Join Atka for training! Our one-year-old Alaska moose has been busy learning new husbandry behaviors that allow his Rocky Mountain Wild team to care for him and his unique needs. Get a keepers’ eye view of hoof care and injection training with Atka, while his primary trainer, Erika, explains why and how they incorporated these behaviors into Atka’s care plan.
At the end of February, Malaika, one of six aging female African elephants at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, was experiencing increasing mobility issues and severe changes in her appetite. After a few days of close monitoring and treatments to help her symptoms, she started to bounce back and has since continued to trend in the right direction. Although her team is happy to see her improve, they’re realistic, because Malaika – like all of the elephants at CMZoo – will have challenges for the rest of her life. Malaika has a lifelong issue with bowing and lack of strength in right rear leg, which is worsening as she ages.
“Some people are surprised to hear that our elephants deal with some kind of ailment, from time to time, but that’s why they’re here with us,” said Jason Bredahl, Encounter Africa animal care manager. “Our elephant center was designed specifically to care for aging female elephants and to help them with physical challenges as they age. Our keepers and veterinary staff are some of the most knowledgeable elephant experts in the profession. With our experience and the support of our colleagues, our Golden Girls are in great hands here. They’re living their best lives with us.”
Malaika is one of six “Golden Girls” in Encounter Africa, along with Missy, Kimba, Lucky, Jambo and LouLou. They’re all African elephants, but have unique personalities and some distinguishable physical features that help CMZoo visitors recognize and enjoy their individual personalities.
At 52, Missy is one of the oldest African elephants in human care in accredited zoos. She’s often in the yard with LouLou, 39, who is the easiest elephant to identify because she doesn’t have tusks. Kimba, 44, and Jambo, 39, are the largest of the group, weighing around 8,500 pounds each. Lucky, 43, is an enthusiastic mud wallower, and can be seen covering herself with mud in the yards. Malaika, 36, is one of the sassiest in the herd, who frequently carries logs, tires and puzzle feeders. She usually prefers to spend solo time in one of their many exhibit spaces at the Zoo, but hangs out with Kimba and Lucky for social time, too.
Just like humans, the health of each elephant is individual, sometimes regardless of age or environment. Malaika, the youngest of the herd, has experienced perhaps the most life-threatening issues and Missy, the eldest, has been in relatively good health for her age. The elephant care team works to help them comfortably enjoy their golden years, knowing that things can change quickly for them and that even our specialized care has its limits.
“There’s quite a range in their ages, and it’s not necessarily true that the older elephants need more specialized care than their younger friends do,” said Bredahl. “Over time, some have experienced weak limbs or digestive issues, some have arthritis, some have issues with their feet or tusks, and some have all of the above. We work to proactively lessen the impact of expected age-related issues and address anything else that pops up along the way.”
The dedicated Encounter Africa keepers, along with Bredahl, know these elephants like members of their own family. They work so closely with the ladies that they can usually ‘just tell’ if something is off, based on knowing each elephant’s individual behaviors and routines.
“We develop the skills to read their individual behaviors and know their patterns and tendencies,” said Bredahl. “We definitely have bonds with them and can usually tell what kind of a day they’re having based on their responses to training or enrichment activities. The equipment in our elephant center allows us to provide specialized care for them, but our relationships with the elephants guide those care plans, too.”
The Wilgruen Elephant Center, in Encounter Africa, at CMZoo is like a retirement community for elder elephants in the zoo world. This team and environment provide the very best in aging elephant care. Elements of the specialized elephant center include rubberized flooring, natural substrate throughout most of the barn, surveillance that allows the team to check on the ladies overnight, and spaces with activities designed to keep them moving.
