Join us for a 5-week check-in with our beloved baby boy hippo. He and his mom, Zambezi, continue to bond well, and have even been exploring the main hippo yard together. Little baby hippo is weighing in at more than 160 pounds now! He’s gaining about a pound a day.

He’s also starting to grow his tusks and is beginning to interact with his keeper team. Water’s Edge: Africa lead keeper, Phil, fills us in on the latest from the hippo building, where baby and Zambezi have been joining him for afternoon meals daily.

The team is working on choosing a name for the baby hippo, and we’ll share that as soon as we can.

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Do you know our two emus, Dora and Damian? These two ‘really big birds’ live in Australia Walkabout, near the wallaby yard. Join Australia Walkabout Keeper, Bruce, to learn about the unique personalities, backgrounds and features of these flightless feathered friends, then watch the two enjoy a summertime cooldown in a nice mud wallow.

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Last month, Juju, 40-year-old CMZoo female Western lowland gorilla, started showing her keepers she wasn’t feeling well. Juju, who is known for being confident and independent, was spending more time away from the group, being less energetic, and sitting uncomfortably. Juju is in her golden years, having surpassed the median life expectancy of 39 years for female Western lowland gorillas, and had experienced short periods of similar discomfort, but this episode was lasting longer and her symptoms were more severe.

On August 4, 2021, after her team had exhausted all voluntary diagnostic and treatment options, Juju received a thorough examination under anesthesia in CMZoo’s vet clinic. Anesthesia is risky for any animal, but especially for an older animal. X-rays showed she doesn’t have major issues, like fractures or breaks, causing her pain, and that it’s more chronic, age-related issues to manage. She did well under anesthesia and has recovered and responded well to the treatments, including steroid injections in her left knee and left hip, and ongoing oral medications to help with pain and inflammation. Thankfully, Juju’s keepers and veterinary team have seen her continue to improve physically since the treatment.

Unless Juju’s care team sees that she’s declining, they’ll continue to manager her discomfort with oral medications, and won’t attempt any further diagnostics. They track her quality-of-life markers for her ‘new normal,’ which help the team set realistic expectations and more specific behavior trends that help them identify if she might need assistance again.

Some might think Juju’s care plan is purely focused on her physical conditions, but there’s another factor to consider when an animal has to leave and rejoin its group: the well-being of the troop. Because gorillas are such social beings, and because CMZoo’s Western lowland gorilla troop of five has been somewhat slow to form a cohesive group, the next step was to reunite them while preserving the relationships they’ve worked so hard to establish.

Silverback gorillas joining an established group, like 30-year-old Goma, have to earn the respect of the females in their troops, and a large-and-in-charge female like Juju doesn’t always make it easy for him. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be unusual for Juju to ‘challenge’ Goma, testing her limits by sitting closer than he would prefer, for example. When Juju does this, Goma’s job is to prove he’s a leader to earn her and the other females’ respect. He might ‘display,’ by standing up tall and making noise with nearby objects. Normally Juju would show him respect by moving away. While she wasn’t as mobile as usual, Goma – knowing Juju’s tendencies – could have seen her inability to move away quickly as a continued challenge, which could have caused tension between them. To avoid creating this environment, which would be stressful for the whole troop, keepers gave Goma his own space. Other than during her time at the vet clinic, Juju was with the females consistently.

“Once our vet team decided Juju was steady enough, she rejoined the girls,” said Eleanor Knox, senior keeper in Primate World. “When we opened the door between them, she was still pretty stiff from the procedure. Roxie and Asha were doing happy gorilla grumbles and touching her. Roxie, her best friend, patted her. Asha sort of encouraged her out of the den to a comfy hay bed, where she relaxed for the next couple of hours with Roxie close by.”

By the next morning, Juju had made her way outside, followed by Roxie. The team gave Juju about a week after the immobilization before reuniting her and the females with Goma. After a week, they could see the ladies were calm and settled, and Juju was confident and mobile enough to share space with him.

“The goal is to have a cohesive group, so separating Goma was the best thing for them at the time, but we knew we would need them to reunite when Juju was better,” said Knox. “It didn’t take long to see we could reunite everyone safely.”

When gorillas are excited or happy, they let out ‘gorilla grumbles,’ and the day they were reunited was grumbly indeed. They’ve been back together for their normal daily interactions for about two weeks.

“Just seeing that they could go through this potentially stressful scenario so calmly, and actually seeing excitement during the reunion is a huge nod to their resilience and bonds as a group,” said Knox. “Goma has been paying a lot of attention, which we can interpret as him caring about the overall good of the group.”

