Come behind the scenes to see how our one-month-old Red River hoglet is doing! It (we haven’t identified the baby’s sex yet) is growing and bonding well with first-time mom, Zena. African Rift Valley Keeper, Brooke, is here to give you an update on this very energetic little hog, and to answer the big questions:

  • Is it a boy or a girl?
    — We don’t know yet. The baby is doing so well, we haven’t had a need to interrupt its bonding time with mom.
  • What’s it’s name?
    — We don’t have concrete naming plans yet, but we’ll keep you posted.
  • When can we see it?
    — We’re working on introducing the baby, Zena and Huey. We’ll definitely let you know as soon as you can visit this cutie at #CMZoo.

Learn more about how this young one is warming up to its keepers, zooming around and testing new foods. Guests can see dad, Huey, in the Red River hog yard near the giraffe barn, which he shares on rotation with Ari, our 19-year-old female Red River hog.

Back to The Waterhole

 

CMZoo’s EdVenture department recently welcomed Hootenanny, a 6-year-old female screech owl, to the team. Get to know “Hoot” and learn about her species, which is found in Colorado’s wild places. She may be small, but she is a skilled hunter and a fast study. Learn about her incredible adaptations and watch her flight training with her primary trainer, Lauren.

Hootenanny participates in our outreach programs, like animal meet-and-greets and ZOOMobile. Learn more about our custom animal experiences/.

Back to The Waterhole

 

Spring is here! As many Coloradoans start exploring our beautiful wild places, it’s important to help our curious native black bears stay safe, by helping them avoid human-wildlife conflicts.

Although grizzly bears aren’t found in the wild in Colorado, our CMZoo grizzlies are here to help you learn how to keep our native black bears safe. Rocky Mountain Wild keeper, Kelsey, provides campsite safety tips while Emmett and Digger explore a campsite full of examples of how NOT to camp – and prove why Kelsey’s advice is important to follow.

Help do your part to keep curious wild bears safe by practicing these campsite safety tips:

  1. Keep campsite food smells to a minimum.
  2. Use bear-safe food storage and toiletries containers.
  3. Don’t store food or toiletries in your tent with you.
  4. Keep a clean campsite. When you leave your campsite to explore, make sure you’re not tempting a curious bear with food, trash or other interesting smells.

Back to The Waterhole

 

It’s World Penguin Day, so let’s hang out with CMZoo’s African penguins in Water’s Edge: Africa! Join our keepers at the edge of the guest sidewalk, where our 16 African penguins can come right up to their penguin-sized fence to say hello to our guests any time they want on warm-weather days.

Did you know that by supporting CMZoo, you’re supporting frontline penguin conservation efforts in South Africa? Because of your support, our conservation partner, SANCCOB rescued, rehabilitated and released 124 chicks to the wild in 2020, and the work continues. SANCCOB penguin rangers live on-site with wild penguin populations, which allows them to quickly save abandoned chicks and help injured adults recover, then rejoin their wild flocks.

In this video, we say hello to Rico and Rufaro, and learn about their process going through a catastrophic molt. Penguins experience a catastrophic molt – when they lose all of their feathers at once, then regrow them – about once a year. You can also learn about the personalities of some of the individuals in our flock, like outgoing Napoleon and Captain, as our keepers sit down with them for breakfast.

Join us as we check in with BB, our six-month-old reticulated giraffe calf. BB is sassy, smart and outgoing, which means she’s a natural when it comes to training. Check in with Lead Animal Keeper, Amy, as she tells us what BB’s been up to, and how she’s making a name for herself in our herd of 17 long-necked friends.

Back to The Waterhole

 

Get your locally grown, native, pollinator plants from the Zoo! Order online April 1-26 for curbside pick-up April 30-May 2, or make plans to join us in person on May 22 and 23, at the Zoo! With traditional plants, like vines, ferns, butterfly bushes, grasses, and lilies, plus new offerings like hanging baskets, fruits trees and veggies, you can reach all of your green-thumb goals while supporting the Zoo. This annual fundraiser keeps getting bigger, and your support means we can focus on even more horticulture projects at the Zoo! Check it out at cmzoo.org/plantsale.

Back to The Waterhole

 

Know who loves a snow day? Yazhi, Twinkie, Albert and Lena — our Rocky Mountain goats! Check in with CMZoo’s four fluffy friends and learn how to tell them apart, how they like to spend their days, and how their adaptations make them perfect for winters in the mountains!

Back to The Waterhole

 

Hoof care for ungulates (hooved animals) helps keep them healthy and happy, much like well-care visits to your doctor. During International Hoof Care Month, learn why we celebrate the importance of hoof care all year long, as we get up close with giraffe and Atka, the moose, to learn more about this specialized care.

Back to The Waterhole

 

Primate World keepers are working with Sumagu, a 33-year-old female Sumatran orangutan on behaviors that allow her to participate voluntarily in her long-term health care. The incredibly intelligent ape has learned new husbandry behaviors, including EKG and blood draw training.

Come behind the scenes with Sumagu and her keepers to learn how they customize her training for her unique preferences, and how the data they collect helps apes in human care across the country.

Back to The Waterhole

 

Abuto, our 9-year-old African lion patriarch, is participating in impressive training that supports his ongoing health care, thanks to the creativity and dedication of his animal care team.

We have been keeping you informed as Abuto’s kidney disease and high blood pressure progress, and these two new behaviors – a ‘drink’ cue and subcutaneous fluid administration – help prepare Abuto and his team for if-and-when he starts to decline.

You normally see Abuto hanging out on pride rock, overlooking Colorado Springs with his pride, but today, you’ll join him behind the scenes for two short training sessions that took place between his time outside and in the comfy Relaxation Room in African Rift Valley.

[This video shows up-close subcutaneous fluid administration, so if you don’t like needles, you’ll want to skip over the poke about 1:15 into the video.]

Back to The Waterhole

 

Search