The team consistently monitors each elephant’s daily behaviors, too. The elephant care team assesses and documents each elephant every day, so they can spot any trends that need to be addressed. Keepers track each elephant’s appetite, their mobility and interest in training, for example, along with individual indicators that reveal progress or declines in specific ailments, like a stiff knee or ongoing digestive issue. The team reviews each elephant’s data regularly, and makes adjustments to their environment, treatments or routines with hopes to maintain their quality of life.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Saturdays for Scouts program offers opportunities to connect with nature and animals with a curriculum designed to help your scout earn a nature-themed badge.
A schedule-your-own option is available for both Boy Scout and Girl Scout groups. Email [email protected] to set up your customized program.
The Zoo has also just launched pre-scheduled sessions designed specifically for Daisy, Brownie or Junior Girl Scouts. Girls can sign up as groups or individuals for these two-hour workshops. The workshops will enhance participants’ relationships with Zoo animals and create stronger connections with nature. Opportunities for other scout organizations will be available this summer and fall.
Girl Scouts who participate in the spring workshops will get to connect with other Girl Scouts and establish relationships throughout their community of peers. These workshops are designed around nature-driven badge requirements and will give girls the opportunity to work together with a common goal.
10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 16, 2022 – Eco Learner Workshop – Daisy
Nature is all around us, and it is the gift that keeps on giving! Come learn how we can help nature stay beautiful through the exploration and appreciation of local flora and fauna. We will even meet an animal ambassador who lives right in our own backyard!
10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 23, 2022 – Bugs Workshop – Brownies
Did you know that bugs are super important to the world around us? Join us as we explore the giant world of bugs, meet bugs up close, and find out why they play an important role for our entire planet.
10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 7, 2022 – Animal Habitats – Juniors
What makes a good habitat for a wild animal? How do we protect the animal habitats around us? Have you ever made a habitat for an animal? Journey with us as we discover what wild animals need in their wild places. Then practice making the perfect animal habitat of your own for one of our smallest Zoo creatures.
- To register for an upcoming workshop for a Daisy, Brownie or Junior Girl Scout, visit https://www.cmzoo.org/events-programs/camps-classes/saturday-for-scouts/.
- To schedule your own Saturdays for Scouts session, visit https://www.cmzoo.org/events-programs/camps-classes/saturday-for-scouts/.
Advance registration is required. Please register at least one week in advance. Registration includes admission to CMZoo for the day.
It’s springtime in the Centennial State, which means nature lovers from all over the world are making plans to explore Colorado’s beautiful wild places. Part of planning your adventure can include planning ways to take pride in every step you take.
“Exploring the great outdoors can be incredibly fulfilling, and as much as we benefit from exploring those places, there are ways we can show our gratitude for them while we enjoy them,” said Carrie Supino, Primate World keeper who is an avid conservationist and outdoorsperson.
Give it a thumbs up! If you see wildlife, a great way to tell if you’re giving it enough space is by holding your thumb up at arm’s length in your line of sight of the animal. Can you still see the animal around the outline of your thumb? Back up and enjoy that magnificent creature from farther away.
“Giving animals space keeps us and the animals safe,” said Supino. “Plus, if you keep your distance, you’re more likely to witness natural behaviors and you usually get more time to observe it.”
Make it a ‘trash-ure’ hunt. Leaving only footsteps is a great way to respect the outdoors, but what if you took it to the next level by gathering others’ (hopefully) accidental leave-behinds?
“I like to bring an empty peanut butter jar on hikes and fill it up with any trash I see,” said Supino. “The plastic jar is light, so you’re not adding much weight to your pack. Plus, if you come across anything stinky, just close that jar up tight and you’ll forget it’s there until you trash or recycle it later.”
Note the coordinates. Making memories with loved ones is even more special when you’re surrounded by the magic of nature. We want to etch those moments in time forever. Instead of leaving a mark on a tree or rock, use a GPS mobile app to note your exact coordinates. Imagine how much fun it will be to return to the exact location years later to re-discover it just as you saw it for the first time.
