The Waterhole Archives - Page 34 of 35

The time of gift giving is upon us, which means spending time thinking of the perfect gift to share with your loved ones. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has some great ideas that can help you spend less time shopping and more time together. For the person who has everything or the animal lover who can’t get enough, these experiences will live on well past the average wrappable gift.

Loft Animal Encounters

Have you ever been to the Zoo and looked at our armadillo Frida, and wondered what it would be like to feed her? Animal encounters make memories that last a lifetime. Any time of year, visitors can arrange to meet our Loft animals up close, prepare diets, feed them and help train alongside keepers. With reptiles, birds and mammals to choose from, there are perfect experiences for everyone! Booking information is available at www.cmzoo.org/loftencounters.

In addition to offering close encounters with smaller species, CMZoo can help coordinate one-on-one experiences with our larger ambassador animals. Learn more about those special arrangements at www.cmzoo.org/encounter.

Loft Animal Art Experiences

There are several animal artists at the Zoo whose art can be purchased online or from their habitats. But, did you know that you can set up an experience to be a part of the painting process from start to finish? Animal art experiences allow you decide which colors to use and to help train an animal to paint . At the end of the experience, the painting you helped create is your modern art masterpiece to take home and proudly display. Talk about a conversation piece! Visit www.cmzoo.org/loftencounters to learn about the different animal artists and to book your special Loft program!

Guests who book animal encounters with elephants and orangutans at CMZoo have the option to paint, too. For more information about painting with CMZoo’s larger animals, visit www.cmzoo.org/encounter.

WildNights

Can’t get enough of CMZoo? Spend the night! You can set up your own overnight program with family, friends, co-workers or whomever you want! Activities include special animal encounters, nature walks and more. At Kids Only WildNights, parents can leave their children safely with Zoo staff and enjoy a night to themselves (which is a great gift for parents!). To learn more about WildNights and all the fun experiences that happen at the Zoo after the admission gates close, visit www.cmzoo.org/wildnights.

These are just some of the great gifts that Cheyenne Mountain Zoo offers – visit cmzoo.org/gifts for even more ideas!

It’s no secret that Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is home to rare and unique animals. But, this month’s Animal Encounter features two CMZoo ambassador animals that are so extremely rare, that CMZoo is one of only two places in the nation where they can be seen. CMZoo’s mountain tapirs are two of only seven in the United States. Fewer than 2,000 exist in the world.

In addition to their rare presence, they have an unusual appearance. Their prehensile noses with long snouts, odd-and-even toed hooved feet and bear-shaped bodies look like something magical out of a children’s book. It’s not surprising that CMZoo’s mountain tapirs, Carlotta and Cofan (pronounced coe-FAWN), steal the heart of just about everyone who meets them.

Unlike their elusive wild relatives, Carlotta and Cofan are mostly calm, but have their playful moments. Cofan, a 15-year-old male tapir whose woolly fur is darker than his exhibit mate’s, is curious about new enrichment items and can sometimes be found splashing in the water feature in their exhibit. Carlotta, a 24-year-old female tapir is bigger than Cofan, and has a hole in her left ear (a common scar for female tapirs whose mates often bite their ears during breeding season). Carlotta likes water in moderation, too. One day, keepers found 360-pound Carlotta standing with all four feet in an 18-inch wide water bowl.

“Mountain tapirs are cool,” Michelle Salido, lead tapir keeper said. “They’re really interesting looking. Most people immediately think they’re a cross between a bear and an anteater, and you can see why.”

Mountain tapirs, from the Andes Mountains in Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru, are one of four species of tapir. With the average female weighing about 400 pounds, they’re the smallest of the tapir species. Mature female tapirs usually weigh about 30 pounds more than adult males.

Carlotta and Cofan live down the path from Monkey Pavilion, in a mountain-inspired exhibit that they share with Muscovy ducks. In the wild, they live at between 6,000 and 12,000 ft. in elevation, so their high-altitude home on the Front Range is especially suitable.

“It’s estimated there are fewer than 2,000 mountain tapirs left in the world,” Salido said. “There are only seven in the United States at two zoos, so the fact that people can come and see them right here in Colorado Springs is a real privilege.”

Carlotta and Cofan were the last breeding pair in the U.S., but are no longer suitable for breeding because of Carlotta’s age.

