Atka, our Alaska moose, isn’t fazed by single-digit temps. Moose have adaptations that help them survive the winter, including a thick winter coat and a long nose that warms air before it hits their lungs.
Moose are active throughout the winter months, spending time foraging and roaming in their native habitats, including some parts of Colorado. As you make plans to enjoy outdoor winter activities, it’s important to keep moose in mind. Give them space, learn where they’re most frequently spotted and help keep wildlife wild with these tips.
At the end of August 2022, African Rift Valley keepers arrived to work to find Lomela, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s 15-year-old African lion matriarch, was not acting like herself.
“Lomela is normally intensely focused on her keepers’ every move and is quick to engage with us,” said Rachael Hahn, senior lead keeper in African Rift Valley. “That morning, she looked sort of ‘spacey’ and lethargic. We thought she might have injured herself because she was resistant to shifting when we asked her to.”
According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the median life expectancy for an African lion is 16.9 years, so Lomela is considered geriatric. Except for inevitable age-related slow-downs, like arthritis, she seemed to be relatively healthy until that morning. The team leaned on Lomela’s previous voluntary health care training to find out what was causing the sudden and drastic decline.
“Lomela is incredibly intelligent, so even though she wasn’t feeling great, she was able to follow our training cues so we could help her,” said Hahn. “When we ask her to participate in blood draw and blood pressure behaviors, we ask her to move into a training area that has a small sliding panel at the bottom of it. Once she’s comfortable, she moves her tail out of the port so we can safely reach it. We use the big vein in her tail to draw blood and get blood pressure readings for her. She gets lots of yummy snacks for participating, and we are able to diagnose what’s going on.”
The tests revealed that Lomela had extremely elevated kidney levels and high blood pressure. Unfortunately, kidney disease is prevalent in domestic and big cats and high blood pressure is known to worsen kidney disease. Lion fans may remember that Abuto, the 10-year-old African lion patriarch at CMZoo, has also dealt with this disease for many years.
However, the disease impacts each individual differently, and Lomela seems to be much further along in its progression than Abuto. It’s estimated she has only about 25 percent kidney function remaining. Thanks to her participation and her care team’s quick actions, she seems to have leveled out since her worst in late August. But, the outlook for cats with kidney failure can be unpredictable.
With medication changes, the team got her blood pressure under control within about a week. Getting her blood pressure under control took the pressure off of her kidneys and prevented further damage.
“At the end of August, I was concerned,” said Dr. Eric Klaphake, DVM, DACZM, head veterinarian at CMZoo. “Her kidney values and blood pressure have improved since then, and we will continue to monitor that, and adjust things as needed. She seems to be at a stable point now, but unfortunately once kidney values are that high, you have lost kidney function forever, so we’re monitoring her carefully.”
Elsa, Lomela’s 6-year-old daughter, has also been watching her mom closely.
“We could tell Lomela was really feeling better when she started playing with Elsa again,” said Hahn. “Elsa can be pretty relentless when she wants to play, but she gave Lomela space when she needed it. Now, we’ve seen the two cuddling and wrestling like before, so we’re hopeful they have a lot more time together.”
Lomela’s team will continue monitoring her health through bi-weekly blood draws and weekly blood pressure readings. They will also encourage her to continue participating in training sessions that help her stay hydrated by drinking lots of water, and with stretches that help manage arthritis pain without medications that could contribute to kidney damage.
Abuto’s care routine also continues, but the ‘mane man’ in African Rift Valley seems to be doing well. In January 2021, we shared a behind-the-scenes video of Abuto’s health care husbandry training sessions. Although Abuto’s loss of kidney function is also irreversible, his team has been able to help him live a good quality of life by focusing on blood pressure management, hydration and nutrition.
“We have been so happy with Abuto’s response to his ongoing treatments,” said Hahn. “We’re always cautious when we share that our older big cats seem to be doing well because we know how quickly things can change. We have so much respect for them, and of course we want them to stay forever, but we will know when it’s time to make the most compassionate decision of all.”
