Saying Goodbye Archives - Page 3 of 3

TWO-YEAR-OLD RAE SETS OFF FOR LINCOLN PARK ZOO IN SEPTEMBER

In September 2019, Rae, two-year-old CMZoo reticulated giraffe, will be embarking on her next adventure as an animal ambassador at Lincoln Park Zoo, in Chicago, Ill. The daughter of Msitu and Khalid, and sister of newborn, Viv, and six-year-old, Emy, who now lives in Peoria, Ill., will be dearly missed by CMZoo staff and giraffe fans. But, as she joins a new herd, she will have the opportunity to reach and inspire a new group of people who are sure to fall in love with the curious and social giraffe, as so many did during her time at CMZoo.

In anticipation of Rae’s move, Kayla Ringuette, a CMZoo giraffe keeper who has a special bond with Rae, shared some of her favorite memories of Rae.

“We didn’t have live cameras for Rae’s birth in 2017, so I was the first keeper to meet her,” said Ringuette. “Once Rae started taking food when she was a few months old, I would feed her every opportunity I got in order to build our relationship before asking her to do behaviors. I may have gotten carried away, since she was the first animal I’ve ever trained that had no prior training history with people. I think it’s because of that relationship building that she follows me around everywhere I go. I actually created a montage of pictures where you can see every other giraffe doing something in the background, interacting with enrichment or browse, and she’s right nearby staring at me.”

Over the next two years, Ringuette and Rae continued to develop a trusting relationship, which Ringuette says is in large part because of Rae’s natural curiosity about people.

“Rae was eager to interact with keepers and staff right from the very beginning,” Ringuette said. “In training sessions, she is always really curious. She likes to sniff at hoof trimmings on the barn floor after we do our routine hoof work with the herd. We’ve even had to stop a training session because she refused to stop sniffing the person’s gloves while they were trying to work on her feet. We eventually realized we didn’t need food to reinforce her behaviors during those trainings, because she would rather smell the trainer’s gloves.”

As Ringuette and her fellow keepers continued building relationships with Rae, her trust in them stood out, especially in one memory Ringuette recalls of Rae’s first time going into a narrow area of the barn, called a chute. Making sure the giraffe are comfortable in this area is extremely important. If a giraffe ever needs medical attention or needs to be transported, they need to be comfortable in this space. The chute isn’t as wide open as the rest of the barn, which can make the giraffe unsure.

“One of my favorite memories is the first time Rae came into the chute,” Ringuette said. “The chute can be kind of a scary place for a giraffe going through it for the first time. You’re asking this naturally skittish animal to enter a space alone, where they can’t see very well because of the blind corners. Even after being able to investigate the area with mom, Msitu, Rae still wasn’t comfortable. I decided to try walking her through myself while I reinforced her with food, and it worked! Building trust with an animal to the point that they will follow you into an uncertain place that they wouldn’t even go into with their mom was the most rewarding experience I could ask for as her caretaker.”

Rae has spent a lot of her time with herd mate, Bailey, a seven-year-old female who is equally as energetic and curious about people.

“They’ve always been mischievous together, testing off-limits areas of the yard and running around, making the rest of the herd excitable,” Ringuette said. “Bailey is our other really social giraffe, so it’s typically one of them breathing on your neck from the other side of the barrier, when you’re focusing on something else.”

Rae’s outgoing demeanor is sure to serve her species well, as an ambassador that makes connections with people, which we hope will inspire them to take action to protect their relatives in the wild.

“Her gregarious nature makes people fall in love immediately, since it seems like she is picking you out of a crowd,” Ringuette said. “She makes you feel very special. Creating connections with people is ultimately her job, and she’s so great at it.”

As part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), Rae will join Lincoln Park Zoo female giraffe, 21-year-old Etana, and a young male giraffe, Finely, who is three. Under the same recommendation, a female giraffe who could breed with Khalid will join CMZoo’s herd later in the month.

“I will miss my little shadow, but I have very high hopes for this girl in her new home,” Ringuette said. “She is a rockstar with training, and she is already such a great ambassador to her species at two years old, that she is going to make many guests fall in love with her for the rest of her life in her new home.”

Guests are welcome to come and visit Rae to share their well wishes before her move, every day of the week at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Colorado Springs, CO – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is heartbroken to say goodbye to Tamu, our 32-year-old female reticulated giraffe, who was the oldest giraffe in North America at the time of her passing. Since coming to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in April 2003, she made strong and countless emotional connections with guests and staff alike, who often affectionately referred to her as ‘Moose’ or ‘Grandma.’

“She was the nicest giraffe on the planet,” said Jason Bredahl, animal care manager. “She would sit under the lettuce hut and eat lettuce all day long and made millions of people’s days. If you have a giraffe selfie on your phone, there’s a good chance it’s with Tamu. She was a guest favorite, for sure.”

Tamu was easy to recognize because of her dark, bushy eyebrows. Her 33rd birthday would have been Friday, Dec. 28.

