Conservation Archives - Page 9 of 12

In October and November 2019, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo joined Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching School and other worldwide partners to support Uganda Wildlife Authority in establishing a new population of critically endangered Nubian giraffe.

CMZoo VP of Mission and Programs, Dr. Liza Dadone, traveled to Uganda to assist with the reintroduction of 15 giraffe to an historic habitat where they haven’t existed in nearly 25 years. Dr. Dadone assisted with research and anesthesia, and provided care for the giraffe during the translocation from Murchison Falls National Park to Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve.

“The reintroduction of this founding population of Nubian giraffe to Pian Upe is important because the established population in Murchison Falls is facing threats due to oil exploration, road development for drilling vehicles and other human impact issues, like snaring,” said Dr. Dadone. “The population is also dealing with a skin disease, which we have been studying and were able to do additional research on while we were there for the translocation.”

Uganda Wildlife Authority protects and monitors the Nubian giraffe in Murchison Falls National Park. When oil was recently discovered in the park and construction to support drilling began, Dr. Robert Aruho, Uganda Wildlife Authority senior wildlife veterinarian, coordinated with partners to lead the effort to establish the population in Pian Upe, a protected wildlife reserve.

Uganda Wildlife Authority identified giraffe from the population in Murchison Falls National Park that were ideal for establishing the new population. The giraffe would need to be young and healthy, but old enough that they weren’t dependent on their mothers’ milk.

After identifying key members of the population, the team went into the park to capture them. The process involves locating the giraffe, administering anesthesia, reversing the anesthesia, doing a quick health assessment, collecting blood and flies from the giraffe, and then fixing guiding ropes and a harness to the giraffe. All of this happens within a few minutes.

“Members of the team have to be quick once the giraffe is down, because it’s dangerous for the giraffe to be under anesthesia for very long,” said Dr. Dadone. “While a few members of the team hold the giraffe, others apply a blindfold and put cotton in the giraffe’s ears to minimize stimulation and keep the giraffe as calm as possible. At the same time, we administer the anesthesia reversal; take blood, fecal and skin samples; and document other measurements that we use to advance care for giraffe in the wild and in human care.”

Dr. Dadone and Dr. Matt Johnston, from Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching School, are part of a team studying a skin disease found in wild giraffe. They also expanded their ongoing studies of field anesthesia, which will be shared with organizations internationally. The anesthesia research continues to make field immobilizations safer for giraffe.

Once the giraffe wakes up from anesthesia, it is guided by ropes onto a trailer and transported to a boma – a temporary holding paddock where the giraffe are monitored and prepared for their trip to Pian Upe.

“While they’re in the boma, we’re bringing in additional giraffe to transport and are monitoring their health before the trip,” said Dr. Dadone. “The time in the boma also gives the giraffe an opportunity to bond. They’re social animals and the trip can be less stressful for a group of giraffe rather than an individual.”

One of the giraffe selected to establish the Pian Upe population is a young male named Mr. Kevin, who the team quickly realized could make an ideal founding father.

“Mr. Kevin is one of the largest males in the founding group,” said Dr. Dadone. “After a day in the boma, we saw him representing himself well with the females, so we’re optimistic he will be a great founding father for this new population.”

The trip from Murchison Falls National Park to Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is about 300 miles. Because of flooding on portions of unpaved roads along the way, each of the three trips took between 12 and 16 hours.

“We experienced quite a bit of flooding along the way to Pian Upe,” said Dr. Dadone. “There were times the trailer got stuck in the mud, and we had to be towed out. The bright side was that some of the locals got more time to see the giraffe in the truck. Many people think giraffe are everywhere in Africa, but they’re not. Giraffe are locally extinct in seven countries, and a lot of local people have never seen them before, so in a way, this group of giraffe served as ambassadors for their species along the way, too.”

After the arduous travel, the giraffe were released, five at a time, into the protected Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve in Eastern Uganda.

“Watching the giraffe leave the trailer and run free into their new home was such a joyous moment,” said Dr. Dadone. “We’re hopeful this new population will thrive in their new home, providing Nubian giraffe another population and a better chance at survival.”

Having multiple populations of the same subspecies helps avoid what Dr. Dadone calls having, “all of your eggs in one basket.” Geographically diversifying populations means that if one location succumbs to disease or habitat destruction, the subspecies will live on in another region.

Our contribution to this effort is possible thanks to ongoing support from our CMZoo members, guests and donors. Through our Quarters for Conservation program, each ticket to the Zoo raises 75 cents to support wildlife conservation around the world. CMZoo guests and members contribute half a million dollars annually to critical conservation projects, like Operation Twiga, simply by visiting the Zoo.

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In early December 2019, four staff members from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo will travel to the Andes Mountains of Ecuador for an important conservation expedition to help save critically endangered mountain tapirs.

