Meet Kayson!

Meet Kayson Cooper a Summer Camp Counselor 

here at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! 

Name: Kayson Cooper

Age: 20 Years Old

Hometown: Riverton, WY

Favorite Zoo Animal: Elephants, Apes

Career Aspirations: I would like to be involved with conservation education, especially teaching children about wildlife and how they preserve it.

What’s your favorite part of Cheyenne

Mountain Zoo (CMZ)? The beautiful scenery and natural exhibits.

What inspired you to become a camp

counselor here at CMZ? I love animals and enjoy teaching others about them, so this is a dream job.

What age kids are you working with? This summer, I have worked with kids from four to 15 years old.

What activities do you have planned for them throughout camp? The campers will be meeting animals up close, going on behind the scenes tours and hearing personalized keeper talks.

What has been your biggest obstacle to overcome being a camp counselor? The biggest obstacle has been trying to explain information in a way that young kids understand and the older kids are still entertained.

What is the benefit of being a camp counselor at CMZ? I get to see new things every day and I learn so much from the kids and my fellow counselors. 

Do you have any Funny stories? I asked a group of four-and five-year-olds “What animals have scales?” They all immediately responded that giraffes have scales.

WOODstock: Groovin' with Gibbons

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is home to an amazing group of apes called gibbons, which are threatened in the wild.  Three of the 15 species are represented here - two Lar gibbons, two white-cheeked gibbons and three Siamangs, which are the largest species of gibbon.  Gibbons are native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, and are very agile and acrobatic animals, leaping up to 50 feet and swinging up to 35 miles per hour.  Many times, at the zoo and in the wild, these singing gibbons can be heard before they are seen.  If you have visited the zoo, you've heard the gibbons sing their territorial calls, which can be heard up to two miles away.  

Unfortunately, gibbons are facing serious threats in the wild. In the wild, gibbons are losing their homes to deforestation for logging and agricultural purposes.  They are also threatened by the illegal pet trade; adults are hunted or captured and their offspring are brought into captivity. 

There’s something simple you can do to help gibbons. Just look for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) symbol on any wood product you purchase.  If you see this symbol and purchase the product you are supporting well-managed forests and helping to save space for animals in the wild.  You can also visit the zoo and vote for the gibbons with your “Quarters for Conservation” token.  This project supports Wildlife Friends Thailand, which works to reintroduce gibbons to the wild.  

DON'T MISS WOODSTOCK THIS SATURDAY!

A Beary Good Lesson at a Bearrific Event

Teddy Bear Days

Teddy bears are classic stuffed toys for children. Popular around the world with children of all ages, teddy bears consistently out-sell all other stuffed animal toys. They are known for providing young children with a sense of security and even companionship. Used in diverse channels, teddy bears have always kept a child’s attention.  They have been used to teach manners with the Berenstein Bears, fire safety with Smokey Bear and life lessons with the Care Bears.

 

It’s a natural progression that children will have to visit various medical professionals on many different occasions - basic checkups, when ill or for routine shots. Teddy Bear Days here at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo uses teddy bears, and other stuffed animals, to help relay a message of safety and security when interacting with these professionals. The Teddy Bear Clinic, the cornerstone of this event, is located in the Lodge at Moose Lake. The clinic is a full hospital experience setup in a very non-threatening environment. When a child first approaches the clinic, they are welcomed by nurses who complete a quick checkup on the stuffed animal. From here, the child is either given a certificate of “Beary Good Health” or transferred on to the next department. A teddy bear may go to triage where a broken bone is casted, surgery to have a rip repaired or a button sewn on, or the teddy bear may need a CT scan or an x-ray. Through the entire process, the child is shown how easy all the procedures are and that it’s not a scary experience. The Teddy Bear Clinic is hosted by Memorial Hospital and is staffed with volunteer nurses from various hospital departments. A “beary” BIG thanks to Memorial Hospital!

This year, the 23^rd annual Teddy Bear Days was held on July 9 and 10. The Teddy Bear Clinic examined and released over 800 stuffed animals, varying from a basic teddy bear outfitted with heels, sunglass and pearls, to a stuffed piece of bacon. Yes, a stuffed piece of bacon was examined and released from the Teddy Bear Clinic. The clinic and the use of gauze, tongue depressors and about a hundred different bandages varying in color including, many with cartoon characters, is always a highlight of the event.