Tap into your inner artist. It’s only natural to want to bring a piece of a special place home with you, but a rock or wildflower in your pocket can’t do its job protecting a root system or feeding a bee. Bring a small notebook on your exploration, and take time to sit and truly observe the place you want to take home. Describe or sketch what you hear, see, smell and feel. Chances are, you’ll notice even more beautiful details, and instead of having just one piece of that place, you can use your imagination to relive that scene anytime.
“I love getting to my destination, but I really encourage people to stop and let the magnificence sink in,” said Supino. “Give yourself permission to stop and be quiet. You’ll see things you didn’t know were there.”
Trust the experts. Many destinations now require advance permits that limit the number of people on trails or at landmarks. This effort helps preserve the health of the location and the enjoyable experience for visitors. Destinations often share specific guidance that can help you protect the place you’re visiting, too. Check out the website, take the experts’ advice, and plan ahead for your next adventure.
“Making small changes can add up to a huge difference for our delicate ecosystems,” said Supino. “Whether you’re one of the Rockies’ 90 million annual visitors or you live here, consider how you can take pride in every step you take, knowing you’re protecting the future of Colorado’s great outdoors.”
In its third consecutive year of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo members’ support, International Crane Foundation’s work to save crowned cranes in East Africa is gaining momentum. The project, based in Kenya, is critical in understanding why wild crowned crane populations have declined by more than 80 percent in 25 years.
“We have to learn why something is happening before we can intelligently change that course,” said Philip Waugh, lead keeper in Water’s Edge: Africa. Waugh, along with his team, cares for Inzi and Tagi, CMZoo’s two East African crowned cranes. He first championed this conservation project in March 2020. “I hope our members know what a huge impact they’re making for these incredible birds. This research wouldn’t be possible without our members.”
A vital element of the project, led by International Crane Foundation (ICF), in partnership with Endangered Wildlife Trust, is identifying individual cranes. The team locates crane nests, and once the fledglings are born, they apply a combination of color-coded bands to the chicks’ legs. Then the researchers track them as they grow up and compare data to see why some populations survive and others don’t.
Thanks to knowledge gained since beginning this project in 2020, ICF now believes there is a significant gap in the number of juvenile birds surviving to adulthood. Cranes seem to hatch and fledge at a healthy rate, but far fewer than expected make it to mature adulthood. Identifying what threats these juvenile birds face, and helping them survive to breeding age, could be the key to saving this species.
“Once a crane reaches maturity, its plumage doesn’t change, and there are no obvious visual indications of age,” said Waugh. “We could think we see a healthy flock of cranes, but they could all be well beyond breeding age. We need to know why one population of cranes is living into its late twenties, while another population isn’t surviving to adulthood.”
Each colored band on a bird’s leg tells an important piece of its story. One band indicates its country of origin, another defines where it was banded, and another specifies when it was born. We will learn a lot about which waterways the cranes depend on, how many offspring each crane typically contributes to a population, how they prefer to roost and their movement patterns.
The team is covering a lot of ground, and learning a lot about crowned cranes. In 2020, the team banded 48 chicks. In 2021, they banded 79. In the last year, they also banded a clutch of four chicks. Most crowned cranes lay 1-2 eggs per clutch. There are fewer than ten records of a group of eggs this large ever documented in Kenya. More great news, all four chicks in that family survived and were banded! Researchers also observed the first-ever recorded instance of East African (also known as Grey) crowned cranes nesting in a tree.
“They’ve been wanting to start this fieldwork for more than a decade, so when they learned our members could potentially support it, they were excited and so were we,” said Waugh. “It’s inspiring to see how ICF and our members have prioritized this project. It goes to show that just by being a member at CMZoo, you can make big impacts for conservation around the world. Our members have allowed an organization with a presence on multiple continents to focus a lot of energy on this one project.”
A vital piece of any conservation success is local community support. In their recent report, ICF said they have been encouraged by local support for the banding project. Community members have been helping conservationists by reporting sightings of the birds. They attribute this positive community response to increased community engagement.
