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.

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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/.

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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.

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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.

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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.

As students return to school this year, our partners at Children’s Hospital Colorado, have prepared a back-to-school checklist that can help limit stress and prepare families for the year ahead. Check it out here: https://www.childrenscolorado.org/conditions-and-advice/parenting/parenting-articles/back-to-school/.

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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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My Big Backyard is home to a brand-new button-nosed furry face! Help us welcome Hubble, a 4-month-old Virginia opossum, to CMZoo.

“We named him Hubble because he’s still growing into his big ears, which kind of resemble the space telescope,” said Bryce Oberg, keeper in The Loft and My Big Backyard.

Hubble lives next to Guy Fieri, CMZoo’s rooster, in an upward-built habitat that’s perfect for the very active arboreal baby boy. Guests can see him right away. Hubble’s care team is already hard at work preparing him for his future role as an ambassador for his species.

Hubble came to CMZoo from a wildlife rescue facility in Kansas after being found alone in the wild with a severely broken tail. Once he made it to CMZoo, his care team decided his best option was to amputate his tail, so Hubble has quite a unique look. Because he has learned to navigate without a tail from a young age, keepers haven’t seen Hubble’s unique difference slow him down at all. They report he’s quite the skilled climber, and his curiosity has already motivated keepers to adjust his perching because he has reached parts of his home they didn’t think he could.

“We will probably never know what Hubble encountered before being rescued, but we’re happy he’s starting to settle in here with us,” said Oberg. “He has been through a lot of changes in his short life, but he’s resilient. We’re working with him daily to earn his trust, which is a first step toward training with him. We’re taking him tasty treats and sitting calmly near him, so he can see that he’s safe and has choices when he’s with us.”

Next, he’ll train to voluntarily enter his transport crate, get comfortable with being touched, and then he’ll learn to interact safely with guests as an ambassador. Their goal for Hubble – once he’s ready – is to serve as an outreach ambassador, educating people about his species’ many wonders.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about opossums because when they feel threatened, they can look pretty scary with their big mouths full of 50 teeth – the most teeth of any North American mammal,” said Oberg. “But, they have to look scary because their defenses pretty much end there. If we respect opossums’ warning signs and give them space when they tell us they need it, 99 percent of the time they will move on with their peaceful opossum lives.”

There is one defense that opossums are famous for, which admittedly leaves them more vulnerable than unnerving: playing dead.

“When opossums play dead, it’s a last-ditch effort to make their perceived predators think they’re not going to be a good meal,” said Oberg. “It’s an involuntary response that is triggered when they’re startled or stressed. They release a really bad smell so they smell like they’ve been dead for a long time, their heartrate decreases, they drool excessively, stick their tongue out and fall over.”

Opossums have been known to play dead for hours at a time. So, as a general rule, if you see an opossum that isn’t moving and isn’t obviously injured, leave it alone. It could be playing dead and will wake up and move away on its own. If it’s been lying there for more than a day, it’s good practice to have it removed. If it’s in a road, call wildlife authorities to move it.

Opossums are slow moving, have poor eyesight and are nocturnal, which presents a lot of obstacles for North America’s only native marsupial. But, there’s a lot to love about opossums. The presence of opossums is an indication of a healthy ecosystem. They are opportunistic omnivores, which means they’ll eat just about anything. As scavengers, they are part of nature’s clean-up crew. They feed on carrion and help prevent the spread of diseases in carcasses, just like vultures do. They’re naturally resistant to snake venom, so they can safely eat snakes, which helps control the venomous snake population. Because of their naturally low body temperature, they’re virtually incapable of carrying rabies. They also eat ticks, which prevents the spread of tick-borne illnesses.

“Hubble has a long way to go before he can meet guests up-close, but we’re already seeing how inquisitive, resilient and energetic this little guy is,” said Oberg. “Once he’s ready, we’ll be excited for him to join us on walkabouts in the Zoo and on outreach programs.

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In the wild, animals spend a lot of time and energy foraging or hunting for food. Feeding our animals seems like a pretty fundamental task of animal care, but it’s more complicated than one might think. Just like our partners at Children’s Hospital Colorado talk about foods that can have calming effects for kids, we work to present our animals’ special diets in ways that nourish their bodies and support their natural instincts.

Wild animals have to solve problems and exert physical energy to feed themselves, which is good for their physical fitness and their mental well-being. Here at the Zoo, we provide opportunities for our animals to fulfill their instinctive hunting or foraging behaviors by hanging food high, or burying it, or placing it in a puzzle feeder that requires focus and dexterity to reach.

“We work hard to create environments and provide daily activities that enrich our animals’ lives, but some people might not immediately recognize that their meals are another opportunity for enrichment,” said Rachael Hahn, lead keeper in African Rift Valley. “I get to work with one of the most iconic hunting species out there: African lions. In the wild and in human care, African lions typically sleep 20 to 22 hours a day, but when they’re active, they’re certainly making up for lost time. They’re unbelievably smart, incredibly strong and as confident as they come.”

Hahn and her team in African Rift Valley make meal time mentally and physically stimulating for Abuto, the 10-year-old pride patriarch; Lomela, 14-year-old matriarch; Elsa, their 6-year-old daughter; and Boma and Aslan, their 6-year-old sons. In addition to scattering food throughout their large yard, the team hangs big pieces of meat up high in a tree for our African lions, so they have to climb up and drag it down, like they would do with some prey in the wild.

“We have been doing this for a couple of years where guests can see it, and the lions seem to really enjoy working for their rewards,” said Hahn. “We also put meat inside some of their giant plastic boomer balls, and have seen the lions ‘playing’ more often, even when food isn’t involved. I’ve seen Lomela, who’s nearly 15, playing with toys like she’s a kitten again. Since making this addition to their routine, we’ve seen them exhibiting calmer behaviors at other times of the day, which is a great indication that they’re mentally fulfilled thanks to these additional opportunities to solve problems.”

Water’s Edge: Africa keepers provide meal-driven enrichment opportunities for the high-energy, intelligent residents of Lemur Island, too. The ring-tailed lemurs at CMZoo get the chance to frequently dine-and-dash, because their meals encourage them to, and the family’s diets are rarely presented in the same way.

“Lemurs are one of few primate species that forage from the ground, up high in the trees, and everywhere in between,” said Al Carrier, Water’s Edge: Africa keeper. “They’re super smart, so we get creative finding new places to stash their food. It’s kind of like an Easter egg hunt every time we place their meals on Lemur Island for them, and it’s fun to watch them scurry and leap around, finding their delicious rewards.”

Keepers also use puzzle feeders that the lemurs can use their long fingers and impressive fine motor skills to retrieve food from. They hang food in spheres that require the lemurs to stretch, climb and leap to reach. They also get seasonal delicacies, like browse.

“In the wild, lemurs eat tree leaves and buds, so we provide that as often as possible for our lemurs,” said Carrier. “We bring in fresh browse – otherwise known as tree branches – from our community and sometimes from our shipping container farm, here at the Zoo. They love to search for the buds on those branches in the spring because they make a nice sweet treat.”

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Join Atka for training! Our one-year-old Alaska moose has been busy learning new husbandry behaviors that allow his Rocky Mountain Wild team to care for him and his unique needs. Get a keepers’ eye view of hoof care and injection training with Atka, while his primary trainer, Erika, explains why and how they incorporated these behaviors into Atka’s care plan.

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