CMZoo staff, thanks to support from Zoo members, works diligently to save mountain tapirs and their habitats south of the equator. Earlier this year, Salido and two other CMZoo staff members went to Ecuador for a second time to track and attach GPS collars to mountain tapirs.

The research is critical, given the limited number of animals left in the wild and the lack of available data about them. Salido said CMZoo’s mountain tapir conservation partner at Andean Bear Foundation (ABF) and Smithsonian National Zoo reported that the high-tech GPS collars collected more geo-data in a week than the previously used radio collars collected in five years. The team’s goal is to present complete data to organizations that can place land protections in the areas where tapirs most frequently roam.

“Their native habitats are being developed for pipelines, mining and agriculture. The tapirs living in those areas are considered a nuisance,” Salido said. “One morning we were there, it took a matter of hours to see the difference in habitat destruction going on in the forest. Seeing their habitat destroyed in front of my eyes made our work that much more important to me.”

Salido said the tapirs she tracked in the wild are much bigger than Carlotta and Cofan, so getting close enough to attach the collars was incredibly challenging, especially given the mountainous terrain and high altitude.

Another unique feature of the tapir is its feet. Ungulates – hooved animals – are usually either even-toed or odd-toed, but tapirs are the only ungulates to have four toes on both front feet and three toes on each back foot.

“They live on wet, steep inclines in the wild,” Salido said. “You can see how the ability for their hooves to spread and morph to the ground beneath them helps them better navigate difficult terrain. They’re wicked fast in the wild.”

Carlotta and Cofan are model ambassador animals, helping people form connections with animals whose species are threatened with extinction in this lifetime. One way they do that is by meeting guests up close and personal. Salido says every morning she greets these two ‘Labradors of the Zoo,’ as she calls them. She gives them a good chin scratch and armpit scratch, and they stick their legs out for more.

“These two are calm and gentle for the most part,” said Salido. “They love getting chin scratches. They’ll walk over and put their heads between the bollards so we can reach them. They go into a ‘tapir trance’ and get super relaxed. Cofan will close his big eyes and let his tongue hang out if you scratch him just right.”

Their appearance has earned them some unusual but endearing nicknames. They’re sometimes playfully called ‘snorkel pigs,’ referring to their long snouts and body shapes. Others call them ‘clown mouth tapirs,’ alluding to the white fur around their mouths – a feature that distinguishes mountain tapirs, also known as woolly tapirs, from the other four species of tapir.

CMZoo will continue working to protect mountain tapirs in the wild. To learn more about these rare mammals, swing by the Tapir exhibit to see Carlotta and Cofan at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Water’s Edge: Africa may be the biggest new addition under construction at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, but it’s not the only one. By summer 2019, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Membership and EdVenture departments will have a new place to call home.

The 4,465 sq. ft. two-story building under construction immediately south of the Zoo’s Mountaineer Sky Ride will house eight full-time EdVenture staff and two full-time Membership staff. It will also serve as home base for ZOOMobile program staff, teen volunteers and more than 20 part-time EdVenture and membership staff. A large, open room on the second floor will serve as an EdVenture classroom and host WildNights, camps and teen programs throughout the year.

Frank Haas, CMZoo landscape architect and planner, and project manager of the new building, describes the building’s design vision as, “rustic modern Colorado mountain architecture.”

Think stone, timbers and rusted steel. If you’ve seen Pizza with a View or Cozy Goat, you have experienced the flavor of this new building. Like those two eateries, this new project includes outdoor patio spaces, one of which features a modified shipping container, intended to be a fun space for kids as they gather for programs.

In line with CMZoo’s principle to grow the Zoo with respect for the mountain upon which it sits, it is being built to complement its surroundings rather than drastically changing the landscape to accommodate construction.

“We limited the size of the building to the flat open portion of the site,” Haas said. “By doing that, we preserved a sacred grove of trees on the east side of the building.”

CMZoo also focuses on outdoor education and adventure, and the EdVenture department leads that cause.

“In this new building, our team and our programs will be in the heart of the Zoo,” Stacey Graham, director of EdVenture programs said. “We’ll be more accessible to visitors and more in-tune with the Zoo’s daily activity, which will allow us to better grow our programs to meet the needs of our members and program participants.”

‘Growth’ is the key word in Graham’s mind as she looks ahead to occupying the new building next year.