Their prehensile noses with long snouts, odd-and-even-toed hooved feet and furry, bear-shaped bodies make this unique species look like something out of a children’s book. It’s not surprising that CMZoo’s mountain tapirs, 25-year-old female, Carlotta, and 16-year-old male, Cofan (pronounced co-FAWN), steal the hearts of just about everyone who meets them. Carlotta and Cofan are two of only seven mountain tapirs in the U.S.

This will be the third mountain tapir expedition CMZoo has supported in Ecuador, thanks to annual Member Vote Conservation Grants. Each year, CMZoo members vote to decide which staff-championed conservation efforts receive support from the $75,000 of membership revenue allocated annually for conservation. Earlier this year, members voted for the fourth year in a row to support mountain tapir conservation. Aside from the three expeditions in Ecuador, the grant funded tapir conservation in Columbia.

Found in Columbia, Ecuador and the far north of Peru, it’s estimated that only 2,500 mountain tapirs remain in the wild. CMZoo is one of two zoos in North America that this species calls home. This project has already yielded important information regarding the health, behaviors and territory of mountain tapir, about which relatively little is known. The team documents wild tapir measurements, reproductive trends, biometrics and geographic data. The studies are vital in proving which areas of wilderness need protection and are important in learning about how to best care for them, if this species is to survive.

Mountain tapir in Ecuador are threatened due to loss of habitat from natural gas exploration, expanding cities, agriculture, and potential traffic accidents, due to a growing human population. One goal of the ongoing conservation efforts is to equip policymakers with complete data they can use to encourage finding compromises that protect tapir without hindering the economic and infrastructure progress being made in the country.

CMZoo Animal Care Manager, Joanna Husby, will return to Ecuador for the third time and Lead Animal Keeper, Michelle Salido, will return to Ecuador for the second time contributing to this conservation project. CMZoo veterinary technician, Brenda Cordova, and CMZoo EdVenture keeper, Bryce Oberg, are both embarking on the Ecuador expedition for the first time.

CMZoo’s mountain tapir conservation partner at Andean Bear Foundation (ABF) and Smithsonian National Zoo reported that the high-tech GPS collars fixed to tapirs on previous field projects collected more geo-data in a week than the previously used radio collars collected in five years.

“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 on a previous trip, it took only 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.”

The team is dedicated, and with such physically demanding tasks ahead of them, it’s a good thing.

“It’s incredible to be able to see these animals in the wild, where they live natively in elevations between 6,000 and 12,000 feet,” said Salido. “Part of what makes it rewarding while we’re in the field is how difficult it is to find them.”

Carrying their research equipment on their backs, the team hikes with local guides and partners from the Smithsonian and ABF for hours through high-elevation mountain forest terrain. Once they locate an animal they can briefly capture (they are careful not to capture mothers with calves because there’s a risk the calf will be permanently separated from its mother), they have minutes to anesthetize the animal and gather as much information as they can.

“Unfortunately, these wild animals don’t know we’re here to help, so they can see us as a threat,” said Salido. “A threatened tapir instinctively retreats to water, which means we’re often trying to keep them out of the water before we can assess them.”

The average female tapir weighs about 400 pounds and males generally weigh about 30 pounds less than females.

“We have to attach ropes to the tapir to prevent it from wading into water as it’s waking up, and then detach them once we see it has fully recovered and won’t be in danger in the water,” said Salido. “We only have minutes to measure and document their size and other morphometrics, take blood and fecal samples, attach the GPS collar and administer the anesthesia reversal. Then, we’re monitoring to make sure the tapir is stable and ready to be released.”

The research is critical, given the limited number of animals left in the wild and the lack of available data about them. In addition to collecting data, this year, they’re expanding their efforts with an education component. The team will visit a local Ecuadorian school to talk with them about tapirs, hoping to inspire the next generation of local conservationists to take pride in this local, rare species and to take steps to protect them.

“We’re really excited about the education opportunities we have on this trip,” said Salido. “Tapirs need more local advocates, and part of the challenge is that there’s very little local pride in this awesome species. We hope that once people learn about tapir, they’ll appreciate and want to protect them the same way that we do.”

The team will spend nearly three weeks tracking tapir and raising awareness about them in their native country. CMZoo will post social media updates as the team has opportunities to relay progress from the field.

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In the coming weeks and months, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo will continue its efforts – and embark on new ones – to support Species Survival Plans (SSPs) for Amur leopards and Amur tigers. This important work, led by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), contributes to the survival of these iconic species by managing the breeding of animals in human care.

CMZoo Amur leopards, Anya and Anadyr (ana-DEER), and CMZoo Amur tiger Chewy and a new female, Savelii, who is scheduled to arrive in October, have been selected by the SSP as pairs to breed. The selections are based on many factors, including each animal’s genetic diversity and their genetic representation in their species in human care.

Amur leopards are critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Wildcats Conservation Alliance estimates only 100 Amur leopards are left in the wild.