Every membership and every visit to CMZoo are conservation in action. Since 2015, the Member Conservation Vote has provided $525,000 of membership revenue to support field conservation worldwide. Each year, a total of $100,000 of membership revenue is contributed to conservation in two ways:
- $25,000 to the Quarters for Conservation program, which in total contributes half a million dollars on average annually to CMZoo’s legacy conservation partners
- $75,000 to projects voted for by CMZoo members through the annual vote
Last week, CMZoo members voted to decide how each of seven nominated conservation projects will be funded in 2022, including a continuation of this effort to save East African crowned cranes. Stay tuned for the results, coming soon!
Zoos play a pivotal role in the care and conservation of the world’s most vulnerable species. From the largest land mammals, like giraffe and elephants, to the smallest jungle dwellers, like tree frogs and insects, species all over the world are regularly facing challenges that can threaten their future. The best tools to protect these species are education and sharing knowledge. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has an event that equips our young visitors (and adults!) with this power in a fun and engaging way.
Endangered Species Day is a Zoo-wide event, geared towards other school groups’ participation, on Friday, April 15. They day-long event features 25 interactive stations led by 7th graders from Cheyenne Mountain Junior High School. Homeschool groups, scout troops, and preschools have all attended in previous years.
The 7th grade presenters have spent months researching endangered species and the conservation actions in place to protect them. The stations will feature student-made posters with powerful information and visuals, as well as interactive games, activities, and demonstrations that engage Zoo guests in captivating ways. These students are passionate and excited about sharing their knowledge and inspiring others to care for these species.
Though the day is geared towards other school groups’ participation, other groups can participate! We even encourage small groups, like parents and their kids, to register to attend Endangered Species Day.
You must register in advance as a group for CMZoo’s Endangered Species Day to receive a passport that aligns with the stations throughout the Zoo. As participants interact with the stations, their passports will receive a stamp. After visiting all 25 stations, and the passport is full of stamps, participants will be equipped with new knowledge and actions to better protect wildlife and wild places. Endangered Species Day registration includes admission to the Zoo for that day. To register and learn more about Endangered Species Day, visit cmzoo.org/ESD.
Members and zoo guests who are not affiliated with a group may also reserve daytime admission to the Zoo on April 15, and interact with the stations as a supplemental part of a regular Zoo visit. Advance daytime admission tickets are required. Tickets are available at cmzoo.org/visit.
February is Heart Month, and just like our partners at Children’s Hospital Colorado encourage preventive and well-care visits, our great apes participate in ongoing maintenance and preventive care for their heart health. Go behind the scenes with Amy, senior keeper in Primate World, and her team as they ask Sumagu, Baka, and Goma to show us their husbandry training with an EKG, blood pressure reader, blood draws and cardiac ultrasound. Even young Kera shows her interest in the training!
Unfortunately, we have documented heart disease in some of CMZoo’s great apes. Because heart disease is prevalent in their species – just like it is with humans – CMZoo’s Primate World team works with the orangutans and Western lowland gorillas to get regular readings so they can adjust the great apes’ medications, exercise routines or diets to hopefully prevent disease progression.
In March 2021, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo members participated in the annual Member Conservation Vote, which decides how $75,000 in member-funded conservation grants will be spent. One of the projects members voted to support recently came to fruition with the wild reintroduction of two orphaned black bear cubs, right here in the Pikes Peak region.
Five CMZoo staff members assisted Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) on the excursion at the end of January 2022, pulling two anesthetized yearling bear cubs on sleds through snowy, remote areas on Pikes Peak to a den where the cubs will rest until they emerge for the spring and summer months.
The bear cubs were orphaned in July 2021, when their mother was killed south of Woodland Park in a suspected case of poaching. Since then, the nonprofit Wet Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation has been caring for the cubs at its facility in Wetmore. Rehabilitating and releasing cubs isn’t new to CPW, but this reintroduction was extra special, thanks to CMZoo members’ funding for GPS tags for the bears.
