Baka-keri: The Eternal Ape

Many of our frequent guests are probably already familiar with Baka-keri, our adult male Sumatran orangutan.  No, he’s not the orangutan who gives “kisses”; that’s Tujoh.  Baka is the handsome, dreadlocked guy who was a great dad to Makan and now Godek. 

We frequently get questions about Baka’s name because the word “baka” means stupid in Japanese.  Baka is one of our smartest orangutans and anything but stupid.  He was named at his birth zoo, the Calgary Zoo, which follows similar naming rules as Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.  We try to give animals names from languages native to their country of origin.  Orangutans are native to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia and Malaysia.  Baka’s full name is Baka-keri - Baka in Indonesian means “eternal”, and the Indonesian word for “ape” is keras.

  

Orangutans are highly endangered in their native rainforests due palm oil production, so right now they are far from eternal.  Click here to see how you can help them when you visit the grocery store.

Creatively Cool Great Apes

It has been a hot summer, and just like humans, the apes love a cool treat on a warm day. We have various ways of presenting a frozen treat and some of the ones we use frequently are: juice frozen in applesauce jars and placed on top of their skylight mesh, frozen whole fruit, and ice or juice cubes spread in their exhibit. 

When we have time, though, we like to get more creative and make treats novel and fun for the animals. We can make “ape-size popsicles” with a five-gallon bucket and some chain. By freezing the chain in the middle of the juice and fruit, we can hang it in their exhibit and give them hours of enjoyment. Recently, we made some “ice rings” by freezing juice and fruit in a tub with an empty round container taking up the middle. These rings were then hung in the orangutan exhibits and they spent a long time cooling off with them.

Some of our apes take cool fun into their own hands, by making their water run into the exhibit to play in. Stay cool out there!

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.