This won’t be the first time five-year-old female CMZoo Amur leopard, Anya, and four-year-old male, Anadyr, have the opportunity to spend time together. Since Anadyr’s arrival at CMZoo in 2017, keepers have worked to introduce him and Anya, with the eventual hopes of breeding.

“Last year, Anya was showing all the signs that she was ready to breed with Anadyr, but he wasn’t reciprocating,” said Rocky Mountain Wild Lead Animal Keeper, Allison Rosing. “Now that Anadyr is four years old, we’re hopeful he’s more mature and will be more receptive.”

By the end of breeding season in 2018, Anya and Anadyr were spending about four hours per day together. Keepers observed them sleeping and grooming together, which is a sign that the cats are comfortable around each other. Still, they never bred. During the rest of the year, outside of the period that females are in estrus, the leopards have their own spaces, as they would in the wild. Reintroductions with the two Amur leopards this breeding season are underway, and keepers are cautiously optimistic about their progress.

Wildcats Conservation Alliance estimates there are approximately 500 Amur tigers in the wild. They’re listed as endangered by IUCN. Through the SSP’s management of Amur tigers in accredited Zoos, CMZoo male Amur tiger, Chewy, was selected as a match with Bramble Park Zoo Amur tiger, Savelii.

Along with this recommendation, CMZoo male Amur tiger, Thimbu, will move to Bramble Park Zoo. Read about Thimbu’s next adventure here.

Unlike Anya and Anadyr, Chewy and Savelii will be starting from the very beginning. During animal introductions, keepers always follow the animals’ leads and observe behaviors that indicate that they’re comfortable and receptive with each other, or not. They start very cautiously by observing behaviors during “howdies,” which are introductions with a barrier between the cats. They allow animals to investigate each other without the risk of aggressive physical interactions.

“We prepare as much as possible, but we know from experience that big cats can be unpredictable, so we stay flexible during introductions,” said Rebecca Zwicker, Asian Highlands animal care manager. “We look for signs of interest or aggression between the cats during ‘howdies,’ and respond based on their interactions. That could mean we steadily increase the amount of access they have to each other. It could also mean we give them more time, but limit their access, to get used to each other.”

Having experienced a heartbreaking loss during a previous big cat breeding session, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is fully aware of the dangerous scenarios it presents. CMZoo Amur tiger, Zoya, was killed by her mate in one such breeding session in 2016.

Since then, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has not participated in tiger breeding. Now, as wild populations decline and the SSP’s past three years of efforts to breed Amur tigers prove unsuccessful, CMZoo has accepted the SSP’s recommendation to try again.

Although big cat breeding has proven to be risky, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo animal care and veterinary staff take all precautions possible. Ultimately, CMZoo acknowledges that the work to continue the existence of these species is so necessary that we have to try.

“We have two male Amur tigers who are amazing ambassadors. But, we’re never going to be able to contribute to the future of this incredible species with our current setup,” said Zwicker. “This is important. Each year that goes by is significant for the survival of tigers. We understand the risk, but we can’t watch populations continue to dwindle in the wild and just do nothing. Not on our watch.”

Many ask if artificial insemination (AI) is a better option for riskier breeding scenarios, like these. It can be a last-resort option, but isn’t historically successful with tigers because of the females’ unique ovulation patterns.

Female tigers are induced ovulators, which means the act of mating causes the female to release an egg for fertilization. It can take several days of mating interactions to stimulate ovulation and guarantee fertilization of the egg. Because of this, AI success in tigers has historically been very low; only three out of 60 procedures in the last 20 years have resulted in a cub. Even with the odds stacked against AI, CMZoo would participate in collecting samples from Chewy in case this last resort needs to be explored.

“We have a team of experienced experts managing and weighing in on the best options for our big cats during this exciting time,” said Zwicker. “We’re looking forward to managing these important efforts with our cats’ safety in mind. We love these animals and would never put them in harm’s way intentionally. If all signs point to yes, we will introduce the cats and hope for the very best. At a certain point, it is up to them.”

Stay tuned to CMZoo’s social media channels and The Waterhole newsletter for updates on the tigers’ and leopards’ progress throughout the fall and winter months.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is home to a pack of seven Mexican wolves, and we support the restoration of a similar species – the gray wolf – to our state’s wild places on the Western Slope. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has a long history of working to restore and relocate species, including black-footed ferrets, Wyoming toads, Mexican wolves, giraffe in Uganda, amphibians in Panama, and more. As an organization that contributes to the survival of species around the world, this is an exciting chance for Colorado residents to help restore a species that once roamed free, right here at home.

“We support restoring the natural balance by helping wild animal populations return to protected wild places,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, vice president of mission and programs at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. “We see our role in this issue as trusted wolf experts and animal advocates. We want to help by addressing common misconceptions about wolves, based on our extensive experiences with them. We also feel compelled to raise awareness of this petition, so our community has the information needed, so Coloradoans can decide if reintroduction of wolves is right for our state.”