“We’ll have a dedicated space for EdVenture programs, which means we can manage them more efficiently,” said Graham. “We want to start offering walk-up programs for people who come to the Zoo, but haven’t had the chance to participate in a camp, WildNight or animal encounter. Ultimately, we’ll have more resources to offer more programs and to offer our current programs more frequently and with a higher standard of quality.”

Emmaline (Emma) Repp-Maxwell, membership and annual gifts manager, is also looking forward to how available and connected this building will allow her and her team to be for CMZoo members and donors. There’s even a walk-up window, so members can drop by the office to say hello, manage their memberships and discuss ideas while they’re exploring the Zoo.

“Imagine being able to hear from the people we support directly and on a daily basis. We’re excited because this new location and its features, like the walkup window, will organically help us relate better with our members,” Repp-Maxwell said. “We’ll get to know our members on a more personal level while they get to know us and that we’re here for them.”

Repp-Maxwell points out that the membership department has a hand in almost every other department at CMZoo. Sharing a physical place with the EdVenture team will promote more collaboration, which Repp-Maxwell says will benefit members.

“The EdVenture team is made up of a really amazing group of people who so often interact with our members who participate in their programs,” Repp-Maxwell said. “Being closer to them and to our members is sure to elevate the quality of support we can provide.”

The EdVenture-Membership building is scheduled to open early summer 2019. For more information on EdVenture programs and CMZoo membership options and benefits, email Graham’s team at [email protected] and Repp-Maxwell’s team at [email protected].

Though it feels like summer just ended, fall is here. That means your children will soon have a full week off school. Don’t worry though; Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is here with new camp adventures!

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is offering Fall Break day camps November 19-20-21 and 23 (no camp November 22) for kids Kindergarten – 6th grade. These camps feature all-new themes based around the amazing autumn season, and they’ll celebrate the many animals that call our Zoo home.

Kindergarten Camp (1/2 day) – Fall Mask-grrrrr-ade Ball allows kids to learn about lots of different species and make fun wearable crafts that let them feel like a wild animal. Campers who attend multiple days will create pieces that can be combined to make one amazing mix-and-match species!
1st/2nd Grade Camp (full day) – The Colors of Fall is all about finding animals that blend in with those warm oranges, reds and browns of fall. They will identify the color palette of autumn and go on a zoo-wide search, investigating the animals that match that palette.
3rd/4th Grade Camp (full day) – Marvelous Mud is exactly what it sounds like! Because, what would fall be without splashing in mud puddles after a cool afternoon rain? The campers won’t be the only ones enjoying this messy week, as they meet other animals who love wallowing in mud during any season!
5th/6th Grade Camp (full day) – Pumpkin Parade will clearly show that there is so much more to do with pumpkins than make jack-o-lanterns and pie. These campers will create fun and crazy ways to not only smash pumpkins to bits but also try their hand at launching pumpkins through the air. They will also get lots of opportunities to create pumpkin enrichment for our animals to enjoy.

All camps include a daily snack, tours around the Zoo, and hands-on animal opportunities everyday! These camps are designed for smaller groups, so space is limited. If you are interested in signing up a camper or want more information on these fun-filled fall camps, please visit cmzoo.org/camp.

Conservation

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Quarters for Conservation program has allowed us to send more support to Tsavo Trust – a field-based non-profit organization in Africa that uses aerial surveillance and on-the-ground field efforts to protect wildlife in Tsavo National Park, the largest national park in Kenya. The organization was founded to help protect the last of the big “tuskers,” which are likely the last viable genetic pool of African elephants with tusks weighing more than 100 pounds each. The park is also home to a number of black rhino sanctuaries established by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KSW) and supported by the Zoological Society of London. The black rhino is critically endangered, due primarily to illegal poaching for their horns.

In partnership with the Kratt Foundation, CMZoo sent $53,333 in August to help support ongoing anti-poaching aerial surveillance efforts. These funds helped complete the construction of staff housing at Tsavo Trust and provided funding support for two support staff positions. This donation means Tsavo Trust can continue to monitor and protect roughly 16,000 miles of land that is vital to the survival of these endangered species.

“Our guiding principles ensure that our elephants here in human care have a direct connection to the protection of wild elephants,” said Bob Chastain, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo president and CEO. “That’s why we do the elephant and rhino feedings. We want it to be more than a theoretical connection. Each year, $25,000 of the money raised from our elephant and rhino feedings goes directly to this cause.”