In 2017, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium established the Giraffe Plasma Bank to help reduce giraffe calf mortalities. The International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe, established this summer, is dedicated to growing the number of available banks around the country, and recently welcomed new partners.
Newborn giraffe calves may be six feet tall and can walk within hours of being born, but they’re extremely fragile. In the wild, calves have about a 50 percent mortality rate in their first year. In human care, it’s about 20 percent. The cause of a calf’s struggles can many times be traced to initial difficulty nursing. Its first mother’s milk, called colostrum, provides important antibodies and proteins. Without it, calves are more susceptible to infections and other health issues.
But, plasma treatments can increase the chance of survival for a calf that doesn’t receive their mother’s colostrum in the first day of life. Plasma is the liquid component of blood, and accounts for more than half of blood’s volume. It contains antibodies and transports nutrients, electrolytes, hormones, and other important substances throughout the body. It also helps remove toxins from the body by transporting them to filtering organs, like the liver, lungs, kidneys, or skin.
To get plasma, you need willing blood donors.
“Not all heroes wear capes,” said Amy Schilz, senior animal behaviorist at the International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe (The Center). “Some wear spots.”
At CMZoo, 12-year-old male, Mashama, and 13-year-old female, Msitu, are the most eager voluntary blood donors. The two well-known giraffe work with their trainers to receive positive reinforcers – crackers, in most cases – while their team draws blood from a vein in their neck.
WATCH THIS BLOOD DRAW SESSION WITH MASHAMA
“The sessions are always completely voluntary, and Mashama and Msitu get excited for the reinforcers and extra attention they receive during training sessions,” said Schilz. “They can choose to walk away at any time, and our veterinary technicians use a specialized blood draw setup so the needle comes right out if the giraffe walks away. We also watch for signs of discomfort and we stop if we think a giraffe isn’t enjoying it, but we really don’t see that.”
Each giraffe plasma transfusion requires about six 250 ML bags of plasma to create, and each bag of blood takes about 20 minutes to collect. Once blood is drawn, it is ‘spun’ in a machine called a centrifuge at a local veterinary based blood bank. Centrifugal force separates blood into three components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. Our veterinary team collects the separated, then frozen, plasma from the blood bank and stores it in CMZoo’s Giraffe Plasma Bank freezer, so it’s ready to go when giraffe calves need it.
The Center’s team shares their training methods, learns from others, and connects organizations that can now work together to make more plasma available in more locations – and that benefits giraffe calves everywhere, regardless of whether they live at an AZA-accredited facility or with a reputable private holder.
“I know this all sounds very scientific, but this program exists because we love giraffe and we want to save as many calves as we can,” said Schilz. “If we all work together, we can do that. That’s why we’re really excited to welcome more contributors to the Giraffe Plasma Bank team.”
In the past year, the multi-location Giraffe Plasma Bank has grown to five locations, and four more are in the process of training and setting up their banks. Dickerson Park Zoo, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, in Springfield, Missouri, became a contributing member of the Giraffe Plasma Bank recently.
“We care for two giraffes that love to participate in training,” said Tracy Campbell, head keeper of Africa and South America at Dickerson Park Zoo. “Plus, we have a giraffe staff which does a great job with them. This is something we can do to help out the future of the population, and we are happy to do what we can. I give all the credit to my team for their hard work.”
Another new contributor is Highpoint Haven, a private facility and home to four giraffe in northeast Texas. Their team has a goal to lead a better standard of care for privately held exotic animals.
Dan Houck, a passionate giraffe lover and conservationist, owns Highpoint Haven. He has attended many of CMZoo’s giraffe care workshops, now operated by The Center, since 2016. Houck learned about hoof care, blood draw training and more, at those workshops and was able to customize those teachings to benefit the individual needs of the giraffe in his care. In 2021, a calf born into his herd directly benefitted from the knowledge, network and resources he gained at those workshops.
The calf, now named Sophie, was the second baby born to parents Harriet and Gerald. The labor and birth were textbook, but Sophie was unable to nurse.