Primate World keepers will continue to monitor Juju and adjust treatments as needed. For now, the troop has settled back in together so well, that they’ll continue spending time together as a troop, growing their bonds.

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It’s officially back-to-school season. While our partner, Children’s Hospital Colorado, helps parents prepare for the academic year ahead, Water’s Edge: Africa keepers are helping 4-month-old ring-tailed lemur, Maky [MAH-kee], take his first steps toward training!
Many animals at the Zoo participate in voluntary training, which allows them to choose to participate in their own health care and other husbandry behaviors for their well-being. One of the first steps in training is building a trusting relationship between the animal and its keeper team.

“Developing a relationship with a young animal is one thing, but the real test is our relationships with their mothers when we need to work with them,” said Phil Waugh, lead keeper in Water’s Edge: Africa. “The fact that our ring-tailed lemur moms are comfortable with us being close to and even touching their babies is a huge signal that they trust us – not only with their safety, but with their babies’ safety.”

Maky’s mom, Rogue, calmly sits by, snacking on raspberries, as the Water’s Edge team comes onto Lemur Island to see if Maky wants to train. The young lemur is clearly excited by all of the activity – and snacks. He may be young, but he has mastered the art of speed leaping. He jumps quickly from one branch to another to make it over to the keepers, even beating his dad, Hercules, for top positioning closest to his trainer, Erin.

“Maky is incredibly confident with his team, and he’s full of energy,” said Waugh. “He’s young, so his training will start with learning to focus on one keeper and one task at a time. He’s quite a rambunctious little student, so it’s endearing to see him really harnessing that focus to participate with his keeper team.”

Little Maky is also learning to accept voluntary injections. The team will start by simply bringing a syringe without a needle near him, so he can see what it looks like. Then, they’ll touch him with the syringe, then add a blunted needle until he’s totally comfortable with it. Injection training is often a top priority for new or young animals, since it helps them receive vaccinations they need with as little stress as possible.

CMZoo’s three adult lemurs, Allagash, Hercules and Rogue, are injection trained, too. They have also learned more complicated behaviors, like voluntarily loading into a transport crate for low-stress moves from Lemur Island to the vet clinic, for example. They continue to learn, too! They’re working on presenting different parts of their bodies for keepers to touch and check for possible wounds or other issues.

“Allagash, who gave birth to twins in July, has also shown us she’s comfortable with us getting close to her babies,” said Waugh. “When we ask her to stretch up or show us her belly, she’s happy to do it. It helps us do visual checks on her and the twins, while they’re still clinging to her back and chest most of the time.”

Maky spends very little time on his mom’s back anymore, but still seems to like sitting next to her for the lemurs’ daily morning sunbathing sessions. We hope you all do well as you head back to school, and that you get lots of rewards for your training, just like Maky!

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Have you noticed the shipping container next to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s historic carousel and wondered what’s going on? CMZoo is planning to grow lettuce using a retired shipping container. But, that’s simplifying things. Inside the modified shipping container’s sturdy walls lies a high-tech, energy efficient, and bio-safe grow house.

It’s hard to find a project much greener than this. The new grow house is energy-, water- and space-efficient. Because the grow pod’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.

The hydroponic lettuce growing system inside the container is one of the most efficient ways to grow lettuce – and anyone who has visited our 17-member giraffe herd knows we go through a lot of lettuce.

“It fluctuates throughout the year, but on average, we use more than 3,500 heads of romaine lettuce per month,” said Alex Crochet, CMZoo horticulture curator. “It’s just a small part of the giraffes’ diet, but it’s a huge part of our guests’ experience. The goal is to grow about 55% of the Zoo’s lettuce using grow pods like this one, if this test is successful.”

Crochet’s excitement for this project is contagious, and his hope is to inspire gardeners who visit the Zoo.

“It’s a whole new adventure for our horticulture team, and we’re really excited about all we’re going to learn,” said Crochet. “Eventually, we hope to have our grow pod set up in a way that our guests can learn more about sustainable farming, too. As residents of a drought state, we Coloradans can take advantage of technologies like these to save water and still grow our own produce.”

The single grow pod should produce about an acre’s worth of lettuce using only 40 gallons 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, which Crochet hopes to plant and harvest on a schedule that produces delicious fresh lettuce on a weekly basis – eventually.