“She was known for taking care of calves because she was so gentle,” said Amy Schilz, senior giraffe keeper. “I remember when we put up new shade structures in the yard and the calves hadn’t learned to use them as shelters when it rained. Tamu would go out into the rain to stand over the calves to protect them.”

Tamu became well known for providing that maternal comfort for our most recent giraffe calf, Penny, when she was too fragile to be with her mom. Giraffe keepers knew Tamu would be gentle enough to provide her with companionship and security without risking a fall for Penny.

“Tamu had a huge heart and brought Penny a lot of comfort in Penny’s final days,” said Schilz. “We all knew that when Penny’s mom was a little too rough for Penny, that Tamu could step in and provide that giraffe-to-giraffe care.”

Her individual contributions to the continued existence of this endangered species were invaluable. Tamu gave birth to six calves, leaving a legacy of 29 grandcalves, nine great-grandcalves and one great-great-grandcalf. In addition to the contribution of her direct descendants, as an ambassador animal, Tamu helped Cheyenne Mountain Zoo donors, members and guests learn about giraffe and foster important emotional connections to them, which allow us to support efforts that protect her relatives in the wild.

In the past 20 years, there has been an estimated 35 percent decline in wild giraffe populations. Giraffe Conservation Foundation estimates less than 15,785 reticulated giraffe remain in the wild.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has partnered with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to support conservation efforts. One recent example is Operation Twiga, a giraffe translocation project in Uganda, Africa. A significant portion of the operation, over $75,000, was funded by Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s visitors and members through Quarters for Conservation, a program by which seventy-five cents of every admission is allocated to conservation.

Tamu and her Cheyenne Mountain Zoo herd participated in voluntary trainings that allow our vets and staff to help giraffe around the world in the wild and in human care. The giraffe can choose to participate in trainings that allow vet staff to perform research on hoof care and even build a life-saving plasma bank.

Although Tamu was considered geriatric, her decline happened extremely quickly and unexpectedly. Staff started to notice behavior changes in Tamu around 11 a.m. and said goodbye to her around 1 p.m., when she passed peacefully and naturally surrounded by keepers and vet staff who cared for her deeply.

“She will be missed so much,” Schilz said. “She was really, really smart. Just yesterday, she was participating in training for hoof care. She had a great heart.”

Photos of Tamu are available at this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/j16xib11oasi1hk/AADUiw44xbV9xRuR56bGnIraa?dl=0

About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society was founded in 1926. Today, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America’s only mountain zoo, offers comprehensive education programs, exciting conservation efforts and truly fantastic animal experiences. It is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s hope that guests fall in love with animals and nature, and take action to protect them. Of the 233 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of just ten operating without tax support. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo depends on admissions, membership dues, special event attendance and donations for funding.

— Calf made a big impact on many hearts during her brief life —

Colorado Springs, CO – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is heartbroken to announce the death of Penny, the giraffe calf. Little Penny was just shy of her two-month birthday when the humane, but extremely difficult, decision was made to euthanize her today.

Penny had been transported to the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO yesterday for surgical treatment for an infected abscess that was not improving through other treatments. Unfortunately, the expert team there found concerns that were far more serious than originally thought. In addition to the abscess that had spread further into Penny’s abdomen, there were also signs that pointed to infection in the bones of at least three of her legs.

The team also found a dislocated hip joint that multiple X-rays taken over the past several weeks did not show in the past. The team believes the chronic combination of the abscess, a degenerating femoral head and her need to stand awkwardly over an extended period of time led to a recent dislocation.

The highly skilled team at the hospital, along with key members of Penny’s CMZoo care team, discussed potential treatment options for Penny. Because she was facing multiple serious medical concerns, the team determined that her prognosis would be more than she could overcome to live a quality life.

Bob Chastain, president and CEO of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, said tonight, “We will all miss Penny tremendously. Although our sadness at this time is palpable, we are taking solace in the fact that we truly believe we made the best decisions for her during her short life that we could. It’s always easy, especially in times of grief, to second-guess every decision you made. I have found myself doing that already, and I have cautioned Penny’s care team about this emotion. We will certainly use Penny’s case to help further giraffe medicine in the future, and ensure that the things we have learned from her will live on to help others. And we hope those who have watched Penny’s journey can take comfort in the fact that we made every decision with Penny’s best interests in mind, and we held nothing back from her fans. We were all in this together.”

Penny was definitely a fighter during her short time with us, and so many people around the world fell in love with her through the Zoo’s online documentation of her life – from the live-streaming of her birth, through her first eight days of bonding with her mom and other gentle female members of our herd, and ultimately through the medical struggles that followed her splay at nine days.

The CMZoo team also fell in love with Penny, and they allowed her to be part of her own naming at 10 days old. When the name choices were narrowed down to two finalists, “Mia” and “Penny,” her care team played the songs “Mamma Mia” and “Penny Lane” for her. When she heard the Beatles song, she perked up her ears. From that day on, she was officially known as “Penny,” and affectionately by many of her fans as “Penny Lane.” The original suggestion of the name “Penny” was inspired by Spencer and Julie Penrose, the Zoo’s founders.