The Rocky Mountain Wolf Project is currently leading the way on collecting signatures on petitions throughout the state, with hopes to bring this issue to a public vote for the November 2020 general election. The petition is actively underway until Dec. 8, 2019.

As part of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s effort to educate the public about the ecological benefits of these once-thriving Colorado animals, Rocky Mountain Wolf Project’s beautiful and informative art exhibit, “Living with Wolves,” is on display at Primate World through November 2019. The art display helps dispel myths about the dangers of wolves.

A common concern about the reintroduction of wolves to Colorado is about the safety of people who might encounter a wolf while enjoying time in nature. Unlike mountain lions and other predators found in wild and populated areas throughout Colorado, a wolf’s natural reaction to human presence is to retreat.

“Due to inaccurate portrayals of wolves in movies and other popular culture, some people may not know that wolves instinctively avoid human contact,” said Dadone. “When our keepers go into the enclosure with our pack of Mexican wolves to clean and replenish food, water and enrichment items, the wolves typically get as far away from them as possible. It’s a natural instinct that we like to see, as the hope for our wolves is that their offspring are one day restored to the wild to support their dwindling wild population.”

The Rocky Mountain Wolf Project reports that since 1900, there have been only two possible cases of a wolf-related human fatality in North America, and no cases in the lower 48 states.

This is a complex issue, especially for farmers and ranchers in the regions proposed for reintroduction. As caretakers of animals, we understand that farmers and ranchers care for their animals and have invested generations of energy into them. We also know that both compensation for their livestock and mitigation strategies are essential if wolves are restored to Colorado. We encourage these open conversations, as we hope they will lead to solutions that benefit wildlife, wild places, and the people who live near them.

There is evidence of wolves’ positive impact on restoring balance in struggling ecosystems, too. Some may be familiar with the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park, in 1995. The National Park’s elk population had grown to levels not healthy for the ecosystem, due to the absence of predators, like the wolf. The elk drastically reduced the number of trees and shrubs that prevent erosion and serve the rest of the ecosystem.

Birds lost habitats, as a result of the fauna’s inability to grow to maturity. The water temperature in streams rose, due to a lack of shade from trees and shrubs, which made them uninhabitable for fish and other aquatic species. Without competition from wolves, coyote populations increased, which reduced the number of small mammals in the area that served as a food source for many smaller predators, like foxes.

Since reintroducing the wolf, Yellowstone National Park’s elk population has decreased and become healthier. The wolves single out the weak, old, sick and young elk, leaving the strongest elk to reproduce and carry on healthy genetic lines. The Rocky Mountain Wolf Project also says the wolves’ presence near waterways reduced the negative impact elk had on streams, trees and shrubs and the animals that live there, simply by redirecting the elk. Coyote numbers have decreased, creating a better balance and more available food sources for foxes, badgers, weasels and raptors, which share their prey.

Until the 1940s, when wolves were eradicated from Colorado’s wild places, wolves thrived in the Rocky Mountain State. The last wolf was shot in 1945, as a result of an extermination campaign that didn’t consider the wolves’ important role in our delicate mountain ecosystem. While an occasional “lone wolf” has migrated into our state, wolves have not been able to establish a population in our state in over 70 years.

As an apex predator, their presence at the top of the food chain in Colorado is vital, as it is in Yellowstone National Park. Western Colorado, where the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project seeks to reintroduce wolves, has more than 15 million acres of public land with an abundance of wild prey for hunters and wolves.

Guests can stop by Wolf Woods to sign the petition, and visit the art exhibit at Primate World to learn more about the incredible gray wolf and the positive impacts its presence could make on our state. There are also Rocky Mountain Wolf Project representatives throughout Colorado, who are collecting signatures. Look out for the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project logo and a person with a clipboard to share your opinion or to support the effort to bring this issue to a public vote.

Event draws attention to the elephant poaching crisis and illegal trade of elephant ivory

Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo parking lot

Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sept. 24, 2019) – Elephant populations are rapidly plummeting in the wild. One wild elephant is killed approximately every 25 minutes to fuel an unprecedented global demand for ivory products. Poaching for ivory is listed as the main driver of this decline.

To help protect elephants and offer a way for the community to make a direct impact on the crisis, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is hosting an ivory surrender event on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Toss the Tusk gives the public a direct opportunity to take a stand for elephants and be part of this global movement to stop the killing and trafficking, by stopping the demand. By surrendering ivory, ensuring it will never hold value in the market, the public can send a strong signal to the world that that elephants are the only ones that should wear ivory.

Participants are instructed to bring their ivory items to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s well-known elevation entrance sign near the front gate. The surrendered ivory will be destroyed or used for educational purposes, ensuring it never enters the consumer market.