The test pod is now connected to electricity, and next, it will be hooked up to a water supply. After that, the team will get started on planting. Swing by and take a peek through the glass doors of the container to see the progress for yourself.

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There are no ‘lazy days of summer’ for Jaxen Maynor. The 16-year-old has been hard at work alongside a group of teens who are tending to a garden as part of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Teen Program. The teens are growing tomatoes, rosemary, zucchini, kale, dill, parsley and more. They also have a plot dedicated to wildflowers, to support the pollinators who migrate through Colorado Springs each summer.

“I’m a huge plant nerd,” said Maynor. “I love potted plants and have grown bell peppers at home, but I’ve never taken care of an in-ground garden before. I have learned so much – and not just about plants.”

The teens are responsible for a total of 800 square feet of garden. It’s no small task for the team of dedicated teens, as any Colorado gardener knows. During three one-hours shifts per week, six CMZoo Teen Program participants tackle the work together, and it’s paying off. The group has already harvested kale, lettuce and zucchinis, all grown from seeds. Some of the produce comes back to the Zoo to supplement animals’ diets. Sometimes the teens get to take some home, too.

Maynor says he enjoys seeing his hard work pay off, when he can take a fresh leaf of kale home and add it to a yummy smoothie. But, the experiences he has at the garden plots are what makes this project really special.

“It’s so much more than watering and weeding,” said Maynor. “The time we spend out there as a group allows us to connect and learn from each other. We’ll see an insect or a bird that looks interesting and we’ll stop to admire it. Someone in the group always has some knowledge to share, and we’re all nature lovers, so we kind of bond over that common interest.”

Maynor says he has also enjoyed getting to know members of the community through this project. The teens’ garden plots are at Charmaine Nyman Community Garden at Bear Creek, where more seasoned gardeners also have nearby plots.

“We’ve been able to learn from other gardeners there, who we see throughout the summer while we all work on our gardens,” said Maynor. “We planted relatively late compared to other gardeners, so we’ve been able to ask questions and learn from them, since they’re a step ahead of us. It’s cool to be a part of that community, with people I may not have met otherwise.”

What once seemed like an overwhelming feat is now part of Maynor’s routine. He says he wants everyone to know that they can start small and have their own garden, even if it’s a patio of potted plants. For first-timers, Maynor recommends quickly-growing and somewhat-forgiving summer squash.

“I feel way better after working in the garden, and I really want everyone to experience that,” said Maynor. “It gives me a chance to cool down and just focus on this one thing. It’s relaxing and calming to be in nature, and so much more fun than I ever could have anticipated.”

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Teen Programs provide meaningful life experiences that inspire teens to take conservation action both on and off Zoo grounds through education, leadership, stewardship and environmental exploration. To learn more about the Teen Program and how to apply, visit cmzoo.org/teenprograms.

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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is home to five Western lowland gorillas. Within the group, the gorillas have unique individual relationships, but Juju and Roxie, our eldest and closely-bonded longtime residents, are especially tight knit. They’ve both surpassed the 39-year median life expectancy for females of their species in human care, with Roxie at 44 and Juju at 40. Both ladies have experienced periodic medical issues, but overall have been in relatively good health for their ages until recently.

In 2019, Roxie’s care team placed her on long-term hospice care for ongoing kidney, reproductive system and gastrointestinal issues. This means they decided it is in Roxie’s best interest not to go to heroics to help Roxie recover from another severe episode. They would, however, continue to provide supportive care. If she needs it, they could administer IV fluids and nutrition, if she has another phase of not eating and drinking. Since making that decision, Roxie’s keepers say she has had the longest stretch in good health they can remember.

Juju has experienced short phases of physical discomfort. The cause of her discomfort has yet to be diagnosed, but her symptoms are now presenting more severely than they have previously.

“We’ve seen Juju spending more time wanting to be away from the group and being less energetic,” said Carrie Supino, Primate World keeper and Juju’s primary trainer. “We’re also seeing signs that her left leg is uncomfortable. She hasn’t been sitting cross-legged like she normally does, which leads us to believe that’s a main source of her pain.”

Typically, Juju’s discomfort occurs once or twice per year and can be corrected in a matter of days with pain and anti-inflammatory medications. But, in mid-July, she started showing signs that this episode is more severe. Oral pain and anti-inflammatory medications, which have worked in the past, are not bringing Juju the relief she needs this time.