Penny’s medical issues derived from her falling on day nine of her life into a splay position. “Splay” is a term used to describe when an animal’s legs go out from under them in an unnatural way. In giraffe, splaying can have varying degrees of severity, from moderately serious to life-threatening.

Since then, Penny’s care team provided around the clock care for her, providing her with everything they could to try to help her recover. They provided her with nourishment through bottle-feeding, and enrichment toys to play with, and assistance in laying down and standing, when she was unable to do it on her own. The Zoo consulted with a wide network of both veterinary and human medical experts along the way.

Although Penny’s own life was brief, her legacy will live on in the work Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is doing to develop cutting- edge medical and husbandry care for giraffe in Zoos around the world.

Penny has also helped to spread the message of the plight of giraffe in the wild.

A team of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo staff and a CSU veterinarian will be traveling to Uganda in the next few days to assist with giraffe conservation efforts as part of Operation Twiga III, in partnership with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) to help protect vulnerable giraffe populations in Uganda. Our staff’s contribution to this effort will be dedicated to Penny’s memory.

For those who would like to pay their respects to Penny and thank her care team, the Zoo requests memorial gifts be contributed at www.cmzoo.org/helppenny. Any financial support beyond what is needed to help cover expenses for Penny’s care can be directed to either giraffe conservation or veterinary care for CMZoo animals. In order to direct your gift, please make a note in the “Comments” section online, or on the memo line when writing a check.

Out of respect for the keepers, the giraffe building will be closed to the public on Tuesday and Wednesday (7/31 and 8/1) to allow them some privacy. There will be a box outside of the building for guests to leave cards for the keepers, if they wish.

The Zoo is also starting the process of planning a memorial for Penny, and we will share details soon on how that process will move forward.

About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society was founded in 1926. Today, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America’s ONLY mountain zoo, offers comprehensive education programs, exciting conservation efforts and truly fantastic animal experiences. It is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s hope that guests fall in love with animals and nature, and take action to protect them. Of the 230 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of just nine operating without tax support. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo depends on admissions, membership dues and donations for funding.

Colorado Springs, CO – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is sad to announce the passing of Rosie, our 28-year-old Andean bear. During her seven years here at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, she made strong emotional connections with guests and staff alike. There are currently only four other Andean bears in North America that have survived to that age. Andean bears are also known as spectacled bears.

“It’s no secret that the Zoo’s bear grottos are not the fanciest or most modern exhibits,” said Michelle Salido, one of Rosie’s animal keepers. “They’re functional and comfortable for our bears, but they’re not the type of exhibit that draws people in. But that was what made Rosie so special – she had the ability to capture our hearts, despite her modest surroundings.”

Staff started to notice behavior changes in Rosie on Thanksgiving Day, and she was anesthetized on Saturday to give her some medications and evaluate her condition. Zoo veterinarians found signs of declining health, including test results that strongly suggested cancer. After her exam, keepers offered her every possible tempting treat they could find, including food from staff lunches and the Grizzly Grill, but she still would not eat. The humane, but difficult, decision was made to euthanize her on Monday morning.

The first things most people would notice about Rosie were her sweet face and her small stature. If you had time to watch her interact with her former exhibit-mate, Osito, the second thing you would notice about Rosie was that she could hold her own with the much-larger male, who was approximately double her weight.

“Rosie was very small for an adult Andean bear,” said Joanna Husby, animal care manager. “But, even though Osito was about twice her size, she had vocalizations that would put him in his place. She was definitely the boss! When she would ‘yell’ at him, she sounded like a baby dinosaur.”

Osito passed away in June 2016.

Andean bears like Rosie and Osito are considered vulnerable in the wild by the IUCN Red List, which is just one small step away from endangered. Raising awareness about the human conflicts that threaten their survival in the wild is the main goal for animal ambassadors like Rosie.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo first started supporting wild Andean bears when they were chosen as a Quarters for Conservation-benefited species in 2008 and 2009. We originally partnered with the Andean Bear Foundation (ABF) in 2009, with a donation of a radio collar and staff support for in-country Andean bear research. More recently, we have partnered with the organization to research the endangered mountain tapir. The two species are intertwined, sharing the same mountain habitat in South America, as well as facing the same threats to their species’ survival.

In Spring 2016, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo members voted to contribute $22,000 to tapir conservation efforts being led by ABF. We also sent two staff members to the Andes Mountains in Ecuador to assist with the efforts in Fall 2016.

In 2017, our members again voted to give $25,000 of their conservation contributions to the foundation. CMZoo will once again send staff members to assist with research in the field for two weeks in February 2018.

It’s these kinds of connections that our animals make with our members and guests that allow us to make a real difference for species in the wild. Rosie, through her long life as an animal ambassador, was able to make connections with likely millions of people, which translates into real hope for her species.