This most recent donation brings CMZoo’s total Tsavo Trust support to $145,000, thanks to our our elephant and rhino feeding fundraisers, the Quarters for Conservation program and the Kratt Foundation.

“Tsavo Trust acts as a watchdog, working closely with the Kenya Wildlife Service to monitor a vast area for signs of poaching and illegal grazing,” Chastain said. “They also ensure deceased elephants’ tusks aren’t found by poachers and sold on the black market, which helps reduce the attraction to ivory overall.”

Aside from their antipoaching and illegal grazing prevention efforts, Tsavo Trust leads a number of creative solutions, like their program to establish honeybee colonies near farmlands.

Elephants, as majestic as they are, can cause severe damage to agricultural lands. Because they are naturally discouraged by the presence of honeybees, Tsavo Trust helped implement a program through which local farmers could install hives to stop elephants from entering areas that humans depend on for food and income. This innovation protects humans and elephants by lowering the chance of a human-elephant encounter, when elephants can be harmed or killed by humans who need to protect their means. Furthermore, the honey has become a new economic resource.

In addition to those efforts and many more, Tsavo Trust pilots invite government officials to join them on aerial survey expeditions, which can motivate people in influential positions to take inspired action toward wildlife conservation.

Historically, CMZoo donations to Tsavo Trust paid for airplane hours and fuel for anti-poaching efforts. But, when Chastain visited their headquarters in May 2017, he noticed they needed assistance in additional areas.

“It’s hard for them to get experienced employees to their remote location who can adequately support Richard Moller, Tsavo Trust CEO, and the future of the organization,” said Chastain. “The nearby major city is about a four-hour drive from Tsavo Trust headquarters. Our support over the past year has helped them build two houses: one for the pilot and one for a business administrator. This allows the organization to have a more solid foundation, rather than its operational success depending entirely on Richard.”

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo will occasionally support other rhino and elephant conservation efforts, but Tsavo Trust is the Zoo’s legacy partner.

From January to August 2018, the small-but-mighty Tsavo Trust team made 22 arrests, recovered 79 tusks and removed 673 snares and traps in Tsavo National Park. They continue working to protect the 12 remaining and accounted-for giant tusker elephants and endangered black rhinos in Kenya.

To learn more about Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Q4C program to fund conservation, visit www.cmzoo.org/q4c.

Animal Encounter

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is home to two male American alligators, Tommy and Tori, who live in Australia Walkabout. Both boys came to CMZoo as hatchlings, beginning with Tori nearly a decade ago. It may come as a surprise to some who are unfamiliar with their species, but alligators are intelligent.

In a new training area in the indoor section of the alligator exhibit, Tommy is learning to come out of the water onto a sandy area and line up alongside a set of wooden barrier poles. Tommy sits on one side of the poles and the keepers interact with him from the other side, performing routine checks on his feet and scales among other things. Keepers will eventually work up to getting voluntary blood draws from Tommy, which will help them monitor his health beyond visual check-ups.

“We set up the area so he has ultimate control,” said Bruce Dunbar, alligator keeper at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. “If he doesn’t want to be up here with us, he can just go right back into the water. When we tell people about this work we’re doing, most people say, ‘I didn’t think you could train an alligator!’ but it’s all about finding the right motivation that allows them to succeed. They’re very intelligent, which most people don’t assume about alligators.”

Tommy and Tori have previously excelled at station training, which involves them touching their snouts to different colored paddles presented by the keepers. The ‘gators are able to differentiate between the different colors, and they receive a food reward when they choose correctly. That allows keepers to separate them within the same area during feeding time or for individual check-ups.

Tommy is seven years old and about nine feet long, and Tori is nine years old and about ten feet long. While we haven’t had a need to weigh Tommy or Tori, the average adult American alligator weighs about 300 pounds, making it the largest native reptile in North America. American alligators are naturally found in slow-moving fresh water rivers and lakes in the southeast United States and along the Gulf of Mexico coast.

Both Tommy and Tori are very curious, which makes them great students in addition to their intelligence. Contrary to the common misconception that alligators are aggressive, Dunbar says they’re actually a little skittish.

“One day, I was carrying a large cardboard box past Tommy and Tori’s exhibit area, where they were out basking in the sun. I walked by with this big, unusual object, and it kind of startled them. I’ve never seen them move so quickly,” Dunbar said. “They got into the water as fast as they could. Water splashed everywhere; tails were whipping. They’re nervous and aware of everything around them. They’re pretty passive animals when it comes to neutral interactions. For the most part, they want to be left alone.”