Teddy Bear Days also allows the Zoo an opportunity to showcase our bears. During this year’s event we offered three bear shows each day - grizzly bear demonstration, Bear Grotto demonstration, and a visitor favorite “Bear Aware”. The “Bear Aware” demonstration is held at the grizzly bear boardwalk and shows visitors what may happen if good camping principles are not followed. A make-shift campsite is constructed, complete with a campfire and a tent. Food is strategically placed throughout the campsite, including Ready Whip, the grizzlies’ favorite. Once everything is in place, the gate is opened and the grizzlies come to investigate. Eventually the majority of the food is enjoyed and the tent is pronounced unusable.

The final component of the event is our “bearrific” vendor area filled with many local businesses and organizations wanting to reach out to children to keep them active, educate them or help expand their creativity. This year, we hosted over 15 participants. They handed out kid-oriented collateral, prizes, crafts and coupons. Free child-size ice cream cones were enjoyed by everyone as well. The event was “beary” successful on all fronts! If you missed it, watch your Zoo calendar for our 2012 Teddy Bear Days.

 Thank you to our vendors!

American Association of Zoo Keepers

Bright Eyes

Build-A-Bear

Chick-Fil-A

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Docents

Colorado City Creamery

Glacier Ice Cream

Imagination Celebration

iT’Z

Mr. Biggs

Rocky Mountain Pediatric Dentistry

Seat Belt Safety

Stars Gymnastics

Texas Roadhouse

Untamed Leadership

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Crew

It Smells Like a Flower in a Brand New Crib!

One of the most memorable clips from the movie Bambi includes one of the cutest skunks you have ever seen. During this clip, the two meet for the very first time, and with her big eyelashes and sweet voice, the skunk allows Bambi to call her Flower.

We have a “Flower” here at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo as well, but her name is Tiger Lily. Some of you may have seen Lily up in the Loft where she has been living for the past couple of years. But, as our Loft animal collection grew, staff saw an opportunity to move Lily to a different enclosure at the zoo. This enclosure is located on the southeast side of the old Bird and Reptile House. It is an outdoor enclosure with dirt, logs, and plenty of space for Lily to exercise and dig. We hope this will provide her with more space to be a 'skunk', and continue to increase her physical fitness when she's not out being her cute little self and connecting with guests.

 Tiger Lily came to us in early 2008. She was two years old and had been a pet. When the owners moved to Colorado, they learned skunks are illegal to have as pets. In conjunction with the Division of Wildlife, they decided to place her here as a member of our Animal Ambassador program.

Over the last year, Lily has overcome some mobility challenges. Because of the diet she received early in life, her bones were quite deficient of calcium. In addition, she was overweight. As a result, her back legs suffered some stress fractures. The zoo's animal care and veterinary staff were very proactive with her treatments and did the best to ensure Lily would heal fully, lose weight, and someday walk normally again. Her daily diet is now complete with dog kibble, rodent chow, and yams. Crunchy crickets are Tiger Lily's favorite treats! With this new diet and physical therapy, we're pleased to say we have been successful with Lily. She continues to amaze her keepers with her sleeping habits. She snoozes while hanging from her log or with all four feet straight up in the air!

Stop by and see her the next time you're at the zoo!

Skunk Facts

- Skunks are primarily nocturnal and usually solitary, except when mothers are raising their babies.

- Skunks eat mostly insects, many of which are pests to humans.

- Skunk litters range from three to as many as 10 young.

- All skunks seem able to dig their own burrows, but will also use abandoned dens of other animals, hollow logs, wood, or rock piles. You may even find them living under buildings, stone walls and in hay or brush piles.

- The skunk’s main defense is a complex chemical substance, including sulfuric acid that can be fired from either one of two independently targetable anal glands.

- There are four different kinds of skunks found in the United States: spotted skunks, striped skunks, hooded skunks and hog-nosed skunks.

- Young skunks are referred to as kittens.