“About four hours after Sophie was born and still hadn’t nursed, I was starting to get nervous,” said Houck. “We knew it was critical for the calf to get colostrum in the first 24 hours, but learned that many calves struggle if they don’t nurse within the first 9 hours or so. We needed plasma and we had to act quickly.”
Through his participation at the giraffe care workshops, Houck knew he could reach out to Dr. Liza Dadone, senior giraffe veterinarian at The Center and original co-founder of the Giraffe Plasma Bank along with Dr. Priya Bapodra-Villaverde, senior veterinarian at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Drs. Dadone and Bapodra-Villaverde were eager to help, but it was a Saturday, so mailing plasma to Texas from Colorado or Ohio wasn’t an option because it wouldn’t be delivered on a Sunday. The Highpoint Haven team started bottle feeding the calf with supplemental colostrum. They also drew blood and found that her blood glucose levels were dangerously low. Meanwhile, Dr. Dadone started calling on her network. The team was able to locate two bags of plasma, which were unused after another calf recently needed help at a zoo nearby. The team drove to pick up the two available bags of plasma on Sunday afternoon and administered them to the calf.
“By Monday morning, she was nursing,” said Houck. “The plasma transfusion was life-changing for her. It kick-started her instinct to nurse almost immediately. While we cared for Sophie, the team kept working to deliver more plasma from the Giraffe Plasma Bank to get us through the full treatment, which is six bags. Sophie got her last dose that Thursday and she’s been growing and thriving ever since. Now, she weighs 904 pounds and counting. She’s a handful, just like her dad.”
On Sept. 18, 2022, the Highpoint Haven family celebrated Sophie’s first birthday by making their first contribution to the Giraffe Plasma Bank, with Dr. Dadone on site to assist. Sophie’s dad, Gerald, was the voluntary donor.
“Gerald is a truly a one-in-a-million giraffe,” said Lauren Kimbro, manager of animal care and training at Highpoint Haven. “We have seen first-hand how plasma can save a calf, and Sophie is a healthy, happy calf with us today because of the expertise and generosity of the Giraffe Plasma Bank team. It takes a village, and it’s an honor to be a part of it.”
Since its inception, the Giraffe Plasma Bank has benefitted 13 giraffe calves, and the teams look forward to continuing and expanding that reach as more donors and banks join the effort. To learn more about the International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe, visit cmzoo.org/giraffecare.
How Do the Grizzly Bears at CMZoo Spend the Winter? As our 17-year-old grizzly bears, Emmett and Digger, prepare for the winter, they will start living at a much slower pace.
We often associate bears with hibernation, but science has shown that many animals, like raccoons, skunks, and bears, survive the winter using torpor instead, which is a much lighter form of hibernation. True hibernators include animals like chipmunks, ground squirrels and woodchucks. Animals in true hibernation remain in a low-energy state through the entire winter, and waking up takes a lot of time and energy for these animals.
Instead of this deep hibernation, grizzly bears enter into torpor, where they fall into a deeper-than-normal sleep during their inactive moments of the day, which conserves energy. When in the torpor state, they will also experience decreased breathing, heart rates, lower metabolic rates and a slightly reduced temperature. Bears are still intermittently active during the winter months but are able to sleep more than 100 days at a time without passing waste, eating, or drinking.
But do all bears go into torpor?
While there is still lots of ongoing research being done on bears, biologists have found that torpor behaviors tend to depend on location, climate, food supply in the wild and the individual bear. Certain bears in warmer climates will only spend two or three weeks in torpor. If bears have a lack of food supply, they will come out more often to find food.
When Emmett and Digger’s wild grizzly bear cousins up in Montana head into winter, they “den up,” or build a den with natural materials that they sleep in most of the winter. Emmett and Digger have access to their outdoor day beds year-round but also like to create their own dens throughout their yard in the winter.
They even cuddle with each other!