“Urban bear conflict is one of our single biggest issues, especially bears getting into garbage at area homes and businesses,” said Travis Sauder, CPW’s acting Area Wildlife Manager for the Pikes Peak region. “It will be extremely valuable to study the effectiveness of our rehabilitation efforts with orphaned bear cubs and see if they really do learn to avoid humans in the future. We’re grateful to the Zoo for its partnership with us.”
The member-supported conservation grant funded two GPS ear tags for the cubs, which will allow CPW to track the cubs’ movements for at least the next year, as long as everything goes to plan. This data will provide information about how – and most importantly, where – the cubs spend their time in the wild. This vital information could help prevent human-bear conflicts by teaching bear lovers more about how to keep wild bears wild.
Members voted to contribute the full amount requested, $14,500, to this project, which will also fund additional GPS trackers for bears rehabilitated and released in the future.
“Up until now, we haven’t been able to track their movements,” said Rebecca Zwicker, Rocky Mountain Wild animal care manager. “Where do they go? Do they return to the den? Will they stay together? There’s a lot to learn about their behavior. The ultimate goal is that information could help guide CPW toward better human-bear conflict mitigation and rehabilitation strategies.”
For now, the data collection is on hold while the bears are mostly sleeping. They’re well insulated in the cold temperatures, thanks to the experts at CPW. In addition to building them a warm den, the cubs’ rehabilitation team made sure the cubs were pleasantly plump in preparation for a long winter’s rest in their cozy den together.
The cubs were each about 100 pounds of floppy, furry, grumbling goodness. The CMZoo team got to feel the literal weight of this important project, because once the bears were safely secured onto the sleds, CPW stepped aside to supervise while the CMZoo team got hands-on.
“It was so inspiring,” said Zwicker. “It was also hard work! Imagine trying to maneuver a completely asleep, very chunky bear cub off a sled, over the snow and through a small opening into their den. It was quite a physical challenge. CPW directed us, and we got to physically pull these little guys into their wild home. We did a lot of scooting around in the snow to make sure they were properly tucked in and correctly positioned, so they could breathe, while they recovered from the anesthesia, and snuggle together for warmth.”
CPW plans to share what it learns from these young bears’ travels this spring and summer. CMZoo is looking forward to continuing to grow the relationship with CPW so our two organizations can work together to help people keep bears and other wildlife as wild as possible.
“At the Zoo, we work to inspire our guests by getting them up-close with our animals,” said Zwicker. “Well, that’s exactly what happened to me through this work with CPW. Living in Colorado, you hear about human-wildlife conflicts, but being out there made it so personal and real. When you’re looking at their little bear faces, hearing their little groans and feeling their wiry fur, you can’t help but whisper a few words of encouragement, like ‘make good choices out there, friend’ and to hope that they’ll be okay. We know there’s risk for them, but we want them to be wild and free, too.”
Every membership and every visit to the Zoo is conservation in action. Since 2015, the Member Conservation Vote has provided $525,000 of membership revenue to support field conservation worldwide. Each year, a total of $100,000 of membership revenue is contributed to conservation in two ways:
- $25,000 to the Quarters for Conservation program, which has contributed more than $3.5 million dollars to CMZoo’s legacy conservation partners, since the program began in 2008.
- $75,000 to projects voted for by CMZoo members through this annual vote.
“I’m really proud of our members for supporting this local conservation effort,” said DeeAnn Wilfong, CMZoo veterinary technician and hospital manager. Wilfong and Zwicker’s relationships with CPW and work protecting Colorado’s bears were instrumental in coordinating this field effort for our members.
“We often get comfortable that our local fauna are plentiful because we see them all the time,” said Wilfong. “Right now, black bears are plentiful in Colorado, but we have learned through the decline of other species, that you can’t assume they’ll always be here. As we continue to experience longer drought conditions and human population growth, we want to take action to help them before it may be too late.”