Today’s announcement is a significant step forward in the effort to save elephant populations. The United States is one of the largest markets for ivory products, which means that demand from American consumers has a tremendous influence on whether elephants will become extinct within our lifetime.

Nationwide ivory surrender events are being organized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)/Wildlife Trafficking Alliance (WTA), with support from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), longstanding leaders in conservation. Taking place at leading zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) across the U.S.

About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society was founded in 1926. Today, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America’s only mountain zoo, offers comprehensive education programs, exciting conservation efforts and truly fantastic animal experiences. It is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s hope that guests fall in love with animals and nature, and take action to protect them. Of the 233 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of just ten operating without tax support. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo depends on admissions, membership dues, special event attendance and donations for funding.

Did you know each year up to 75,000 pounds of broken or unwanted crayons are thrown away and end up in U.S. landfills?

Crayons are made of paraffin wax, a by-product of petroleum or crude oil, which negatively impacts wildlife where drilling occurs. Crayons can also leave a waxy sludge in landfills, which doesn’t decompose for decades.

Throughout the new school year, instead of throwing away used crayons, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo guests can donate them. CMZoo’s Coloring for Conservation team makes Coloring Critters: animal-shaped crayons made from recycled crayons.

The demand for crayons is astonishing. In the United States alone, more than 12 million new crayons are made every day! This translates into nearly 120,000 pounds or 60 tons of new crayons each day (100 crayons equal approximately one pound). What can you do to help prevent all these crayons from ending up in landfills?

Participants who stop by the Coloring for Conservation booth at one of the below events can give a donation of crayons, pick up a recycled crayon to take home or color at the Zoo with a recycled crayon.

The Coloring for Conservation booth will be available to accept crayon donations during International Vulture Awareness Day at the Zoo, on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Keep an eye out for more opportunities to donate your own crayons and receive a Coloring Critter at upcoming animal awareness days at the Zoo.

On these designated days, Coloring Critters will also be available for you to take home! So, bring used crayons to our booth, learn how we create Coloring Critters, make a donation to conservation and take home a colorful wax animal-shaped crayon. It’s a fun and creative way to help animals and the environment.

When you think of vultures, chances are you don’t picture heroic, beacons of hope contributing to a strong and healthy ecosystem. That’s because vultures sometimes get a bad rap in our society, often depicted negatively due to their scavenger status. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has been supporting vulture conservation in various ways since 2009, including currently as a Quarters for Conservation (Q4C) animal beneficiary. Senior Lead Keeper, Jenyva Fox, has been hard at work changing the way guests perceive and understand vultures – in part by organizing International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD), celebrated annually at CMZoo, on the first Saturday in September. This year, vulture keepers will host activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7.

“The foods that vultures eat, including decaying carcasses, may not be the most appetizing to us, but they are still very important members of the animal kingdom,” said Fox. “The message we try to share with guests is that vultures are the MVPs of keeping our environment clean and safe from the spread of diseases.”

This message is a bit easier to convey when you have three charismatic and interesting vultures to serve as animal ambassadors, helping to educate thousands of guests every year. Fox, along with a team of other keepers, cares for two African Cape vultures, Godric and Hedwig, and Nesher, a Eurasian griffon vulture.

Situated atop new perching that overlooks African Rift Valley, these three raptors survey both guests and animals alike during the warm months of the year. Godric, a 5-year-old male, is curious and friendly.

“Godric loves to swoop into the zebra yard during training sessions, just to check in on the keepers and see what we’re up to,” Fox said. “He’s developed a real bond with us since he arrived almost two years ago.”

Fox says that Godric has helped fellow Cape vulture, Hedwig, to build more confidence, making her braver and more outgoing.

“Hedwig is known for her confidence in the giraffe yard,” Fox said. “She’ll walk among the giraffe, bathe in the waterhole and has even found a great perching spot on top of the giraffe statue in the main yard.”

Nearing 30 years old, Nesher, on the other hand, prefers her routine, opting instead to hang back along the Safari Trail, in a more private location below the Zoo’s main road in African Rift Valley.

“Nesher was hand-raised by vulture conservationists in Israel, so she feels right at home with people,” Fox said. “This could explain why her favorite pastime is people-watching. If you want to see Nesher, your best bet is to walk along the new stroller ramp and look down. You’ll most likely find her looking up at you from that rocky, shaded space.”

Developing connections with Godric, Hedwig or Nesher makes it easier for guests to learn about the contributions vultures make in the natural world. These misunderstood and disparaged birds are nature’s clean-up crew, largely helpful in preventing the spread of disease. Their unique appearance and adaptations serve a greater purpose.

Their iconic bald heads actually prevent bacteria from sticking to their skin, an important adaptation for such a mobile animal. Preventing the spread of bacteria is key when you’re a vulture, which is why some species urinate on their own legs, killing carcass bacteria in the process. No need to panic if you get up close to a vulture, though, because they also bathe regularly – both in the water and the sun. The UV rays from the sun kill the pathogens in their feathers after feeding.