Emmett and Digger move a little slower in the winter, but are still active and captivating. They will casually splash in their pond, play-wrestle, and slowly explore their habitat. Keepers reward the grizzly bears with special treats like salmon, other meats and fruits for participating in husbandry training and shifting.
Emmett and Digger can often be seen snuggling together, investigating enrichment items, and training with keepers throughout the whole winter season. Visit them in Rocky Mountain Wild.
Pumpkin SMASH! It’s that time of year again! Not only are pumpkins a tasty treat, they also serve as exciting enrichment for a number of animals at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. As you can see, each animal has a different approach to ripping into a pumpkin. The hippos like to crunch the pumpkins with their powerful jaws while the skunks like to ‘go all in’ and tear pieces apart with their tiny claws and teeth. The elephants use their strong trunks to squeeze the pumpkin open before delicately directing the gourd to their mouth. The behavior of our mountain lions is probably similar to your cat at home! They bat at the pumpkins and use their sharp claws and rough tongues to retrieve the meat their keepers hid inside.
Enrichment opportunities like this are important for the bodies and brains of our animals, because it’s good for our animals to problem solve. Enrichment is good for both animals and humans! As the holidays approach, it can be hard for us humans to eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, and lower stress. Our partners, Children’s Hospital Colorado, have provided some great tips for eating well, navigating holiday travel and having happy, healthy holidays this year: https://www.childrenscolorado.org/conditions-and-advice/parenting/parenting-articles/happy-healthy-holidays/.
It’s time to check in on our mountain tapir, Cofan, as he lives out his golden years! In early 2021, Cofan underwent a life-saving surgery to remove his damaged left kidney. Since then, Cofan’s keepers have worked closely with him and given him extra love and scratches, which are his favorite rewards. Giving Cofan scratches puts him into a ‘tapir trance,’ allowing his care team to collect voluntary blood draws without any sedation. His post-surgery blood draw results have been encouraging and are a great way to keep tabs on his overall health.
Mountain tapir are very rare. Only six live in human care in the United States. Even though tapir look similar to anteaters or bears, they are actually closely related to rhinos and horses. Because tapir are so rare, but have the commonalities of horses, Cofan’s medical team refers to equine medicine and their own experience with tapir to give nearly 19-year-old Cofan the best care as he ages.
As Cofan gets older, enrichment is important for his health and quality of life in his golden years. Cofan loves eating lettuce, apples and fresh leaves from branches. Keepers will hang snacks from trees and bushes to encourage Cofan to problem solve and use his incredible nose. When he is not actively participating in enrichment, Cofan can often be found taking naps by his waterfall.
Mountain tapir, from the Andes Mountains in Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru, are one of four species of tapir. Due to habitat loss, mountain tapir are endangered with approximately 2,500 left in the wild. CMZoo staff, thanks to support from Zoo members in our annual Member Conservation Vote, work diligently to save mountain tapir and their habitats south of the equator.
Easy-to-love Cofan helps his species by teaching us more about how to care for mountain tapir, and by inspiring countless visitors to learn about and protect wild tapir. You can visit Cofan living out his golden years across the road from Encounter Africa.
Bailey, a 10-year-old reticulated giraffe at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, is expecting her second calf any day now. Anticipating the birth of a giraffe calf can be a roller coaster of emotions: excitement, wonder, impatience, nervousness and even worry.
Since establishing its giraffe breeding program in 1954, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has welcomed 202 giraffe calves to the world. Through experiences with mothers and calves, the team has gained invaluable institutional knowledge that will guide them through Bailey’s pregnancy, labor and first moments as a second-time mom. Although every birth, calf and mother is unique, there are common milestones that help Bailey’s care team recognize whether things are on the right track.
Giraffe gestation, or length of pregnancy, isn’t an exact science. Giraffe pregnancies typically range between 14 and 16 months, which can make planning for the birth a bit of a guessing game. CMZoo’s breeding bull giraffe, Khalid, and Bailey last bred on July 19, 2021. That means Bailey’s due date window is Sept. 19 through Nov. 19, 2022.