At this point, the team has exhausted all voluntary diagnostic and treatment options, so they’re planning an immobilization for Juju in early August 2021. Under anesthesia, the team can safely get hands-on with Juju to hopefully diagnose the cause of her discomfort and start effective treatments. There is always a risk when an animal goes under anesthesia, and that risk is higher for older animals, like Juju.

Juju’s team tracks quality-of-life markers that help them identify if and when they need to escalate her care, including her appetite, activity level, social interactions with other gorillas, mobility and interest in training and enrichment.

“Juju is overall in good health,” said Supino. “Other than these issues, she’s doing great. As a team, we think this immobilization is the best next step in helping Juju feel better.”

Roxie was born at CMZoo and Juju came to the Zoo in 1982. Keepers say they have been best friends from the time they met.

“We’ve seen them sitting next to each other watching the rest of the troop, like they’re two old ladies on a park bench,” said Supino. “They’ll even have little tickle fights and get playful together. Juju has a respect for Roxie, and vice versa, that seems to allow them to let their normal gorilla guard down around each other.”

Roxie is known as a tactile gorilla, who enjoys patting her troop mates on the rear, playfully wrestling, tickling and even cuddling with them. Juju is described as ‘the boss.’ With an athletic build and a lot of confidence, Juju isn’t one to back down from a challenge. Gorillas generally prefer to have their own space, but the special bond between these two is different. In the last couple of weeks, as Juju deals with health issues, keepers have seen how important they are to each other.

“Lately, Roxie never leaves her side,” said Supino. “Being as close as six feet for gorillas is considered an interaction that means they’re really comfortable together. There aren’t many other gorillas Juju will let sit close to her. For the past couple of weeks, wherever Juju is, Roxie is right there.”

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Oh, babies! It’s been a busy spring at CMZoo. Get up-close for a check-in with our Spring 2021 babies! Join keepers for a gender and name reveal with our ring-tailed lemur born on April 26, and an update on its twin cousins born July 11. Next, hear how our Red River hoglet is getting along and already participating in voluntary training with its keepers. Finally, see how red-necked wallaby, Gidgee’s, pouch joey is growing and starting to show its hairless little face in Australia Walkabout.

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First-time Nile hippo mom, Zambezi, welcomed her calf to the world on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. Since then, keepers have seen her embrace her new role with ease. Her baby is growing and spending lots of time napping in the shallows of Water’s Edge: Africa’s hippo pools with mom. Hear from lead Water’s Edge keeper, Philip, about the sweet moments keepers have seen between the pair, and see the baby splash into the water and have the most adorable yawn we’ve ever seen.

Zambezi and baby can be difficult to spot in their early days, as they bond in the exhibit, which is open to the public as a ‘quiet zone,’ for now. The baby’s sex has not been identified and there are no naming plans at this point, but we will share that information as soon as we know more!

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On June 25, our African lion siblings turn six! It’s hard to believe it’s already been that long since the three adorable African lion cubs were born to parents Lomela and Abuto at CMZoo. Since then, they’ve grown gorgeous manes (for the boys), perfected their ground-shaking roars, learned voluntary husbandry behaviors, adjusted their family dynamics, and inspired thousands of people. A lot has changed, but some things – like how feisty Elsa, the only daughter, is – stay the same.

The African lion habitat at CMZoo includes a variety of spaces for the groups to explore separately. When 9-year-old dad, Abuto, almost-14-year-old mom, Lomela, and Elsa are together enjoying the indoor Relaxation Room or off-exhibit maternity yard, brothers Aslan and Boma might be exploring the yard that overlooks African Rift Valley.

When the boys, Boma and Aslan, were about a year-and-a-half old, Abuto told them it was time to go on their own, so the boys formed a coalition of their own. This happens in the wild, and we mimic that social dynamic here at the Zoo. African lions are unique, being the only big cats that typically live in groups in the wild.

Boma and Aslan have a strong relationship and can often be found lounging together at the top of their yard on the large rocks overlooking Colorado Springs.

“These two are really bonded,” said Diana Miller, senior keeper in African Rift Valley, and Boma’s primary trainer. “Boma can be a little guarded over his favorite toys, like half boomer balls that he will carry up to the top bench or put in a corner to keep all for himself.”

Boma has always been the largest of the siblings, but not always the bravest. He has a few favorite people, like his keepers, who he will greet with a head rub on the fence between them, but generally prefers to watch most activity from a distance. He’s most confident when his brother is nearby.

“He really relies on his brother when it comes to investigating new things in his environment,” said Miller. “He’s curious, but he’s not usually willing to be the first to check things out.”

