu risk level closely, and have plans in place to protect the birds at CMZoo if the need arises.

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Zoos often talk about the importance of Species Survival Plans (SSP). While it’s hard not to fall in love with baby animals, it’s important to remember why zoos work so hard to bring them into the world. As matchmakers for the zoo animal kingdom, SSP coordinators study genetics of animals in human care and make breeding recommendations to pair potential mates whose offspring would be the most genetically diverse. The babies represent hope for the future of their species.

SSP coordinators are usually volunteers that work for an organization accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), but don’t typically work directly for AZA. They serve as a central resource for zoos that support the SSP, and how each organization is equipped to help. Although the SSP makes the recommendations, each facility decides how they can contribute through breeding and raising young, moving an animal, welcoming a new animal, or providing a quality home for animals that aren’t breeding.

Typically, SSPs make new breeding recommendations every three years. So, it’s no coincidence that zoo enthusiasts might notice the same species of animal moving to and from several zoos around the same time.

But, animals don’t always move to breed. They could move to make space for more offspring or a new partner. An older member of the family might join a new family or a bachelor group of non-breeding males, for example.

CMZoo supports the Mexican Wolf SSP. For many years before these successful breeding efforts, the Zoo housed a bachelor pack of wolves. Later, the SSP placed various unsuccessful breeding pairs at CMZoo. Until Luna and Navarro’s first litter, in 2018, it had been 20 years since wolf pups were born at CMZoo. Our late matriarch, Luna, and her mate, Navarro, contributed six pups to the Mexican Wolf SSP. Phoenix, Shadow, Bluestem, Hope and Lupa were born in 2018 and Uno, a singleton pup, was born in 2019.

For now, CMZoo will contribute to the SSP by providing a quality home for Navarro, Uno, Hope, Phoenix and Shadow. In 2020, Bluestem moved to another facility on a breeding recommendation, and Lupa now lives at an AZA-accredited zoo in New Mexico.

“It’s exciting to welcome new animals and we understand that it can be difficult to see an animal move, but we all have to remember we’re working to save species,” Ashley Arimborgo, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s registrar, who often oversees the coordination between zoos that are transferring animals on breeding recommendations to and from CMZoo. “The great thing is, you can usually keep up with your favorite individuals on other zoos’ social media channels if they move away from CMZoo.”

Once the recommendations are made, organizations decide if they can support the recommendations, and the SSP coordinator connects zoos so they can arrange travel plans. Before a zoo might welcome babies, there are a lot of “Tetris pieces” that have to fall into place.

“Even after animals move to make room for breeding partners and those breeding partners arrive, it’s typically a lengthy process,” said Arimborgo. “Once an animal arrives, our focus shifts from genetics and logistics to individual care and compatibility. Our animal care teams work to make the new arrival comfortable and then might start introducing the potential breeding pair.”

Howdies are opportunities for animals to see, smell and hear each other with a protective barrier in between them. If animals consistently show positive signs of interest in each other, the next step might be to introduce them without a barrier for incrementally increasing periods of time. But, just because they’re genetically compatible doesn’t always mean they are immediately compatible as individuals.

CMZoo’s Pallas’ cats, Bo and Nancy, have a breeding recommendation, but unfortunately haven’t been successful producing offspring, even though they are cohabitating successfully. Another complication in animal breeding is that some species, like Pallas’ cats, have miniscule windows of fertility. Female Pallas’ cats are usually only fertile for a maximum of 46 hours per year, which is really short compared to other cats and animals. Keepers work with them throughout the year to give them the best chances at breeding when the very limited time is right each winter.

“In the end, it’s mostly up to the animals,” said Arimborgo. “We lean on science and expertise in animal behaviors to provide the best possible environment, but those elements alone don’t guarantee success. Or, you could see an immediate connection between the animals and welcome a baby in a matter of months.”

The ring-tailed lemur family in Water’s Edge: Africa welcomed three babies seemingly as soon as they had the chance. In 2020, Allagash and her sister Rogue were introduced to breeding male, Hercules. The following spring and summer, Rogue welcomed Water’s Edge’s first baby ever, Maky, and Allagash welcomed twins, Elo and Anja. Now, with six lemurs on Lemur Island, CMZoo supports the Ring-Tailed Lemur SSP by providing them with a life of care and choice.

There are hundreds of SSPs supported by organizations that care for animals. CMZoo supports many of them, including the Black-Footed Ferret SSP, Giraffe SSP, African Lion SSP, Orangutan SSP, and more. But, not all species have an SSP.

“Regardless of whether an animal is endangered in the wild, there sometimes aren’t enough animals in human care to support an SSP,” said Ashley Arimborgo, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s registrar. “Because genetic diversity is so important to the viable future of a species, if the larger zoo community can’t support breeding, we focus on another species that we could help.”

Next time you’re adoring a cute baby animal at CMZoo, we encourage you to reflect on the importance of its overall existence to inspire people and contribute to the future of its own species.

