African Grey Parrot

The most talkative resident of African Rift Valley is Raider, our 18 year-old African grey parrot.  In the wild, birds like Raider can be found in the rainforests of the Congo.  They eat a variety of fruits and nuts. As they digest these items, they disperse the seeds, acting as a "natural farmer," assuring food will continue to be available.

In African Rift Valley, Raider can be seen during the pre-show of the Wings of Africa bird show.  He shows off his climbing and problem solving skills, as well as his ability to mimic sounds and even words…telling us his name, blowing kisses, and expressing his excitement for the bird show with a loud “wow!”

Because African grey parrots have the intelligence of a five year-old child, they constantly need new toys, activities, and challenges to keep them busy and out of trouble.  Recently Raider has become an artist, using his beak to manipulate a paintbrush to create abstract works of art.  He is also learning to identify different colors.  So far, red and orange seem to be his favorites and he’s working on green and blue.

While their ability to mimic has made them popular pets, keep in mind African grey parrots can live up to 70 years, so adopting one is quite a commitment.  If you feel up to the challenge of owning an African grey, make sure your bird is captive bred in the United States and not being taken from the wild where their numbers are declining.     

  

Next time, we’ll meet a pair of burrowing reptiles who are also kept as pets. 

Gibbons are Awesome!

By Joanne Husby, Monkey Pavilion Keeper

This summer, I was fortunate to attend and present at the very first International Gibbon Husbandry Conference in Greensboro, North Carolina with Primate World keeper Mandy Hester.  Gibbons are small apes native to Southeast Asia and all species are endangered due in part to habitat destruction. Seven countries were represented during the conference, and presentation topics varied from health and nutrition, to conservation and research.  It was uplifting to meet fellow gibbon enthusiasts and learn what people are doing all across the globe to help preserve these amazing animals. 

One very interesting presentation was from keynote speaker Dr. Brockelman, who has been studying gibbons since the Vietnam War!  He touched on the fact some species of gibbon may not be as monogamous as once thought.  Gibbons had been known as the only monogamous ape, but recent research indicates this may not be true for white-cheeked gibbons. Talks were also led by biologists from India and Indonesia, working to release gibbons back into the wild.  A zoo keeper from Lincoln Park Zoo shared the struggles and triumphs a one-handed gibbon faces.  Since Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is home to two gibbon amputees, we know how amazing and adaptable gibbons can be. There was also a presentation about a male siamang from Disney’s Animal Kingdom who raised twins by himself. 

The conference was a great opportunity for us to learn new things, but also an opportunity to share some of our own gibbon knowledge and experiences.  Mandy Hester talked about the palm oil crisis and its effect on wild gibbon populations .  Thanks to Mandy’s presentation, attendees returned to their institutions with tools to raise awareness about this international crisis.  I was able to share my experiences: I was especially excited to talk about a fun-filled event called Groovin’ for Gibbons.  The event allowed zoo guests of all ages to learn numerous fun facts about gibbons.  For instance, what does it feel like to have arms as long as a gibbon?  Kids could slip into a gibbon suit with arms so long they were able to hug somebody from four feet away!  The gibbon suit was a huge hit and conference attendees couldn’t wait to try it on, too.   

New at the Natural Science Center, where the conference was held, was a breeding pair of silvery Javan gibbons.  This was the first time we had seen the species in person.  It was special since Javan gibbons are rare not only in North American zoos, but in the wild as well.  We also visited North Carolina Zoo and the Duke Lemur Center.

Our trip to North Carolina was a fruitful one.  There was a constant stream of new information for us to bring home. We are continuously improving the care we can give to these amazing animals. 

Helpful Hippo Behaviors

Wicket’s keepers are currently working on training her to demonstrate numerous behaviors that Kasai and Zambezi currently illustrate. These behaviors are instilled into our hippos to help manage their care and welfare.

• Stationing is when the hippo faces the keepers and holds their chin up on the top rail of the exhibit. This allows the keepers to get a good look at her skin and medicate some dry/cracked spots if necessary using a spray bottle.

• Target training is where the keepers place a tennis ball on the end of a pole and have the animal touch it with their nose when they hold it out. This is helpful when they are working with more than one animal in the stall at the same time; one can be "led" away from the other so training is less confusing for them.

• The open mouth command is important, so keepers can look inside the hippo’s mouth, check for cracks in their teeth, check for sores, and alleviate tusk problems in case they need to address them. We also brush the hippo’s teeth daily and get any debris out from between their teeth. Oral care is important in hippos so opening their mouth for keepers to perform daily hygiene is a necessity.

•  A to B training is a good way to see how the hippos are moving. We can ask them to come to "point A" (where the keeper is), when they do we reward them, and then we ask them to go to a designated "point B" (across the yard or pool) and back again.