Stay tuned for the 2022 Member Conservation Vote candidate projects, which will be announced and open for voting in March 2022. Then, members will again vote to decide which conservation projects receive funding. To learn more about becoming a member at CMZoo, visit cmzoo.org/membership.
Summer is the busiest season of the year at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, as we welcome locals on summer break and out-of-towners spending their vacations in the Rocky Mountains. Though the number of animals we care for typically stays the same during those warmer months, the number of guests can be thousands more than those who might visit during our winter months. To prepare for our summer guests to have the time of their lives at CMZoo, we spend the spring months looking for amazing people to help provide those experiences!
We get a lot of questions about how people can join our Zoo team, and how they can get the chance to work at the 4th Best Zoo in the U.S., ranked by USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Here is the inside scoop: late winter and early spring are the best times of year to look for opportunities for employment with Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. In fact, we are gearing up right now to welcome new faces to our summer team.
Right now, CMZoo is looking for passionate people to join our Guest Experiences, Food Service and Retail, and Summer Camp Mentor teams.
CMZoo’s Guest Experiences team members are truly the face of the Zoo, and provide amazing human interactions for our guests. Whether it’s educating guests about the Quarters for Conservation program at the front gate, or helping to make sure our giraffe get lots of lettuce snacks at our giraffe feeding experience, these employees are one of the most powerful reasons guests keep coming back to CMZoo. The Guest Experiences team plays a pivotal role in connecting our guests from all over the world to our incredible zoo.
Ciera Ramirez works in a variety of roles on the Guest Experiences team at CMZoo, including admissions, the giraffe feeding lettuce hut, and the front desk in the administration office. She has been a Guest Experiences team member for two years.
“We’re all animal lovers who have a heart for guest service,” said Ramirez. “We don’t work directly with the animals, but we get to learn about them over time. It’s rewarding to help our guests enjoy their visit to the Zoo by sharing information and providing tips for making the most of their time with us. My favorite part of my job is seeing little kids’ faces light up with excitement when they feed the giraffe herd.”
Summer Camp Mentor is an ideal role for those who love to work with kids and to connect them to the natural world. Camp mentors are crucial for turning our youngest guests into future stewards for wildlife and wild places. Zoo camps are not your typical summer camp experience, and camp mentors are not your typical camp counselors. This role is hands-on, nature-based, kid-guided and conservation-minded. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s camp program has been named one of the best in Colorado Springs, and it is all due to the wonderful people who mentor the campers through the experience.
Zachary Ehlers has been a Summer Camp Mentor for two years, and is returning for his third year in 2022.
“I really value being able to help build the bond between youth and nature,” said Ehlers. “Providing such a unique and fun experience at Summer Zoo Camp while sharing my personal passion for the outdoors is priceless.”
Our Food Service and Retail team can be found anywhere guests can find dining and retail shopping opportunities at the Zoo. Although these team members technically work for a separate company – The SSA Group – they are an integral part of the CMZoo family. Like the Guest Experiences team, The SSA Group team members provide a world-class Zoo experience with delicious food, tasty beverages and unique items for purchase. Did you know that the gift shop has items that directly contribute to the conservation of animals in the wild, and that a portion of every purchase helps support the good work being done at CMZoo? Members of this team are not only well versed in their products, but also the environmental impacts of these items as well. If you love food, people, fast-paced environments and animals, then this is the perfect summer (or year-round!) opportunity.
Mary England is a gift shop retail associate with The SSA Group at CMZoo.
“Working in the gift shop is really fun because we get to see guests on the way out and hear all about their visits,” said England. “It’s really endearing, and it’s rewarding to know you’re helping guests choose meaningful gifts that represent the memories and animal connections they made here. Plus, I get to walk around the mountain and visit the animals on my break. It’s great!”