“The thing that makes them the most amazing is that they have very strong stomach acids that kill diseases and bacteria in the food they eat,” said Fox. “This is why they don’t get sick like other scavengers could.”

Sadly, all of these physiological tools aren’t enough to overcome poisoning, which is the species’ largest threat to survival. Misconceptions about vultures, such as being mystical, fortune-telling beings, are partially accountable for vulture poisonings. Ironically, it’s their very scavenger nature that most often leads to their death. Vultures’ very presence points rangers in the direction of animals that have recently been poached. In an effort to hide their misdoings, poachers will poison the carcasses to try and stave off the rangers.

Through the eyes of a conservationist like Fox, saving vultures is closely linked to saving several other endangered or critically endangered species. Efforts to protect these animals in the wild are, therefore, especially vital. This is why CMZoo has joined forces with the AZA African Vulture SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program and the Vulture Conservation Program, commonly known as VulPro.

SAFE programs are made up of Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited member organizations that help facilitate and guide united conservation efforts for several endangered species, including elephants, giraffe and orangutans. The vulture SAFE program hit the ground running when it got its start in 2018 and hasn’t stopped since. In comparison to other SAFE programs, the African vulture effort is unique in that it works to conserve six species, as opposed to a singular one. This is because all six species of vulture face very similar threats to survival, so strategies that help one species can also help the other five.

VulPro, a field partner of the vulture SAFE program, helps address captive breeding and reintroduction of vultures, as well as the rehabilitation of injured or poisoned vultures. The Zoo has supported vulture conservation by supporting VulPro for over a decade now, contributing nearly $90,000 to the South African non-profit over the years.

Before becoming a member of the African Vulture SAFE steering committee, Fox was heavily involved in raising awareness for these often misunderstood birds. One way she built excitement for vultures was by helping to establish International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD), and bring the program to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The international celebration began in 2009, and has been celebrated right here in Colorado Springs ever since.

“We started celebrating IVAD before many other animal celebration days were in the works,” recalled Fox. “IVAD was around before World Lion Day or World Elephant Day. When the celebration began, the idea of having one day a year focused on one animal’s conservation was relatively new to the Zoo world. IVAD became a necessity because these birds were in trouble, and we didn’t (and still don’t) have a beloved children’s character or even a well-known or respected animal at the helm. People weren’t as interested in saving them.”

From the beginning, Fox knew this would be an uphill battle. Luckily, the mountainous landscape at the Zoo prepared her for such a challenge. She decided the best way to get people interested in vulture conservation was to lean into the preconceived notions about vultures that people already had. IVAD activities, such as making “vulture vomit” and hosting “scavenger” hunts quickly became crowd favorites, especially among the younger visitors.

“Taking vultures’ traits and characteristics and making them into fun activities is a way to grow appreciation for vultures and what they do for us,” Fox said. “Every September, I’m just amazed at how many kids are excited to learn about vultures. Each year, people are more aware, and actively look for them in the exhibit. That’s something that never used to happen. I think part of what’s spurred this increased interest is their inclusion in the Q4C kiosks down at the admissions plaza. It warms my heart to think that we’ve been able to inspire others to care about and want to protect vultures.”

This year, Fox and other keepers will host the 11th annual vulture celebration on Saturday, September 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in African Rift Valley and Encounter Africa. Guests can expect the same hands-on activities they have grown to know and love, like vomit-making, stomach juice experiments and condor “surgery.” Our own vultures, Godric, Hedwig and Nesher, will be there, of course, ready to leave kids of all ages in awe of the many wonders vultures provide our ecosystem.

CMZoo’s conservation team gives an update on its black-footed ferret and Wyoming toad breeding programs. The two important breeding and release efforts contribute to saving species that were once considered extinct in the wild.

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PLACENTA FROM PENNY THE GIRAFFE CALF’S BIRTH CONTRIBUTES TO GROUNDBREAKING GIRAFFE VETERINARY CARE AND RESEARCH

When Penny, a reticulated giraffe calf, was born at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on June 4, 2018, Dr. Liza Dadone, head veterinarian and VP of mission and programs, couldn’t have known that the next few months of care for the sixteen-member giraffe herd would present such complicated cases. Since Penny’s passing late last summer, her legacy has continued both by helping people around the world fall in love with giraffe and by helping advance giraffe medicine in zoos.

Within months of Penny’s birth, the giraffe care team was managing unprecedented rare cases including a brand-new calf who needed intensive medical care, a chronic ligament strain in a mature male, and a mature female who would eventually reveal a false-positive pregnancy – one of only four such cases of the false diagnostic result ever documented.

