TOCHO RECEIVES SURGICAL NEW YEAR’S GIFT FROM COLORADO VETERINARY PROFESSIONALS

In the spirit of giving this holiday season, and just in time for the New Year, a group of dedicated veterinary professionals donated their time and expertise to perform a five-hour surgery on Tocho, an 8-year-old mountain lion at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. He is recovering well following the complex procedure.

Three weeks ago, animal keepers discovered Tocho was having trouble putting weight on his rear right leg, which was repaired several years ago after being broken. Our veterinarians visually assessed him and prescribed medication for inflammation and pain relief. They monitored him throughout the week, but his lameness did not improve.

Our Zoo's veterinarians called on Colorado State University’s James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital and the Colorado Academy of Veterinary Technology for assistance. Both sets of medical professionals volunteered to assist with an exam, at no cost to us. On the morning of December 11, Tocho received a physical exam and x-rays that showed his prognosis wasn't as good as the team had hoped.  

“We initially thought that the cold weather was causing the stiffness in the previously injured leg and that once the weather warmed up, Tocho would improve,” Dr. Liza Dadone, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo veterinarian, said. “Unfortunately, Tocho had a torn cruciate ligament. He needed surgery to repair it, and he would also need the two bone plates that were previously used to repair his broken leg replaced.”

Medical teams from CSU, CAVT and our Zoo began plans to coordinate the surgery for Dec. 26.

“Even during the holidays, Tocho was a priority for all of us,” Dadone said. “Thirteen medical professionals, seven of whom were doctors, came together for his surgery.”

Team members donated their time and provided needed medical equipment and supplies to support the procedure that otherwise would not have been possible.

“CSU brought with them an entire high-tech surgery suite; it included hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical equipment,” Dadone said. “CAVT provided medical supplies, and a local medical supply company donated the two bone plates.”

As a nonprofit that doesn’t receive any tax funding and relies on admissions and donations to operate, our Zoo is extremely grateful for the collaboration with CSU and CAVT.

“The collaboration is essential for us, but also mutually beneficial,” Dadone said. “Together we provide high-quality care, while also giving both schools’ students hands-on learning experiences with exotic animals.”

The groups have collaborated on diagnostic, surgical, therapeutic and other procedures for a variety of other animals at our Zoo.

“We also work together on writing medical papers to educate and inform the greater zoo community,” Dadone said. “Our collaborative medical efforts are not only benefiting animals at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, but also at other Association of Zoos and Aquariums institutions.”

As for Tocho, the collaborative surgery appears to have been successful. He will be recovering in an off-exhibit area for the next few months before he is given access to his brothers and sister in the main exhibit.  

We extend sincere thanks to the team that assisted with Tocho’s surgery - from CSU, Drs. Clara Goh, Matthew Johnston, Ross Palmer, Dana Ruehlman, two veterinary technicians and one vet-tech student. CAVT’s surgical team included veterinarian Dr. Dave Rubenstein and a vet-tech student. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s medical team included veterinarians Dr. Liza Dadone and Dr. Eric Klaphake, hospital manager and vet tech DeeAnn Wilfong, and veterinary technician Harley Thompson. The two bone plates were donated by DePuy Synthes. 

Learn about North America’s most-endangered species, black-footed ferrets!

This weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. President Richard Nixon signed the federal measure into law on December 28, 1973. The Endangered Species Act was designed to protect imperiled species from extinction. Celebrate this important anniversary by learning about North America’s most-endangered species, black-footed ferrets, and the efforts to recover them on Colorado’s prairie lands. http://vimeo.com/82310645

Apple Cinnamon Rice Krispies Treats

Do you need a quick, tasty recipe for your upcoming family celebrations?  The chefs at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Grizzly Grill compiled a delicious recipe for iced apple cinnamon Rice Krispies treats that are sure to make your mouth water. 