“Most of us believe the baby will be born about mid-way through that window because Bailey had her last calf right around 15 months,” said Rachael Hahn, senior lead keeper in African Rift Valley. “My guess is September 30.”
Giraffe fans can submit their own guesses about when the calf will be born at cmzoo.org/guess. The person who guesses the closest day, time and minute Bailey gives birth will win a behind-the-scenes encounter with the CMZoo giraffe herd. (Visit cmzoo.org/guess for rules and details.)
Although the giraffe care team closely monitors Bailey’s pregnancy, labor and calf, their goal is to remain as hands-off as possible. They support Bailey through environmental changes that will best support mom and baby, like getting Bailey used to having her own room at night. The birth stall is in the same barn as the rest of the herd, separated by a fence. Bailey still gets the social interaction she enjoys from the herd and has space away from others to make her labor as calm and safe as possible. She shares the birth stall with Msichana, a 20-year-old female giraffe.
“We know we’re getting really close to labor when we see certain physical changes in Bailey,” said Hahn. “We will see changes in her udders. Typically, a few days before birth, the tips of a giraffe’s udders look waxy because colostrum is building up and starting to drip.”
During the day, Bailey will continue to join the herd in the main yard. If Bailey goes into labor in the main yard, as she did last time she had a baby, keepers are confident they’ll be able to move her into the birth stall, relying on the trusting relationship they have with Bailey. Giraffe labor has been known to last up to 10 hours, and typically the calf’s front hooves are the first part to emerge.
“We know our giraffe lovers start to worry when a giraffe is in labor for a long time, but we don’t have concerns unless we see a mother really struggling,” said Hahn. “It’s different for every giraffe, just like it is for every human. Bailey’s first labor lasted nearly four hours, and we didn’t see her struggle. She did lie down momentarily, but she stood back up just as soon as we asked her to.”
Another reason it’s best for Bailey to give birth in the separate stall is because the team brings in a special substrate – or floor covering. Giraffe regulars will notice the team is using a new kind of substrate this year, which has a red tint to it.
“The substrate helps cushion the baby’s fall when it is born,” said Hahn. “Giraffe calves fall about six feet to the ground when they’re born. It can seem like a jarring way to come into the world, but it’s important because the bump to the ground severs the umbilical cord and stimulates them to breathe. The substrate also helps absorb fluid so the calf and mom have better traction, which is especially important when the little one is attempting to stand for the first time.”
Once the calf is born, it can take a few hours for it to stand on its own. It’s normal to see mothers nudging calves with their feet and noses, encouraging the calf to stand. Learning to use those long legs for the first time is no easy task – especially when you’re only a few hours old.
“We expect to see a calf tumble and stumble, but as long as they’re trying, we’re happy,” said Hahn. “It can be a hard thing to watch if you’ve never seen it before, but it’s totally normal for mom to nudge them and for the calf to take a lot of spills before finally standing up.”
After standing, it’s usually time to eat. The giraffe care team likes to see a newborn calf nursing from mom within the first several hours. They watch closely for that important first meal of colostrum, which contains antibodies that give the baby a boost. In case the baby doesn’t nurse, the team has bottles and formula on standby.
CMZoo houses a Giraffe Plasma Bank for newborn calf emergencies, so this baby would also have immediate access to that treatment. The potentially life-saving plasma has been donated voluntarily by other members of the herd, and has been proven to help struggling newborn calves in the past.
The following few days and weeks, the calf and Bailey will continue to bond moving in and out new spaces both inside and outside as well as meeting new members of the herd. Keepers will watch Bailey and the calf’s behaviors to help determine when those big adventures occur.
“Ideally, Bailey takes the lead on raising the calf and staff will only intervene if it’s medically necessary,” said Hahn. “Bailey did an amazing job with her first calf, BB, and we’re cautiously optimistic that she and her new calf will be successful together, too. Of course, we’re ready to support them as much as we can if they do need our help.”