Garden Veggie Quiche

Ingredients

• 1 frozen pie shell (9 inches)
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh bell peppers
• 1/4 cup diced yellow summer squash
•  1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup fresh baby spinach
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded smoked Swiss cheese
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1-2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh chive
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Let pastry shell stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 400° for 4 minutes. Remove foil; bake 4 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 350°.
2. In a large skillet, saute the onion, mushrooms and squash in butter until tender. Add spinach and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Spoon into crust; top with cheese.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, salt, rosemary, thyme, chives and pepper until blended; pour over cheese.
4. Cover edges of crust loosely with foil. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. 

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Watermelon-Mint Lemonade

Ingredients:

5 to 6 cups watermelon, cubed
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 sprigs mint
1/2 cup lemon juice

Mint to garnish

Lemon to garnish

Watermelon to garnish

Directions:

1. In a pot on high heat, bring sugar and water to a light boil until the sugar is completely dissolved and your mixture is clear. Turn off the fire, and throw in your sprigs of mint.
2. Allow mint to steep for at least 15 minutes, then remove it from your simple syrup and discard. Cool for about 10 minutes.
3. Pour cooled mint-infused syrup into your blender along with the watermelon. Blend until mixture is  is smooth and uniform.
4. Strain mixture into a pitcher using a screen to get rid of the fruit bits.
5. Add lemon juice to the pitcher, and stir.
6. Serve immediately, over ice.
7. Garnish with Mint, watermelon, and lemon

Prep: 20 min. Bake: 40 min. + standing
Yield: 6-8 Servings

Training Wicket

When it comes to teaching and maintaining desirable behaviors with animals, a positive trusting relationship is the first ingredient. Currently, we are working on building a trusting relationship with Wicket, our new hippo from the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. She is shy, but does respond to special treats like cantaloupe, popcorn, and bread. Unlike Zambezi and Kasai, Wicket backs away from touch and has been slow to respond to us, her new keepers. While at the Brookfield Zoo she was trained to open her mouth on command, she has continued to demonstrate this behavior, which is a good start. She does allow keepers that she’s "comfortable with", to scratch her tongue and brush her teeth. As with most trained animals, practice makes perfect, so we will continue to practice this behavior with her while we work on building a trusting relationship.

Our overall training goal with Wicket is to instill the same behaviors Kasai and Zambezi illustrate including: stationing, target training, refining the open mouth behavior to allow for proper oral care, and doing some A to B work with her as well. We will post a short blog defining what each behavior consists of and why we train the specific behaviors later this week.

Wicket is beginning to adjust to her new pool and stall. Along with, Zambezi and Kasai, they have all been curious about one another with interaction through the bars several times a day. This interaction is all part of the introduction phase but the stressful part is still to come. Placing a new animal in an already established group will be challenging and there will be an adjustment period.

We have our work cut out for us, but with time and patience we anticipate Wicket to be a happy hippo here at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Friday Cooking Demo - Ice Cream

Mint Chocolate Chip

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup Heavy Cream
• or 2 Cups Half and Half (instead of milk and cream)
• 3oz Sugar
• 5oz Plain Chocolate Grated
• 1 tsp. Peppermint Essence or 2 TBSP Fresh Mint
• Optional: Two or three drops of green food coloring

Directions

1. Place the milk* and sugar (or 1/2 of the half & half) into a saucepan with sugar & mint. Heat gently to dissolve sugar. 
2. Strain through mesh strainer & cool. 
3. When cold stir in the heavy cream* (or rest of half & half) & food coloring. 
4. Transfer the complete mixture to ice cream maker & once the mixture begins to thicken add the chocolate.

Banna Churro

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream
• 3oz Sugar
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 3 Bananas Frozen and defrosted

Directions

1. Peel & puree the banana into a smooth puree. 
2. Stir in cream & sugar into banana mixture. 
3. Mix well & strain through a mesh strainer. 
4. Chill in fridge for 2-3 hours. 
5. Add cinnamon & transfer mixture into ice cream maker.

Cape Vulture

In the last African Rift Valley post, we met our African black millipedes and learned about their important job as a scavenger. Have you seen any other scavengers in African Rift Valley? Maybe you have been to our Wings of Africa bird show and learned our Cape vultures are scavengers, too.

Vultures have a very important job in the ecosystem. They keep our planet clean, and help prevent disease from spreading to humans and animals. They are especially effective scavengers because their strong gastric juices kill harmful bacteria in their food. Vultures are also immune to many diseases, such as cholera, rabies, and anthrax.

Sadly, vultures are being poisoned in Asia and Africa at an alarming rate. The poison is used by farmers to protect their livestock from jackals & lions.  As obligate scavengers, vultures eat the poisoned carcasses and die. Vulture deaths are having a direct impact on humans and livestock, as disease is spreading. We need vultures to prevent this!

You can help vultures when you visit the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo by voting for vulture conservation at the Quarters for Conservation kiosk.

Next time we‘ll introduce you to a shy member of our African Rift Valley family who is a great impressionist!