APPLE CINNAMON RICE KRISPIES TREATS

Treats:

•       12 cups of Rice Krispies
•        2 16-oz bags of marshmallows
•        1 stick of butter
•        ¼ cup apple cider mix

Melt butter in sauce pan and add 1/8 cup of apple cider mix.  Add marshmallows and melt fully.  Combine Rice Krispies and marshmallow mixture.  Press into a buttered 10x15 pan.  Sprinkle remaining apple cider mix (1/8 cup) on Rice Krispies mixture.  Allow to cool. Cut into 2-inch strips, long ways.  Spread icing (see below) onto strips and roll up.

Icing: 

•         2 apple cinnamon teabags
•        ½ cup hot water
•        2 cups powdered sugar

Put 2 teabags into ½ cup of hot water and steep to a strong flavor.  Add tea to powdered sugar and mix well.

Your signature is needed!

Help save the majority of remaining lowland forests in Aceh, Indonesia---the last few strongholds for the Sumatran tiger, elephant, rhino and orangutan. Please click on the link (www.change.org/LeuserHeritage), and let the government of Aceh know that is important to save the Leuser Ecosystem and the endangered species that call it home!

Black-footed ferrets released in Colorado!

After 23 years of breeding endangered BFFs, black-footed ferrets born at CMZ are now living in the wild on privately-owned prairie lands of Colorado. Staff members from our Zoo, along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), released captive-bred black-footed ferrets (BFF) on the Walker Ranch near Pueblo at the end of October and beginning of November. In total, 55 BFFs were released at the ranch – five of those were born and raised at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! This release was the first in Colorado on privately owned land and was made possible by new Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA).

“It took many dedicated organizations working together for this release to take place. A special thanks goes to Gary and Georgia Walker, who volunteered their land, for giving ferrets a chance to survive in the wild prairies of Colorado,” Dr. Della Garelle, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Director of Conservation and the Species Survival Plan Chair for the international black-footed ferret breeding team said. “We wish the black-footed ferrets well; go forth, eat prairie dogs and prosper!”

An off-exhibit breeding facility was built on grounds after the Zoo joined the Black-Footed Ferret recovery effort in 1990.  Since the first BFF breeding season at the Zoo, 456 kits have been born and 227 ferrets have been released. In total, there have been 21 sites in 12 states where black-footed ferrets have been reintroduced since 1991, but only 4 of those are currently successful.

“Black-footed ferrets are nocturnal and live underground in prairie dog burrows, so it is difficult to determine their exact population, but they’ve gone from extinct in the wild to at least 500 now roaming prairie dog colonies,” Garelle said. “Our Zoo choose to participate in this breeding program because we are passionate about saving species from extinction – and what more appropriate animal for us to save than one that used to exist right here in Colorado.”

 Black-footed ferrets are completely dependent on vast expanses of prairie dogs as primary prey, and use prairie dog burrows for shelter and raising their young in prairie dog dens. As prairie dog populations were decimated to less than 2% of their historical levels due to a non-native plague and land development, the black-footed ferret became critically endangered. In 1979, BFFs were thought to be extinct, until a ranch dog named Shep found one in the prairies Meeteetse, Wyoming and presented it to his owner.

Biologist studied this remnant population, but saw that it was declining rapidly. To safeguard the species and prevent their imminent extinction, the 18 last-known wild black-footed ferrets were rescued between 1985 and 1987. In 1986, USFWS, Wyoming Game and Fish, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums initiated an emergency captive-breeding program for black-footed ferrets. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of only six breeding facilities in the world participating in this program.

To learn more about black-footed ferrets, visit www.blackfootedferret.org, or stop into The Loft at the Zoo, and meet our retired breeding black-footed ferret.

To read more stories from The Waterhole, or to keep up with the latest news, events, and behind the scenes happenings at the Zoo, sign up to receive e-newsletters: http://www.cmzoo.org/aboutZoo/pressBox/waterhole.asp.