There’s a new fuzzy face in My Big Backyard: Hutch, the eight-month-old Virginia opossum! Opossums might get a bad rap, but they eat thousands of ticks in the wild, which can help prevent the spread of disease to other mammals, including humans.
Opossums are important members of our ecosystem and can be found right here in Colorado’s wild places. Hutch lives in the window habitat between the turkey and chicken yards in My Big Backyard. He’s a nocturnal mammal who usually looks like a ball of fluff, as he sleeps through most of the day. His keepers often take him out to enjoy some fresh air or to do some training in The Loft. You might see him out and about during these times.
Hutch is quickly learning lots of new ways to interact with guests. He recently debuted as a ZOOMobile animal and brings smiles to guests outside of the Zoo.
If you want a chance to meet, touch, and help train with Hutch, you can schedule a special animal encounter with him. This is a guaranteed way to interact up close with this incredible guy.
Hutch is just one of many animals with which you can schedule special encounters. Maybe you have a love for raptors and meeting Hoosier, the barn owl, is on your bucket list. Are large aquatic mammals your favorite? Then Ginger the beaver would love to meet you! Perhaps reptiles are more your speed. If so, then a snake like Rustle, a bullsnake, or a lizard like Wasabi, a prehensile-tailed skink, can be your new animal best friends. Just visit https://www.cmzoo.org/encounter to find out about all the amazing animals ready to meet you!
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