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Title: Seasonal Loft Keeper & Education Mentor (soon to be Big Backyard Keeper)
Hire Date:
March 2015
Hometown:
Colorado Springs
Favorite Animal at the Zoo:
Amur tigers
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May 6, 6 p.m.
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May 7, 8 a.m.
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May 14, 9:15
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11:15 a.m.
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Click here
to read our Palm Oil Newsletter and learn what YOU can do to help save orangutans in the wild!
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What's New?
Waddle this Way - An update on making waves
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We're seeing ripples where there will soon be waves! The Zoo's Making Waves capital campaign is swimming right along. So far, you've likely heard this upcoming state-of-the-art exhibit will house our two Nile hippos, Zambezi and Kasai, as well as our flock of African penguins. We're also excited to announce this exhibit area will feature tortoises, lemurs, hoofstock, bird species, a suspension bridge and a nature-themed play area.
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Animal Encounter
:
Big Cat Camouflage - Snow leopard enrichment
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Bhutan the snow leopard's eyes are barely visible as he peers over a log out of the corner of his wooded exhibit. Animal Care Manager Dina Bredahl said the downed logs and forest cover in his exhibit were designed with this behavior in mind.
Bredahl says Bhutan is so good at blending against the mountainside flora that guests will often look into his exhibit and then ask whether or not there's actually an animal inside.
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Children's Hospital
:
Leap Like a Lion - Big Cat Athletes at CMZ
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What does exercise look like to you? To our big cats, it's running atop rocks, gracefully walking across fallen logs, attacking a water buffalo, using their powerful claws to climb trees, and even resting their bodies via a long cat nap.
Whatever exercise means to you, our big cats are the amazing athletes of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! So maybe you can't dig your claws in the bark of a tree, but our year-round sponsor,
Children's Hospital Colorado
reminds you to hike, run, walk, stretch and get as much exercise as you can. Let our big cats inspire you to get outside and get moving!
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UPDATES ON OUR gorilla girls ROXIE & JUJU
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Western lowland gorillas
Roxie and Juju are Primate World's most stately older ladies. Roxie, at age 40, is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's oldest gorilla, with Juju close behind at age 36. These lettuce-loving ladies may be considered elderly, but that doesn't stop them from participating in troop activities or keeper training.
And although age may be slowing both girls down, they are still actively participating in their training. This helps them both to "stay young" and helps keepers keep a close eye on their health.
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Conservation:
Hope Swims - ZOO members voted to SUPPORT
vaquita conservation efforts
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With an estimated 30 or less left in the wild, the vaquita porpoise is the very definition of what it means to be critically endangered. Earlier this month, many of you participated in the Zoo's annual member conservation vote to help allocate $75,000 for global conservation projects. One of the top vote-getters was to defer to the zoo's choice. As a result, $10,000 of those funds will go toward vaquita conservation efforts.
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Most people take a quick look at Kirra, the tawny frogmouth,
and say, "What a neat looking owl!" But even though Kirra is pretty neat, she is actually not an owl. Tawny frogmouths are native to Australia, and though their big eyes, camouflaged feathers and general fluffiness resemble an owl, they are actually more related to hummingbirds! Kirra is missing some very "owl-like" features, such as talons on her feet and a sharp, curved beak. Instead she has a big, flat beak that is a bright green (or yellow) on the inside, which is where the name "frogmouth" comes from.
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