Zoo visitors often ask how to tell them apart. Tori is larger and has a wider head than Tommy, and Tommy has more yellow markings on his sides. As alligators age, they start to turn grey. Tommy is two years younger than Tori, so he will probably lose his yellow coloration in the next few years. Their yellow camouflage makes them look like sunlight filtering through the water, which helps them hide from predators and prey, like fish and wading birds, or other alligators in the water.

On warmer winter days, when outdoor temperatures reach the fifties and sixties, there’s a good chance you can see Tommy participating in his new training, which is inside. Because alligators’ digestive systems slow down during cooler seasons, they don’t eat (sometimes for up to a month). During those extended cooler periods, they don’t participate in training because they wouldn’t receive the food rewards that motivate their behaviors. Dunbar says on colder days, the alligators are most active between 10 a.m. and noon, when they’re out basking and soaking up the sun before they return to their heated pond for the rest of the day

You can learn more about Tommy, Tori and their relatives in the wild at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo gator keeper talks every day at 11 a.m. in Australia Walkabout.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s orangutans are having a swingin’-good time, thanks to a newly renovated exhibit. Several new features take them to heights they would frequent in the wild.

The new structures and features, including new platforms, hammocks, tree structures, sway poles and fifty-foot-long ‘vines’ constructed of fire hose, overlook the city of Colorado Springs from above the main Zoo parking lot. Primate World keepers teamed up with the CMZoo horticulture and maintenance crew to bring this dream habitat to life. It’s designed to keep our orangutans stimulated, strong and enriched.

“We knew we wanted an area that would provide them with opportunities to mimic wild orangutans’ natural behaviors in forests,” said Eleanor Knox, Australia native and Primate World senior animal keeper. “It’s really exciting that we’ve been able to create a space with structures that allow them to climb high, jump, swing around and relax.”

Young orangutans, like almost four-year-old Bornean orangutan cutie Ember, have a lot of energy and like to jump, climb and swing, while mature males, like her dad Tujoh, like to spend time resting and relaxing outside. The design that the team put together allows the CMZoo orangutans to enjoy all kinds of activities.

“Our main goal was to get them up off the ground so they can move around like they would in the wild,” said Knox. “In the forests in southeast Asia, most orangutans stay up high in the trees. Our group of new bright green sway poles mimics large bamboo forests. Orangutans will climb up them and move around between them. They’ll even use their two sets of ‘hands’ to climb up high, while holding on to two different poles.”

Orangutans have famously enormous wingspans and superhero-strong arms. An adult orangutan can stand five feet tall and stretch seven feet from fingertip to fingertip. Their impressive reach, upper body strength and long, curved hands and feet make them the ultimate acrobats.

“Another cool feature in the new orangutan yard is the feeder ball,” Knox said. “Orangutans are capable of climbing way up high and hanging down precariously to get their food. Having four ‘hands’ makes it easy to do that.”

The vibrant yellow and green feeder balls are hollow spheres with various-sized holes through which the red apes can retrieve their snacks. One of the feeders hangs from cable at the end of a twelve-foot-high pole with a four-foot curved end.

“It’s another piece of the yard that’s mentally and physically stimulating for them,” Knox said. “That’s the way they’d get their food in the wild. They can climb up high, swing or climb past the curve at the top of the pole and reach down to retrieve the snacks we put inside the ball.”

It’s not all swinging, jumping, trapezing and climbing, though.

“They spend a lot of their time lazing around. Especially our big males,” Knox said. “They’re not super active by nature. You wouldn’t think it watching our ‘wild child,’ Ember, but orangutans have one of the slowest metabolisms next to sloths.”

Along with the fun spaces intended for high-energy activities, the team incorporated several composite decking platforms, hammocks and relaxation spaces to accommodate the orangutans’ much-needed down time.

“We found a big sphere and cut it in half, then attached some fire hose to make a dome swing,” Knox said. “Our big Bornean orangutan male, Tujoh, loves it. He lounged in there for a good while the other day. Hadiah [Ember’s mom] has had a go in it, too, and they just kind of relax and hang out.”

Sumatran orangutan Sumagu also seems to enjoy the new exhibit. Keepers say she and her baby Kera enjoyed one particularly sunny platform so much, they were starting to think Sumagu had decided to move in permanently.