Dr. Dadone did, however, know how precious a placenta could be to help improve both therapies and diagnostics for giraffe medicine. Minutes after then-20-year-old Muziki gave birth to Penny, Jason Bredahl, giraffe animal care manager at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, picked up the placenta and handed it off to Dr. Dadone.

New Diagnostics: A New Giraffe Pregnancy Test

“I had been speaking with Dr. Priya Bapodra-Villaverde at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium about a new, more accurate giraffe-specific pregnancy test she had been working on. Although the test had been used successfully on other hoofstock species, we knew that part of the giraffe placenta could contribute to this research,” said Dr. Dadone. “We split the placenta between Dr. Bapodra-Villaverde’s team and the vet team at Colorado State University, who would use it to develop a line of giraffe stem cells that can be used to help manage arthritis and other conditions.”

In late July 2018, CMZoo had to say a heartbreaking goodbye to Penny, whose story had captured the hearts of people around the world. As CMZoo put Penny to rest, her legacy continued with her placenta’s research contributing to creating a new, more accurate giraffe pregnancy test, and to creating a giraffe stem cell line.

Laikipia was the first giraffe in our herd to be tested with the new pregnancy test. Laikipia was thought to be pregnant at the same time Muzuki was pregnant with Penny, but the fact that she never gave birth puzzled giraffe experts at CMZoo and beyond. Throughout the international network of AZA-accredited organizations with whom CMZoo shares and gains input on rare cases, like hers, she was one of only four giraffe ever known to consistently falsely test positive for pregnancy.

Ever since breeding with CMZoo giraffe bull, Khalid, Laikipia had tested positive for pregnancy – but did not test positive before breeding. The CMZoo giraffe care team used the usually reliable methods of confirming pregnancy in a giraffe, including a lack of menses and elevated progesterone levels in blood and fecal samples. They even attempted logistically challenging ultrasounds, which proved inconclusive, as they often do in giraffe.

By October 2018, Laikipia had surpassed her gestation window without signs of miscarriage and with consistently elevated progesterone levels, and Dr. Dadone and her team continued to look for ways to diagnose Laikipia’s condition.

The timing was almost perfect. The new pregnancy test, developed by Columbus Zoo’s lab partner BioTracking, Inc. was ready for real-world trials in spring 2019, after being used to successfully detect pregnancy in two giraffe at the Columbus Zoo. Knowing there was no way Laikipia was still pregnant, despite her continued positive pregnancy test results, Dr. Dadone knew Laikipia was the perfect candidate to test the accuracy of the new test.

“We thought, ‘if any giraffe could break this new test, it’d be Laikipia,’” said Dr. Dadone. “We also knew Msitu was pregnant, so we tested her pregnancy to validate the accuracy of this new diagnostic.”

The new blood test, which detects a protein only present in pregnant giraffe, called Pregnancy-Specific Protein B (PSPB), could also help confirm pregnancy sooner than traditional progesterone-detecting pregnancy tests. Even more helpful for veterinary staff and animal care managers everywhere, early results suggest it could more precisely predict when a calf might be born.

“On the anniversary of Penny’s birth, we got the news that the new pregnancy test, developed in part thanks to Penny’s contribution, appears to be a great new diagnostic tool for giraffe,” said Dr. Dadone. “Laikipia’s pregnancy test came back negative and Msitu’s came back positive. While the lab is still running samples from more pregnant giraffe, this is hugely promising. We have Penny and her mom, Muziki, to thank for helping us detect and confirm this new test can work in giraffe.”

Dr. Dadone and Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will continue collaborating on ways to better diagnose and monitor giraffe pregnancy. The new pregnancy test, once fully validated, should help the zoo community more accurately predict when their giraffe are pregnant and due to give birth.

At this stage, the vet team believes Laikipia has a hormone-secreting cyst, which isn’t life-threatening and doesn’t appear to be causing her any pain or discomfort, but can cause long-term elevations in progesterone. The team now plans to start her on hormone therapy to try to help her return to normal cycling. This is a therapy used in cattle and sometime other hoofstock, but has not been previously reported for giraffe.

New Treatments in Giraffe Medicine: Stem Cell Therapy

The second half of Penny’s placenta was sent to Colorado State University, to grow a new line of stem cells used for therapeutic purposes in giraffe.

The Zoo previously used stem cell treatments grown from blood collected from a giraffe in our herd, that already trained to donate blood. However, there was some indication that stem cell lines developed from placentas could provide even greater therapeutic benefits for giraffe with chronic issues like arthritis.

Penny’s stem cell line was used on two patients, the first of which was herself. Some of the cells were used to try to help Penny recover from a splay injury and infection. While that ultimately wasn’t enough to turn around her case, a second giraffe was also treated with stem cells grown from her placenta. At Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa, a 21-year-old giraffe named Zuri was treated with cells to help manage her advanced age-related conditions. Following this treatment, Zuri’s coat grew in thicker and she had some clinical improvement. While Zuri passed away in May 2019, both of these cases are helping the zoo community learn more about clinical applications and potential benefits of stem cell therapy in zoo giraffe.