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There’s a new addition near the play hills at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo: a brand-new shipping container farm, equipped with the latest hydroponic vertical growing technology, including blue and red LED grow lights with specialized wavelengths for leafy green production.

The newly installed high-tech horticulture house is the next step in CMZoo’s goal toward a more secure, autonomous way to source fresh leafy greens for animals. In July 2021, the Zoo established its first shipping container farm, and this second farm is a continuation of the horticulture team’s testing phase.

“We’re excited to learn this new system and to see what works best compared to our existing shipping container farm, which guests can see right next door,” said Julia Zoltowsky, horticulture curator at CMZoo. “This setup looks a lot different, and we have high hopes for improving our production and efficiency with resources like water and energy.”

Guests peering through the glass door at the end of the farm, which is a metal freight container, will immediately notice a big difference: the plants are hanging sideways on vertical panels, rather than sitting upright on horizontal shelves. There’s also a nursery in the new farm, so the horticulture team can grow produce from seeds then transfer them to the hanging grow panels within the same environment.

“The new system is fully automated,” said Zoltowsky. “We use a computer system that gives us a ‘recipe’ for each plant species we’re growing. We input the type of plant in each panel or nursery section, and the system tells us the unique light, water, nutrient and spacing needs, and then delivers those settings on a programmed schedule.”

Anyone who visits CMZoo knows lettuce plays a big role in the Zoo’s success in connecting people to animals, notably the 17-member giraffe herd. Guests can get eye to eye with the giraffe and hand-feed them lettuce every day – whether they’re in their barn or out in their yards – for $3 per lettuce bundle, or $5 for two bundles.

It fluctuates throughout the year, but on average, the Zoo uses more than 3,500 heads of romaine lettuce per month for animal diets. It’s a small part of the giraffes’ diet, but it’s a huge part of the guest experience.

After a satisfactory testing period, the long-term plan is to purchase additional shipping container farms, which will be located in a renovated guest entryway and complement a renovated giraffe habitat. With processes fine-tuned and more farms in place, the Zoo hopes to be able to source approximately 50 percent of the lettuce for its giraffe feeding experience. Even longer term, the Zoo hopes to grow 80 percent of all fresh produce for its animals in farms like this one.

The testing phase allows the horticulture team to learn the high-tech programs, controlled by an iPad on-site and through remote surveillance and software off-site. It will also give them a chance to make sure the ‘recipes’ for each plant are really working, and that the equipment is reliable. There’s a lot to test.

“Part of each plant’s recipe for success includes optimal lighting settings,” said Zoltowsky. “The horticulture team can control the lighting, watering and nutrients remotely, and thanks to cameras inside the shipping container, we can check on the plants without even entering the farm. When things are this high-tech, we anticipate some glitches, but everything is going really smoothly so far.”

At the end of the December, the farm’s first seedlings were moved over to the grow panels, so the first test harvest is well underway. Once the plants are big enough to leave the nursery, they’re moved to a hanging panel which holds the plants sideways with sponges and wicking strips made of thick felt. The plants are held in place by strips of sponge. The panels drip water onto wicking strips that reach the plants’ roots. The plants absorb the water and nutrients that drip down each panel onto the felt wicking strips. At the bottom of the panel, excess water is collected and moved back through the system.

The horticulture team enters data into the computerized system like when seedlings are planted or when they are transferred to a grow panel. The idea is that the system does the rest, including directing the team to harvest on specific dates. The farm has a dedicated Ethernet system and back-up power, so a power or internet outage shouldn’t impact the plants.

“We can see a ton of information through the system, which will hopefully help us be most efficient with our resources,” said Zoltowsky. “Hydroponic growing means you grow plants in water, without soil, so you have more autonomy over how much nutrients go into a plant.”

When plants grow in the ground, farmers work to provide the perfect nutrient balance, which is difficult because there are nutrients in the ground, nutrients in the soil added to the ground and nutrients added throughout the growing process.

“You can test the soil, but it’s hard to find a balance that allows you to grow the plant with exactly what it needs,” said Zoltowsky. “This makes it simple to know exactly what the plant is eating, and that’s how we know our animals are eating safe and healthy produce – because we grew it ourselves.”

The original shipping container farm will continue to be tested. Once the team masters the new shipping container farm, the plan is to dedicate it to lettuce production while the original farm allows them to continue experimenting with growing herbs, browse and other parts of animals’ diets.

“We think we can produce about 3,960 heads of lettuce per month once we’re up and running,” said Zoltowsky. “We want to start slowly while we’re learning this technology, the computer system, and getting new staff on board. We have invested a lot of time and energy into researching the best system for us, and we’re excited to share it with our visitors.”