Before turning it over to the orangutans, Primate World keepers tested the area.

“We had a bit of a practice and tested out the new yard activities ourselves,” Knox said. “All of the bolts and connectors have to be super locked down because they’re so smart that they’ll undo whatever they can. We have to make sure it’s all tight. We had good fun out there.”

The new habitat means orangutans will get to participate in new behaviors and demonstrations, which the orangutans have already started learning.

“They’re starting to learn a bunch of new behaviors that we’ll be able to share with guests during demonstrations when the weather warms up,” Knox said. “We’ll be highlighting all of their natural behaviors, like climbing and doing big ‘Tarzan swings’ to show what they’d do in the wild. They can go up on the high platforms, grab onto a piece of hanging fire hose ‘vine’ and off they go.”

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo orangutan enrichment trainings and demonstrations take place every day at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Knox says on warm winter days, they’ll be practicing their new moves for everyone to see.

Four kits and four adult black-footed ferrets (BFF) are one step closer to life in the wild, thanks to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo conservation team. In mid-September, the ferrets were moved to a preconditioning center outside of Fort Collins, Colo., where they’ll spend about 35 days in a semi-controlled environment. During this phase, biologists observe the ferrets to ensure they can hunt, avoid predators and shelter themselves to survive without human intervention and continue to increase the endangered species’ population when they’re introduced into the wild.

With their black and white bandit-mask markings, inquisitive expressions and fluffy fur so similar to their adorable domestic cousins, it’s easy to assume the black-footed ferret is another one of North America’s plentiful wild small mammals. But, this is the only ferret species naturally found in the wild on this continent – and it was recently thought to be extinct.

During the western frontier exploration in the early 1800s, cargo ships from Europe and Asia brought sylvatic plague to North America. The spread of this disease, combined with poisoning and eradication programs led by newly settled farmers and ranchers, who saw prairie dogs as pests, drastically reduced the prairie dog population. Because prairie dogs are black-footed ferrets’ main food source, the BFFs’ population declined dramatically. By the 1980s, black-footed ferrets were thought to be extinct.

Since the 1981 discovery of a small population of BFFs in Meeteetse, Wyoming, conservationists launched a black-footed ferret recovery plan which continues to increase the population. Numbers fluctuate, but recent reports estimate 350 BFFs are thriving in the wild, thanks to this program.

Preconditioning is the final program stage for these born-to-be-wild individuals, and Jeff Baughman, CMZoo field conservation coordinator, makes it his life’s work to prepare them to thrive without relying on humans.

“We limit the human interaction as much as we can,” Baughman said. “We feed them and keep them healthy and clean while they’re with us, but other than that, we try not to let them hear or see us very much. Wild animals need a healthy fear of humans, so they’re not tempted to get close.”

From weekly lighting adjustments to reproductive monitoring and only four breeding opportunities (once per year, for four years) to pair a compatible couple to conceive, the intricacies of black-footed ferret breeding success are meticulously managed by the CMZoo conservation team. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of only five zoos in the world supporting the black-footed ferret species survival plan, with partners at Toronto Zoo, Louisville Zoo, Phoenix Zoo and Smithsonian Conservation and Biology Institute along with the USFWS National Black Footed Ferret Breeding and Conservation Center just outside of Fort Collins, Colo.

“Some people wonder why we invest so much energy to saving this species,” Baughman said. “They’re not just cute; they’re vital in helping secure healthy prairie ecosystems. BFFs are predatory prey, so their environmental role is to help control prairie dog populations while occasionally being a food source to owls, coyotes and badgers. BFF reintroduction sites are managed for plague which keeps the prairie dog populations healthy. This safeguards all of the other prairie species that rely on prairie dogs (a keystone species) as well. Black-footed ferrets are rare and important because they serve the ecosystem up and down.”

The black-footed ferrets at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo are being born and raised for genetic assurance of the Species Survival Plan population with about half of the offspring being allocated for release into the wild.

Although the BFF conservation area isn’t open to the public at CMZoo, visitors can still experience one of these endangered, beautiful creatures at The Loft. In 2015 after the age of four (when BFFs’ reproduction windows close), Sylvester came to the Zoo from the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center as he was a great candidate for being an educational ambassador.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is committed to continued support of wildlife conservation efforts like the black-footed ferret Species Survival Plan. Through its Quarters for Conservation program, you can help by simply visiting the Zoo. For each paid admission to the Zoo, 75¢ is directly allocated for conservation programs just like this one. Each membership also helps support conservation efforts.

