IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL COLORADO – As summer vacation ends and school bells start to ring, many families are embracing a new academic year. For some, this means managing the whirlwind of new routines, teachers and environments. Long before the first day back, parents help their children prepare and adjust with earlier bedtimes, school shopping and teacher visits. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo partner, Children’s Hospital Colorado, has advice for helping kids settle in to the new year.
For Cora, a 1-year-old red panda who recently moved to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZoo), her transition has been a bit like starting at a new school, but with bamboo snacks and triangle hammocks!
Cora’s arrival at CMZoo in July was a big event for the Zoo and the little panda. This adorable red panda, with her button nose, extra-fluffy tail and twinkling eyes, is the first of her kind at the Zoo in over two decades. Her new home in Asian Highlands was thoughtfully prepared to help her settle in smoothly.
“We’ve gone all out to make Cora’s new home as comfy as possible for her,” says Kelsey Walker, senior animal keeper in Asian Highlands. “We’ve been thoughtful about creating a peaceful space for her and incorporating some of her favorite things from her previous habitat to help her feel at ease.”
Cora’s new digs include everything from triangle hammocks – her favorite napping spots — to recycled firehose ‘vines’ she loves to climb. She also has lots of tree branches for climbing, perching or relaxing in her adorable ‘leopard lay’ position, where she lies on her tummy with her legs dangling on either side.
“Before Cora arrived, our team met with her keepers at her previous home to learn all about her favorite things, learned behaviors and individual tendencies,” Kelsey says. “We work to create a space and routine that meets her needs as a red panda and makes her feel comfortable, confident and in control, as an individual.”
Her previous primary keeper and CMZoo Asian Highlands team members met via video conference. On those video calls, Cora’s keeper introduced them to Cora and showed the CMZoo team some of her favorite habitat features.
In addition to creating those triangle hammocks, fire hose ‘vines’ and perching systems, CMZoo also installed a mister system in her main habitat and air conditioning in her den, because red pandas prefer cool climates.
Just like human children, who need time to get used to new classmates and teachers, Cora was given time to adjust to her new surroundings. In her previous home, she lived behind the scenes, so meeting guests is a new experience for Cora. To help her ease into her new environment, keepers initially set up a ‘quiet zone’ around her enclosure.
“At first, we had some guest barriers set up, and we added some leafy branches to the front windows, so guests could see her, and so she could get used to seeing guests a little bit at a time,” Kelsey says. “They were sort of like curtains. She’s really curious, so it wasn’t long until we saw her start to peek between the branches to check out her adoring visitors.”
Seeing Cora was comfortable, her team removed the barriers, and later the ‘window curtain’ branches a bit at a time. Cora has adjusted so well that she doesn’t need them at all anymore, and guests can get face-to-fuzzy-face with her at the windows. Cora’s welcome plan also includes training to help her get comfortable with her new routine and keepers.
“Her previous keeper team did a great job preparing her for the move with voluntary crate training and interactions that make Cora feel confident around people,” Kelsey says. “Since she arrived, we have been working on simple tasks, like asking her to move between her den and her main habitat. That helps build her confidence and establishes a foundational behavior that will help us expand her training repertoire. It also helps us build trust with her.”
The team at CMZoo is keeping a close eye on Cora’s behavior, even when they’re busy caring for other animals or greeting guests. Cora’s habitat has a 24-hour video surveillance system, so keepers can track data and quickly observe her behavior, routines and interactions with enriching items in her environment when they’re with her. As CMZoo does with all animals, the priority is creating a home that’s enriching for the animals, so they’re not entirely dependent on keepers for stimulation.
Making Cora feel confident in her new home allows her to do her job: connecting with guests and inspiring them to care for her wild counterparts. With only around 2,500 red pandas left in the wild, her arrival supports the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) Red Panda program. By providing Cora with a top-notch home and care, CMZoo is helping support a diverse and healthy population of red pandas, both in human care and in the wild.
As Cora gets more comfortable in her new surroundings, she’s been seen lounging on her favorite log or climbing around her perches, often using her tail to make the perfect comfy resting spots.
“She’s ridiculously cute,” says Kelsey. “We have seen her using her tail as a pillow under her chin, or wrapping it around her head as an eye mask for a mid-day nap. We’re still getting to know her, and we’re so excited to share her with everyone.”
Guests can see Cora in Asian Highlands. She has access to her den, behind the scenes, but most often chooses to hang out in her habitat, with guests quietly observing her every joy-inducing move.