Guests can see the new and original shipping container farms near the play hills, across from the Grizzly Grill, at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

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This summer, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo conservation keepers introduced ten tiny tadpoles to the world. The ‘poster tadpoles’ of their endangered species, the Wyoming toad, morphed into toadlets within weeks. At the end of July, CMZoo fans submitted naming ideas for the ten amphibian siblings on the Zoo’s social media channels, and one theme was a big hit in ‘the office’ at the Zoo. The toads were named Jim, Pam, Michael, Dwight, Stanley, Kelly, Phyllis, Angela, Oscar and Kevin. Since then, they have fine-tuned their hunting skills and are growing big and strong in the conservation center above Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

In the 90s, Wyoming toads were considered extinct in the wild, and only one population remained in human care. That population became the foundation for a breeding program in nine zoological and governmental facilities, including CMZoo, producing tadpoles and toadlets for reintroduction to the wild.

Over its 26-year commitment to Wyoming toad recovery, CMZoo’s conservation team has released 44,695 tadpoles and 1,510 toads into the wild. Next summer, these ten toads and hundreds of others born at CMZoowill take their first hops into the wild as part of this ongoing conservation effort.

“Each summer, we travel to the Laramie Basin, in Wyoming, to release toads and tadpoles to their wild native habitats,” said Jeff Baughman, field conservation coordinator at CMZoo. “We also prepare toads for breeding in the summer, and we welcome new tadpoles to their tanks. It is a really exciting and busy time, but our winter efforts are also important.”

For the conservation team, winter and spring are all about growing healthy toads and preparing them for the next summer’s release. Of course, educating and inspiring the public to care for toads is a year-round priority.

“Toad conservation may not be front-of-mind for most people mid-winter, but we’re always working to help this native species recover,” said Baughman. “Toads are worth saving. They play a vital role at the center of the prairie environment as the best bug control available and as sustenance for migrating birds and native animals in search of food. If the toads don’t survive, the whole ecosystem suffers.”

Amphibians worldwide are facing mass extinction due to a pandemic caused by the chytrid fungus. Chytrid fungus results in a skin infection that hinders amphibians’ ability to breathe and absorb water. This often leads to organ failure and death. Disinfecting outdoor recreation gear used in and near water can help stop the spread of the deadly chytrid fungus. Outdoorspeople who explore waterways can leave their gear in a hot car or the sun for about 3 hours to kill the fungus and prevent transferring it to another body of water.

In winter, Baughman and his colleagues also continue year-round work on the Wyoming toad Species Survival Plan (SSP). SSP managers make recommendations on which breeding toads should be paired next year to achieve the greatest possible genetic diversity for the population, many of which will be released into the wild and some of which will stay in human care to contribute to continued breeding efforts.

A key to making those breeding recommendations, and giving each toad the best chance at wild survival, is identifying each individual. The team can ID each toad by its unique wart patterns. Since those patterns can change as a toad grows in size, each toad is microchipped.

“By scanning each microchip, we have a more reliable way to track important data for each toad,” said Baughman. “For example, we can see if Michael is gaining weight or if Pam is doing well in artificial hibernation prior to being released, without depending totally on their wart patterns. They get their chips around 6 to 8 months of age. The ten we’ve been following on social media and many others in the cohort recently got theirs.”

In addition to tracking important data while the toads are in human care, the microchips also allow conservation teams to check up on the toads once they’re released. During releases, the teams will scan toads they find in the wild to see how many were bred in human care and released into the wild versus a number of toads without microchips, which biologists can safely assume were either born in the wild or grew from the tadpoles released from human care.

“The goal is to encourage wild breeding,” said Baughman. “It’s not sustainable for us to dream of continuing to release thousands of toads and tadpoles every year f We have to discover what the toads need to breed and survive naturally in the wild.”

So far, age seems to have a lot to do with it. In past years, conservationists focused on releasing ‘headstart toads,’ aptly named for their headstart on life. These toads are released into the wild at one year of age, instead of as tadpoles or toadlets. Their bigger size and self-sufficiency, gained from their first year in a safe environment in human care, meant they were less likely to become fish food. At a year old, the toads are not typically mature and ready to breed so a new strategy will be tested.

“This year, we’re going to start releasing two-year-old headstart toads,” said Baughman. “Conservation is a science, and science is all about experimenting to find better ways of doing things. We think that two-year-old toads might be more likely to breed.”

Because Baughman and his colleagues have seen a small increase in wild Wyoming toad egg strands, they know toads are breeding, but they want to further increase wild breeding events. Rather than completely change their approach to release only two-year-old toads, they will also continue to release one-year-olds, including Jim, Pam, Michael, Dwight, Stanley, Kelly, Phyllis, Angela, Oscar and Kevin, in 2023. We will continue to give updates during the spring as their summer release date approaches.

Just by visiting CMZoo, members and guests are making an impact to help toads and other species. Through CMZoo’s Quarters for Conservation program, 75¢ of every admission is dedicated to frontline conservation efforts like this, so guests can enjoy a day on the mountain with their favorite animals and support important programs dedicated to saving wildlife and wild places. Since 2008, when Q4C started, CMZoo’s guests and members have contributed more than $4 million to conservation projects worldwide.

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