Giraffe conservation was given a generous boost from many helping hands when Operation Twiga III rolled out in Uganda earlier this month. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo staff and other concerned conservationists took part in translocating endangered Nubian giraffe to a safer location, where they could establish new herds and maintain the important genetics of their subspecies. Additionally, the operation generated more critical health data which will feed research that helps conservationists understand disease management and threats facing all giraffe in the wild.

“The team was able to capture and move a total of 14 giraffe from Murchison Falls National Park, where oil drilling is set to begin, to their new home in Kidepo Valley National Park,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, head veterinarian and VP of Mission & Programs at CMZ. “These giraffe, which include 13 females and one male, will join the approximately 35 Nubians that currently live there. Those 35 giraffe grew out of a founder population of only 3 giraffe, so we know translocations like this can work. An exciting development this year was the observation of giraffe calves in two other recently formed giraffe populations; one on the South bank of Murchison Falls National Park from Operation Twiga I and II, and one in Lake Mburu National Park from a 2015 translocation.

“The translocation process is really helping to create larger, more stable populations in multiple parks in the country,” Dr. Dadone said. “Previously, the majority of all remaining Nubian giraffe in Uganda lived in Murchison Falls, and up until four years ago there was only one other population of giraffe left in the country – those 35 or so animals in Kidepo Valley National Park.”

The Twiga operations have been successful in large part due to their partnership structure. Operation Twiga III was a combined effort among the Uganda Wildlife Authority, which led the project, Giraffe Conservation Foundation, and Cleveland MetroParks Zoo, with support from other organizations that sent supplies and staff to help. Making the trip this year on behalf of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo were CMZ Animal Care Manager Jason Bredahl, CMZ veterinarian Dr. Sara Ferguson, and Dr. Miranda Sadar, who is an assistant professor of avian, exotics and zoological medicine at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital/Colorado State University.

In addition to capturing and translocating the giraffe, the team was able to continue important research about health threats facing wild giraffe in Uganda.

“Over the past three years, we have been conducting anesthesia studies to try and increase patient (giraffe) safety,” explained Dr. Dadone, who was part of the Twiga I and II operations. “We have also been doing health assessments, so now our hope is to establish some baselines on animal health in Murchison Falls so we can try to evaluate whether oil drilling – which is expected to start by the end of 2018 in the park – is causing chronic stress, illness or mortality in wild giraffe.”

The team has also been investigating the cause of a skin condition seen in many giraffe in the park. While not currently causing health issues for the giraffe, the condition does not exist in Kidepo National Park giraffe, so they are trying to prevent the spread of the disease by developing a treatment.

“In 2017, we collected skin biopsies that were imported to the U.S. for study at the Colorado State University vet school,” said Dr. Dadone. “Our team there confirmed preliminary findings that the skin condition is associated with a parasite, so in April 2018 we started a treatment trial in Murchison Falls with a long-acting parasite treatment. The Operation Twiga III team treated all the giraffe with this parasite medication before they were moved from Murchison Falls to Kidepo to help prevent the possible spread of disease to a new habitat.”

It is hoped that ongoing research at CMZ and other zoos using giraffe trained for voluntary blood collection will reveal how long the drug treatment lasts in giraffe, thus helping with disease management moving forward.

All three Twiga expeditions have been financially supported by Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s conservation programming, which is funded primarily through Quarters for Conservation (guest tokens) and allocations from membership revenues. While $75,000 in direct support from CMZ was donated to the Twiga effort, many other zoos and organizations around the world also helped fundraise for this important work. In addition, many generous individual donations have been made consisting of both money and goods.

“The team brought many other much-needed things with them on the trip,” said Dr. Dadone. “These included medicines and supplies to help with anesthesia monitoring, patient health assessment, medical management and research, and three large field tents funded through a grant. The team also brought 22 pairs of combat boots for the Ugandan ranger team, donated by the 440th Affairs Battalion at Fort Carson and Jose Contreras of GI Jose Military Supply.

“The rangers previously only had galoshes,” said Dr. Dadone, “so the donation was greatly appreciated.”

Also greatly appreciated was the individual support given a Ugandan ranger by the name of Bridget. Bridget was part of Operation Twiga II, during which she revealed her desire to attend university for a degree in wildlife management. She simply didn’t have the money.

