Kenyan Sand Boa

We are continuing our blog series “The Hidden World of African Rift Valley,” where we introduce you to special animals who take the “hidden world” part quite literally.

This time, we’ll focus on Kenyan sand boas.  These beautiful snakes live in east Africa and are fossorial, which means they like to burrow underground. They do this to hide from predators (large birds, monitor lizards and jackals), to thermoregulate (cool off or stay warm), and to ambush their rodent prey.

Kenyan sand boas are a small boa species.  In this species, females are larger than their male counterparts, generally reaching about two feet long.  As is true with all boa species, Kenyan sand boas are not venomous. Instead, they are constrictors and kill their prey by suffocating it.

Guests can see our Kenyan sand boas bury themselves into the sand during our keeper talks held daily at 11:30 & 2:30 throughout the summer months in African Rift Valley.

Next time, we will meet another reptile from east Africa that is especially good at hiding.

Quarters for Conservation- Cape Vulture Conservation in South Africa

Post by: Jenyva Turner

Often, when people think of vultures, unpleasant images come to mind. However, when you learn more about them, we think you’ll agree that vultures are amazing!  Not only do they have many interesting adaptations that make them unique, they are, more importantly, vital to the health of ecosystems around the world. No other scavenger is better equipped to deal with death and disease than the vulture. From strong stomach acids to featherless heads, vultures use their unique assets to prevent disease from spreading, while keeping themselves clean and healthy in the process.

This is the fourth year vulture conservation has been featured as one of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s (CMZ) Quarters for Conservation (Q4C) programs. To date, over $25,000 has been raised through Q4C and sent to VulPro, a non-profit conservation organization in South Africa that focuses on vulture conservation. Organizations like VulPro are critical to the  health and welfare of vultures, as vulture populations around the world are declining due to poisoning, power line electrocutions and poaching. VulPro is involved in many aspects of conservation from population monitoring, captive breeding, reintroduction, rehabilitation, research and education.

A chick hatched at VulPro . 

CMZ has been a significant contributor towards VulPro’s programs. The first year, the Zoo supported VulPro’s rehabilitation work and purchased chest freezers to store food and medicine. Two years ago, CMZ purchased GPS tracking devices to monitor the migration of adult Cape vultures. Last year’s funds paid for the expansion of the Cape vulture artificial breeding cliffs at VulPro so more vulture chicks can be raised and released into the wild. And this year, CMZ is helping develop and fund VulPro’s educational program for schools across South Africa, enabling the next generation to learn about the value of vultures.

CMZ is also involved in educational work right here at home, teaching Zoo guests about the importance of vultures during the Wings of Africa bird show held daily in African Rift Valley. Additionally, CMZ participates annually in International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD), which was created by staff from VulPro and CMZ and is now celebrated all over the world on the first Saturday of September. Many kids and adults alike have grown in their appreciation for these misunderstood birds. This year’s IVAD event will be held on Saturday, September 1, 2012 from 10am-2pm in CMZ’s African Rift Valley. Come join us and see for yourself how cool vultures are and learn more about what you can do to help them!

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. 

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!

African Black Millipede

The smallest resident in African Rift Valley is really quite big for being a bug. Okay, so African black millipedes (aka African giant millipedes) are not actually true bugs, but they do fall into the category of “creepy crawlies.” Unfortunately most bugs and other creatures with more than four legs fall into this category. Having four legs per body segment, millipedes are in their own unique group of animals and the African black millipede is the largest of all, growing up to 11 inches long!

As scavengers, millipedes have an important job of eating decaying plant matter and returning the nutrients back to the soil. They can’t really hurt humans unless they get scared, secreting a liquid irritating to our skin and eyes. This liquid helps defend them from being eaten by birds or meerkats. African black millipedes seem to know they are not very tasty and will often walk around the African Savannah in plain view during the early morning hours. If you go on a walking safari in South Africa, be sure to watch where you step so you don’t accidentally crush a giant millipede!

  

Can you think of any other scavengers who live in African Rift Valley at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo? Join us next time as we take you up close and personal with some birds that LOVE carrion!

Your ARV Questions Answered

The Hidden World of African Rift Valley

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill

Meet Petrie, our handsome male Abyssinian ground hornbill. Petrie spent a lot of time with zookeepers when he was a chick and because of that, and he now seems to forget he is a hornbill at times! He likes to “share” his food with us, his current keepers, like hornbills do for each other as a pair bonding exercise. He also likes to hang out with us to watch what we do. We have to be extra careful not to accidentally leave scrub brushes or hose nozzles too close to his enclosure as his long bill is especially handy for snatching shiny objects, which he then carries around like a treasure! In the wilds of East Africa, a hornbill’s bill is used to forage for food, flipping over rocks and sifting thru leaf litter looking for insects and small vertebrates.

Come see Petrie fly over the giraffe exhibit in African Rift Valley at our Wings of Africa Bird Show at 1pm daily starting on Memorial Day.

Next time we will introduce you to our beautiful female Abyssinian ground hornbill who also stars in our bird show.

Bank on it!

 The piggy bank’s origin dates back to around the 15^th century when peope were crafting useful items, including dishes and jars made out of pygg, a type of orange clay, to hold spare change. Around the 18^th century, people realized the word “pygg” was pronounced the same as the animal “pig.” People began to form “pygg” into the shape of a “pig” to hold spare change, and the piggy bank was born. 

In a new take on the piggy bank, we’re shaping it into an elephant. The white elephant banks are a blank canvas, allowing your inner Picasso to come out and shine. A photograph of your original artwork will be part of a one-of-a-kind art installation in the Encounter Africa exhibit, allowing you to be a part of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s largest project ever. The exhibit features new homes for our elephant herd, African lion pride, meerkats, and the critically endangered black rhinoceros.

Follow these three easy steps and Bank on it!

Step 1: Visit any one of 17 U.S. Bank branches in Southern Colorado to get your very own elephant bank with just a $50 donation. You can also find the banks at the zoo’s front gate (open daily 9am to 4pm) or on-line (shipping & handling fees apply).

Step 2: The bank is yours to keep, so make it your own by decorating it. Don’t forget to email a photo of your bank to bankonit@cmzoo.org for inclusion in the one-of-a-kind art installation. All photos must be received by April 1, 2012.

Step 3: Fill ‘er up! Make an elephant-sized impact by adding to your donation. We’ll gladly accept any additional money saved in your bank at the front gates of the zoo.

For more information on the Bank on it! Program visit www.cmzoo.org/BankOnIt.