Although hesitant, Boma is a quick learner and seems to enjoy training. His keepers love to demonstrate Boma’s smarts with a voluntary behavior they call ‘where is your toy?’. This is a physical and mental challenge for Boma, who receives positive reinforcement for interacting with enrichment items on cue. The tricky thing is, each time, the lion needs to interact with something different.

“When we ask him to do this behavior, Boma will slowly approach something in the area, tap it with his paw and come back to us,” said Miller. “It just shows how different each individual is, because we do this same behavior with Abuto, and he will run over and smack things with such enthusiasm. Boma prefers to take his time, and that’s just fine with us.”

Boma weighs in at 470 pounds. He has darker fur, amber colored eyes and more freckles on his nose, compared to Aslan. Aslan has had a crinkly right ear since he was born, which helps many guests tell him apart from his brother. Aslan is slightly smaller, at 440 pounds, and is lighter in color than Boma.

While Boma takes after his dad’s appearances, Aslan’s personality is just like Abuto’s. Because of their laid-back approach to life, Aslan and Abuto do most of the behind-the-scenes encounters with guests.

“Aslan is really mellow and vocal,” said Kayla Ringuette, African Rift Valley keeper and Aslan’s primary trainer. “He makes little baby noises when he trains, just like he did when he was a cub and we started working together. He was such a sweet-natured and curious cub. Aslan still likes to interact with his keepers and guests, but as an adult, he’s also confident lounging on his heated floors in the mornings. He’ll come over and greet us on his own timeline, rather than rushing over like he did as a cub.”

He’s also the goofiest of the bunch, according to his keepers. But, he’s quite the scholar when it comes to training. Aslan is trained for a voluntary ‘drink’ and blood draw behaviors, just like his dad.

“Abuto has kidney issues, so we keep a close eye on the boys and train them proactively so that if we need to help them, it’s a behavior they’re comfortable with,” said Ringette. “He also gives blood voluntarily, like Abuto, so we can monitor his blood values. These behaviors will be really helpful if Aslan ever develops any kidney problems, which are unfortunately relatively common in big cats.”

Aslan’s favorite enrichment is the huge, 55-gallon barrels that keepers place throughout the lions’ yards and indoor spaces. Guests can get an idea of how powerful the lions are by witnessing the damage they can do to the incredibly thick barrels.

“He loves dragging all of the barrels into one spot in a den or in the ‘cave’ in the big yard,” said Ringuette. “The barrels seem like fun for him, but they also allow him to mimic the natural behaviors of dragging a meal home as he would in the wild. That sort of enrichment helps keep him physically and mentally stimulated, along with training and other activities.”

Elsa may be the smallest of the siblings, but keepers say she’s the feistiest. Even at just a few months old, when she still lived with her brothers, she would push right past them to get to food. Now, she lives in a pride with her mom and dad, and has a very bonded relationship with them. At 340 pounds, the only daughter of the pride weighs 200 pounds less than Abuto, but still takes every chance she can to wrestle with him.

“She loves to play more than any of the other lions, and we frequently see her initiating play with Abuto and Lomela,” said Rachael Hahn, senior keeper in African Rift Valley and Elsa’s primary trainer. “If she sees her brothers in a separate space, she’ll duck behind something and pop back up like she’s playing ‘peek-a-boo,’ and Boma will sometimes play along.”

A true lioness, Elsa likes to hunt. Hahn says one of her favorite behaviors to see Elsa do is called ‘attack the buffalo.’ This behavior, which involves a water buffalo statue in their main yard, is another way to encourage the lions to exercise their natural strengths while demonstrating their impressive agility and power to guests.

“When Elsa gets her ‘buffalo’ training cue, she will run over to the statue, jump onto it and grab the buffalo’s back, just as hunting lions do in the wild,” said Hahn. “The buffalo’s back is about four feet from the ground, so the leap itself is really impressive. It keeps her agile and active, and hopefully helps our guests fall in love with lions, so they can help us protect them in the wild.”

In March 2021, members voted to fund a pet vaccination program, called Kura’s Pride, managed by our long-time conservation partner, Ewaso Lions, based in northern Kenya. These vaccines can help prevent life threatening diseases, like rabies and distemper, from being transmitted from pet dogs and cats to wild carnivores, like African lions, that live in the area. The team has administered more than 800 vaccines since starting the outreach program a month after the member vote. CMZoo funding provided local communities with trained personnel, vehicles, veterinary equipment, and materials to make collars used to identify vaccinated dogs and cats.

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