Saving Wildlife Together

Meet Opal and Ruby, our newest Endangered Grevy’s zebra girls! Twenty-year-old Opal and Ruby moved to Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance earlier this year to join Topaz and Dusty the ostrich. If you squint a little, it looks like Ruby has a tiny white heart on her chest, Opal sports oblong white spots, and Topaz flaunts a sleek black stripe. Ruby is our brave leader, already taking treats from her amazing Animal Care team, but sometimes she waits for Topaz to show it`s safe. These girls are settling in well and are lovely additions to our herd! 🖤 🤍

Have you seen our latest zebra-inspired collab shirt with @beagoodperson? This special collab spreads positivity through fashion to inspire, uplift and motivate our community with a universal message of goodness. Just two good, local brands joining forces to Save Wildlife Together! Head to the link in our bio to get the goods. 🦓

Here’s a fin-tastic care story from Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance in honor of Shark Week and Shark Awareness Day! 🦈

Moon is an epaulette shark at Stingray Cove™ who was observed by his Animal Care Specialists occasionally biting his tail. Since this behavior in sharks could indicate pain or an injury, he was evaluated by our Veterinary Medicine team. They performed a CT scan and ultrasound to evaluate his spine and internal structures for any cause of the behavior. Luckily for Moon, no obvious lesions were found, and he has responded swimmingly to a short course of treatment with pain medications. It`s been over two months since Moon`s dedicated care team has observed the tail biting behavior and they report he`s doing well in his Stingray Cove home!

All our clinical veterinarians are Board Certified Specialists in Zoological Medicine™, with expertise in zoo, wildlife, and aquatic animals. Additionally, our Senior Director of Animal Health, Dr. Jimmy Johnson, has a special interest in aquatic species, particularly sharks, and is also a Certified Aquatic Veterinarian!

Whether it’s an epaulette shark or an Asian elephant, our amazing veterinarians and registered veterinary technicians are available 24/7 to provide expert care to every animal that calls DZCA home! 🦈

Photo Credit: Programs Specialist Rachel O. and Dr. Jimmy Johnson

#DenverZooConservationAlliance #SavingWildlifeTogether #SharkWeek #SharkAwarenessDay

The answer to yesterday’s Guess the Tooth, presented by @deltadentalco, is one of our red-ruffed lemurs! While you can’t see it in this picture, red-ruffed lemurs have evolved a special “tooth comb” to help groom their dense fur. These teeth are long, thin, set close together and resemble the teeth of a comb. 🦷