When Bailey goes into labor, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo plans to share the birth of her calf on its social media channels. Fans can check in on Bailey in her overnight birth stall, and see the herd outside during the day, at cmzoo.org/giraffecam or on the Zoo’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/cmzoocs.
BAILEY’S DUE DATE IS BETWEEN SEPT. 19 AND NOV. 19, 2022 – On Wednesday, Sept. 14, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo shared an ultrasound video on its social media channels and asked fans to guess who at the Zoo was expecting a baby. This just in: it’s Bailey, a reticulated giraffe!
The calf would be the second offspring for mom, Bailey, and the seventh to be sired by dad, Khalid (pronounced cull-EED). Bailey and Khalid bred together on July 19, 2021. A healthy giraffe gestation can last from 14 to 16 months. Bailey’s last pregnancy was one day shy of 15 months (457 days) long. If she has another 15-month pregnancy, this baby would be born on October 19, 2022, but it could come as early as September 19, 2022 or as late as November 19, 2022 – and of course, any date in between.
This calf would be the seventeenth member of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s reticulated giraffe herd. Bailey moved to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on a breeding recommendation in Sept. 2016. Bailey and Khalid welcomed their first calf, BB, to the world in September 2020, and BB moved to Denver Zoo in July 2022. CMZoo’s breeding program began in 1954 and has welcomed more than 200 calves since its inception.
On Mon., Sept. 19, the Zoo will welcome giraffe lovers worldwide to join us for 24-hour per day baby watch! Fans can tune in to a special live stream broadcast from Bailey’s overnight stall, where viewers will also be able to watch the labor and birth live at cmzoo.org/giraffecam or on YouTube.
Since the window in which Bailey could give birth starts on Sept. 19, she will start spending the night in a nursery where it’s safer and calmer for her to go into labor while the Zoo is closed at night. The space is adjacent to – but not sharing space with – the rest of the herd. You can see her with the rest of the herd during the day when they go outside on our two outdoor live giraffe cams which are available daily from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., also at cmzoo.org/giraffecam or on YouTube. The Zoo will continue to provide updates on their social media channels.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo recently launched the International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe, establishing a first-of-its-kind giraffe training, knowledge-sharing and giraffe emergency response program, that serves as a resource to benefit all giraffe in human care. CMZoo is not only a leader in the training and health of giraffe in human care, but they are also making a huge difference in conservation of giraffe in the wild.
Reticulated giraffe, the subspecies to which CMZoo’s herd belongs, are endangered. According to recent reports, wild giraffe populations have grown 20 percent since 2015, with around 117,000 individual giraffe documented. But, there’s still work to be done. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorizes giraffe as vulnerable to extinction, while two northern subspecies are considered critically endangered, and Masai and reticulated giraffe are endangered.
Watch the early ultrasound of Bailey’s baby below:
About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society was founded in 1926. Today, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America’s mountain Zoo, offers comprehensive education programs, exciting conservation efforts and truly fantastic animal experiences. In 2022, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was voted #3 Best Zoo in North America and CMZoo’s Rocky Mountain Wild was named #2 Best Zoo Exhibit in North America by USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. It is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s goal to help guests fall in love with animals and nature, and take action to protect them. Since 2008, CMZoo’s Quarters for Conservation program has raised $4 million dedicated to frontline conservation efforts around the world. Of the 239 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of just a few operating without tax support. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo depends on admissions, membership dues, special event attendance and donations for funding.
School is in session for Plato, one of our pink-backed pelicans! Plato participates in training sessions that allow his keepers to care for him. Consistent training for Plato’s wings and feet is especially important as it helps his keepers check in on his health and well-being. Plato is very interested in watching his keepers and is very patient. With Plato’s sweet, confident, and goofy personality, he is a good student and fun to train.
Our ring-tailed lemur twins, Elo and Anja, celebrated their first birthday on July 11, and their older half-brother, Maky, turned one on April 26. Step onto Lemur Island with us to see how the young prosimians’ personalities have developed in the lemur conspiracy (what a group of lemurs is called) and get up-close for a voluntary injection training session with their care team.
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