“When one of CMZ’s docents heard Bridget’s story, they provided a scholarship for her to attend Makarere University in Uganda! She started school a few weeks ago,” Dr. Dadone said, adding that another anonymous docent purchased a laptop for her, while CMZ keepers pitched in for a backpack and school supplies. The team delivered the supplies soon after arriving in Uganda. They also visited the zoo in Entebbe to continue building conservation, education and animal care collaborations.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is committed to continued support of conservation efforts on behalf of wild giraffe, and you can help simply by visiting the Zoo. For each paid visit to the Zoo, 75¢ is directly allocated for conservation programs just like this one. Memberships also help support these efforts.

“Our community can also help by raising awareness for wild giraffe conservation,” said Dadone. “Their future is not secure; giraffe are already locally extinct in seven African countries. We know that oil drilling is a direct threat to some giraffe populations, so consider carpooling and taking other actions that help reduce your personal use of fossil fuels. Please also mark your calendar and help us celebrate World Giraffe Day each year (June 21) – the longest day of the year for our tallest land mammal.”

Favorable strides in the management of endangered Wyoming toads were made this spring and early summer as CMZ experienced a robust egg-laying season, followed by the release of hundreds of year-old toads into the wild. Wyoming toads are currently listed as “extinct in the wild” by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The effort to save one of the most endangered toads in the world has been a bit of a “two steps forward, one step back” process since 1994 when the last known wild toads were brought into human care for future recovery efforts. The threats that caused them to disappear are only slightly curtailed, so various strategies have been employed to help re-establish the population in the wild. Currently, eight zoological and governmental organizations are breeding centers for Wyoming toads. CMZ joined the effort in 1992.

The effort to successfully re-establish Wyoming toads in the wild is basically three-pronged: first, develop fertile egg strands in breeding centers using genetically desirable cohorts (pairs); next, increase the number of tadpoles released into the wild; and third, maintain head-start programs that allow some tadpoles to overwinter at facilities and grow into stronger one-year-olds before being released into the wild. The third prong was added to help increase the survival of toads to maturity and have more breeding in the wild.

“We want to employ all these strategies, as they will hopefully increase the chances of survival for this species,” said Jeff Baughman, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Field Conservation Coordinator. “We need to keep thinking and adapt to what is or isn’t working.”

On May 30, our Zoo’s staff released more than 200 head start toads into the wetlands of the Laramie Basin of Wyoming. At the same time, 856 head-start toads were released by Saratoga National Fish Hatchery and around 50 were released by the Leadville National Fish Hatchery. Several surveys are conducted annually to determine if this strategy is helping to recover the species.

Head-start toads develop from tadpoles hatched the previous year. This year’s breeding season at CMZ began June 4 when, after hibernating for 35 days, 11 pairs of adult Wyoming toads were put together in the breeding center. Nine of the pairs produced fertile egg strands, which included 14,822 eggs! How do we know? Because staff counted them.

“We start by taking a photo of the strands,” says Baughman. “Then we take a Sharpie and dot each egg and use a finger counter to make clicks. It’s a pretty tedious process, but it’s really important we do this because we want to know our fertility average.”

This year’s fertility average was 62 percent, which Baughman says is really good. That means close to 8,400 of the eggs started tadpole development, which occurs 5-7 days after eggs are laid. Most of the tadpoles (7,644 of them) were released to the wild, but a few hundred were also sent to the Leadville and Saratoga fish hatcheries. CMZ also held back over 300 to become part of the Species Survival Program (SSP) breeding population and to be next year’s head start toads.

“Every year, transfers are conducted between facilities to ensure genetic variability for future breeding seasons, which is why we held back some of our tadpoles from this year for other zoos and facilities,” explains Baughman. “The rest of the tadpoles will become our next generation of head-start toads. These toads will grow from now until May when we will release them as adults into their Wyoming habitat.”

On June 27, CMZ staff travelled to Wyoming to help with a Wyoming toad field survey that looked specifically for tadpoles. When tadpoles are found during a survey, they are measured to differentiate between those that have been released from breeding facilities versus wild tadpoles. Although the aim of this survey was to document and measure any tadpoles found, toads were also seen in the field. These toads were observed but not interfered with to avoid causing unnecessary stress.

These surveys are crucial in determining if the population is making a comeback. We expect there to be ups and downs as the recovery of a species is never immediate.