- Skunks have long claws, which are excellent for digging. However, these long claws are not useful in climbing and their short legs do not enable a skunk to run very fast.

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Black-Footed Ferret’s Rediscovery - Part VII: Breeding Season

Black-footed ferret (BFF) kits grow very fast.  At birth they can weigh as little as 5 grams, the same weight of a US nickel! The nest box is cleaned once at 4 days old and then a daily cleaning of the nest box resumes when the kits are 9 days old. The dams are very reluctant to leave their kits, so we usually clean them right before feeding time. The meat ball sometimes entices the dam to go to the upper enclosure long enough to close the shift slider of the nest box. We quickly clean the latrine side of the nest box.  Take a quick peek at the kits on the nest side and then let the dams back to their kits.  This allows us the opportunity to check on the kits and make sure they are looking good.

Bunting’s litter at 4 days of age.

Bunting’s litter at 9 days of age.

While Bunting’s litter continues to grow, other expectant females are due.  Over the next several weeks more litters are born.  Of the 11 SSP females 7 whelped, including the female that was given hormones to ovulate. It is extremely rare for this to be successful.  We also had 2 additional litters that belong to two 5 year olds which is also not common.  In total we had 34 kits born! This is currently a record number of BFF births for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.  For reasons unknown, we had 6 kits that did not make it past their first day (including two of Bunting’s litter).  However, the remaining 28 kits continue to thrive.

Bunting’s kits have reached the 21 day mark.  This is when we determine the sex of the kits and begin to weigh them weekly. All 4 of them are BOYS! Their weights range from 124-130 grams which is above average for 21 day old males.  At 23 days of age they are introduced to small carnivore meat.  Their eyes are still not opened, but they do have deciduous “baby” teeth.  They often do not eat the first few days, but are observed smelling the meat.

Bunting’s kits being introduced

to meat at 23 days of age.

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Black-Footed Ferret’s Rediscovery - Part VI: Breeding Season

After 72 hours of being together, the black-footed ferret (BFF) female is separated from the male and she is returned to her enclosure.  Four days after separation, she is given her final vaginal flush for the year.  This check is to see if she has been induced to ovulate.  If she has, then her epithelial cells will look as they did at the beginning of her estrus cycle, obvious nuclei and very few cells with orange stain.  If she has not ovulated then they will look as they did before pairing, no nuclei and many orange keratinized cells. The female is re-paired immediately with a male if she has not ovulated and will sometimes be given hormones if she will not ovulate after a few pairings.  Once ovulation occurs, the females are disturbed as little as possible. 

           

The gestation or pregnancy period for BFFs is 42 days.  The diet is increased every two weeks and is almost doubled by the time she is due.  An infra-red video camera is installed on the nest box and we wait with anticipation for the kits to be born. BFF gestation period is almost like clockwork.  Most of our births occur right on the 42nd day and even near the time when the male and female were put together for breeding.  If we paired them in the morning, then the kits will usually be born in the morning.  If we paired them later in the day, then they will be born later that evening.  Since we have numerous female BFFs, a whelping calendar is created so we can keep track of all the due dates. 

For 2011, 11 SSP females were paired and 4 additional females that were non-releasable but over the age of four.  The additional 4 older females are not included in our primary breeding numbers as they are not as likely to produce kits.   One of our SSP females did not ovulate after 2 breeding attempts so she was given a hormone injection which did cause her to finally ovulate.   The remaining females that were bred and ovulated had no other issues during their gestation periods.

           

Bunting’s 4 healthy kits on camera while 

she is away getting a drink of water. 

Our first due date was on May 21st and our last was on June 22nd. On May 21st a litter of 6 kits were born!!!  Bunting Studbook #6376 is the dam (mother).  She came to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in 2009 as a one year old and unfortunately did not produce kits in 2010.  This year, however she proved otherwise.  For reasons unknown, only 4 of the kits visible on the camera were moving.  As we do not want to jeopardize the well being of the entire litter, we generally do not interfere and let the dams take care of the deceased kits as nature would intend. The four remaining kits looked as healthy as ever and now Bunting has a lot of work ahead of her as a new mom.