If you or someone in your life is looking for an opportunity to join the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo family, be sure to visit cmzoo.org/jobs to see all the current job postings and how to apply.
In July, we told you about the new shipping container farm growing produce for animals at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Since then, CMZoo’s horticulture team has been working through challenges and growing their knowledge, along with lots of lettuce.
Last month, they harvested their first test yield of romaine lettuce for CMZoo’s giraffe herd!
“They ate it up!,” said Denny Patton, senior horticulturist at CMZoo. “After so many months of trial and error, testing, failing, and trying again, it was really cool to see the animals enjoying this produce that we’ve worked so hard to provide.”
Like every Colorado gardener knows, farming in The Centennial State is no easy feat. Using a complex, year-round growing system like this one requires commitment, patience and ongoing education.
“We’re learning so much,” said Patton. “I don’t think any of us thought we’d be programming computers and testing water’s oxygen levels in this role. We love this project. It’s a challenging and rewarding adventure.”
It’s hard to find a project much greener than this. The system is energy-, water- and space-efficient. Because the growing system’s shell was a freezer shipping container in its previous life, it’s heavily insulated. That will protect the plants from Colorado’s extreme temperature ranges, and allow the team to grow produce year-round.
The hydroponic lettuce growing system inside the container is one of the most efficient ways to grow lettuce – and as anyone who has visited our 17-member giraffe herd knows, they go through a lot of lettuce. On average, the Zoo uses more than 3,500 heads of romaine lettuce per month. Romaine lettuce is a small part of the giraffes’ diet, but it’s a huge part of our guests’ experience. The long-term goal is to grow about 55% of the Zoo’s lettuce using systems like this one, by expanding the number of shipping container farms at the Zoo.
The team is learning through trial and error. They’re testing how often they need to replace the water in the hydration tanks, which kinds of seeds grow well, how the automatic climate controls work (and don’t!), and how they could potentially improve growing conditions by altering the climate and nutrients in the system depending on the plants’ stage of development. That’s down the line, though, and only if this testing phase is deemed successful.
“Right now, we can grow about 2,500 plants at a time,” said Patton. “We’re testing how to make this as energy-efficient and water-conservative as possible. We’re even looking into different grow racks, because we might be able to double the number of plants we can grow at once by shuffling around some of the shelving.”
The single shipping container farm should produce about an acre’s worth of lettuce using only 40 gallons of water per day. The system also uses a dehumidifier to capture excess water from the air and filter it back into the watering reservoirs. The ebb-and-flow hydroponic system uses less than a typical shower to fuel hundreds of heads of lettuce.
“We’re planting on a weekly schedule,” said Patton. “On any given week, you’ll see brand-new seedlings, growing heads of lettuce and mature lettuce, ready to be fed to our animals. It’s a constant cycle, which we hope will eventually reduce the Zoo’s dependence on outside food sources.”
The team’s commitment to mastering this art-and-science project is paying off. They’re producing about 230 heads of lettuce a week – that’s between 30 and 50 pounds – for CMZoo’s animals, at a 90 percent success rate. Having nailed down a successful growing plan for romaine lettuce, the team is expanding the menu. They are also growing kale, which was a treat for our orangutans recently.
“The orangutans’ keepers said they didn’t usually eat the store-bought kale, but they gobbled our Zoo-grown kale right up,” said Patton. “I don’t think there’s a better compliment than that.”
Lettuce and kale aren’t the only things growing – much to our animals’ delight.
“Browse is a huge part of our animals’ diets, but its availability is limited in our state – especially in the winter months,” said Patton. “When you come and peek through the shipping container’s window, you’ll see some tiny sticks in there. We’re attempting to grow our own tree branches and leaves through propagation. We did a batch of native coyote willow for our wallabies, and they loved it!”
The horticulture team will continue testing the efficiency of the growing system, and sharing the fruits of their labor with CMZoo’s animals. Guests are welcome to check out the project, next to the carousel, on their next visit.