Stem cell therapy is now being used for 9-year-old CMZoo giraffe Mashama.

“Mashama has been dealing with sprained ligaments and a fracture in his right foot,” said Dr. Dadone. “Combine those issues with a ligament strain in his right front wrist [that looks like the right front knee], which preceded the fracture, and we have a pretty complex case to solve. We have tried therapeutic shoes, laser therapy, rest, and more. The next logical step is a cell stem treatment.”

While Penny’s placental stem cells have all been used with those first two cases, in July, Mashama was treated with a stem cell line grown at CSU. CMZoo is watching him closely and is hopeful the stem cell therapy can help him continue to heal, and help the zoo community learn more about applying novel therapies like stem cells to better manage health issues in giraffe.

The placenta from the calf born at CMZoo on July 6, 2019, will also be used to contribute to scientific advancements to make a stem cell line, like Penny’s did. Dr. Dadone and CMZoo staff will continue contributing to research and studies that will benefit the health of giraffe in human care, and in the wild.

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Students at Rockrimmon Elementary School in Colorado Springs, are getting their hands dirty (with resounding encouragement from their teachers) to make an important environmental contribution, thanks to their passionate school leaders, supportive communities and a grant from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo members.

In 2018, CMZoo members voted to provide three $3,000 grants to help local schools establish pollinator gardens, totaling $9,000 in support. Rockrimmon Elementary, Penrose Elementary and Remington Elementary received their grants in March 2019. With the arrival of spring in Colorado, they’re now hard at work preparing their gardens to nurture flora dedicated to feeding pollinators, like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds in search of natural food sources.

“Pollinators are showing a rapid decline across the country,” said Stacey Graham, EdVenture director and pollinator garden grant committee leader. “There isn’t consistent data to say it’s linked to any specific trigger. But, we do know that when we provide plants that attract those species, they’re coming to find them. This project is impactful on so many levels. It lets kids see species they’ve never seen before, brings communities together and exposes people to nature and its calming affects. ”

Pollinators are vital for the production of almonds, cocoa, coffee, watermelon, strawberries and countless other foods on which humans and the entire ecosystem rely.

In addition to supporting an important conservation effort to prevent the further decline of pollinators and the foods they pollinate, this project helps CMZoo members, grant beneficiaries and staff connect directly with a conservation effort and with each other.

“By supporting these grants, our members are creating a role for CMZoo to be an active participant that makes an impact in our community, rather than solely having that opportunity when our community comes to the Zoo,” said Emmaline Repp-Maxwell, CMZoo membership manager. “This is a ‘backyard’ conservation effort that helps kids develop a sense of capability and accountability for conservation that we hope they’ll take into their later years.”

Schools are receiving more than the members’ generous financial support. Scott Myers, CMZoo director of facilities, has enjoyed serving as a landscape and horticulture consultant, addressing issues from space limitations to efficient water usage and access.

At Rockrimmon Elementary, the students have been involved with the entire process, from completing the grant application, to designing the gardens, to researching the flowers to plant, to doing the dirty work themselves.

“I feel like the larger space will help with all of our learning and it is so welcoming,” said Cade B., Rockrimmon Elementary student. “I also think there will be many more pollinators visiting the garden. I’m hoping our garden will become a favorite fancy five-star pollinator restaurant.”

Rockrimmon Elementary’plans to include a meditation path and an outdoor classroom environment in their pollinator garden to serve core subject curriculum.

Putting our pollinator garden together from scratch has given our students the opportunity to study landscape design and construction work, and practice collaboration skills with people of all ages and backgrounds,” said Stacie Johnson, Rockrimmon Elementary fourth grade teacher. “I look forward to our students having the opportunity to walk along the meditation path and to observe nature in our new outdoor classroom. This garden will not only provide educational opportunities but will also provide a safe place for emotional well-being.”

Annually, $100,000 of membership revenue supports conservation efforts worldwide. Of that total, $75,000 is dedicated to Member Conservation Vote projects and $25,000 is allocated to CMZoo legacy conservation partners, through the Quarters for Conservation program.

“It’s important to our members,” said Repp-Maxwell. “Clearly, they’re aware of the pollinator crisis and want to help the Zoo find opportunities to connect with and benefit our local community.”

This year, CMZoo members displayed that continued enthusiasm for the program, by voting the Pollinator Gardens grant as the second-most-supported grant out of eight nominated projects, two years in a row. Noticing the members’ gusto for the gardens, the CMZoo Member Conservation Vote committee increased the number of grants to five recipients, totaling $15,000 in contributions for new pollinator gardens in Spring 2020.

For more information on the 2019 Member Conservation Vote grant winners, receiving $75,000 in support from CMZoo members, check out this overview.