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Summer is here and the fun in the sun has begun! As the temperatures rise and the days get hot, we keep cool however we can—a dip in the pool, frozen treats and plenty of shade. Our wild and wonderful animals are no different, except they rely on our care to beat the heat.
As the heat rises in Colorado, the challenges for our Animal Care team who look after 2,500+ animals continue to grow. Our staff is working hard at finding new ways to keep our animals cool during the hottest months of the year. Air-conditioned indoor spaces are available to cool off, but unsurprisingly, our wild animals do want to be outside—and we want that for them!
From fans and misters to ice machines and blood popsicles, our Animal Care Specialists are dedicated to coming up with creative ways to keep our residents comfortable in the heat of the summer while also providing fun and beneficial enrichment.
Check out these three unique ways our Animal Care Specialists help keep our animals extra cool and comfortable all season long!
Blood Popsicle, Anyone?
Our Animal Care Specialists love coming up with creative ways to keep our tigers cool in the summer heat, including making meat and blood popsicles!
Popsicles made of frozen blood and meat may not sound appetizing to us, but our big cats sure do love them, especially because they provide mental stimulation. A donation of $100 can provide our tiger with her favorite “bloodsicles.” Sounds delicious…at least if you’re ChloJo!
Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Three Hyenas in a Tub!
Who’s up for a cold plunge? Our spotted hyenas, Ngozi, Kelele and Tavi are—and don’t forget the bubbles! Treat our hyena pack to a sudsy spa day with a nice, cold bubble bath to clean up and cool off. Bubble baths also serve as enrichment, as hyenas like to hide things in water and come back to them later. Our Animal Care staff hides fun items for the pack to find and ups the challenge level by making the items hard to see. Whenever the suds come out, the pack gets extra excited to play! For just $48/month you can provide tubs of bubs for our spotted pack of three. If you’re a big fan of bubble baths, we’ve got some well-pampered hyenas who totally agree.
Throw Shade at Our Flamingos
Because wild animals want to be outside as much as possible, shade is the gold standard for keeping animals cool when the summer sun is hot. While our Horticulture team continues integrating trees into new and current habitat designs, some of our habitats require unique shade solutions, like a custom shade sail. These shade sails require concrete caissons, structural steel for poles, the shade material and installation. Installing custom sails is a big-ticket item at $65,000 a pop, but every little bit helps! Keep our flock fabulous and donate any amount today.
As a non-profit organization, your donations continue to provide world-class care for all our animals, including keeping them extra cool and comfortable all season long.
Follow Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn for updates on our incredible animals!
@DenverZoo in the Wild
🦜 It`s time to squawk about it—Happy World Parrot Day! 💚
Join us today, May 31, in celebrating the colorful, clever, and charismatic parrots that call Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance home! Today, we’re going all out with parrot-themed activities in Wildlife Plaza from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., plus special animal ambassador demonstrations in Gates Amphitheater.
And don’t miss our palm cockatoos showing off their style all day on the Nurture Trail, or head over to Lorikeet Adventure to get up close and personal with our brightly colored lorikeets!
Come celebrate these amazing birds and learn how we’re working together to protect parrots around the world.
📸: Animal Care Specialist, Alison S. and Volunteer Photographer, Joanne Ashton
#WorldParrotDay #SavingWildlifeTogether #DenverZooConservationAlliance #Kea #Macaw #AfricanGrey #PalmCockatoo #Lorikeet
It’s a big birthday month for our cinereous vultures! Aztai is turning 15 and Drogo is turning 12! 🦅🎉
Aztai has a powerful rescue story that began in Mongolia, where DZCA conservationists found her as a four-month-old chick with a severely fractured wing. She was given the name “Aztai,” which means ‘lucky’ in Mongolian, and lovingly cared for through the harsh winter by our local partners. Since she couldn’t survive in the wild with a permanent wing injury, Aztai was brought to Denver in 2012 where she now thrives as both an animal ambassador and a symbol of our international conservation efforts. You can spot her by the tag on her wing as she explores the yard alongside her companion, Drogo.
Come celebrate this majestic pair and learn more about these incredible avian scavengers.
📸: Volunteer Photographers, Joan Reedy and Emma Duffy
#SavingWildlifeTogether #Vulture #CinereousVulture #DenverZooConservationAlliance
Happy World Sea Lion Day! We’re thrilled to announce that Luci and Ady, our adorable mother-daughter duo, have safely returned home to DZCA and are settling into their newly upgraded habitat! Our Carnivore Team captured these sweet moments during a recent training session in their improved behind-the-scenes space. 💙
After nearly two years, we`re so excited that Ady and Luci are back home. Huge thank you to our friends @brookfieldzoo for taking such good care of our girls while we renovated their habitat!
Now, we need your help to reunite the rest of our pinniped pals this summer and fall! A donation of any amount helps cover travel costs and supports the continued care and support of these incredible animals at DZCA. Visit the link in our bio to donate today!
#WorldSeaLionDay #DenverZooConservationAlliance #DZCA
We are deeply saddened to share the passing of Ngozi, our beloved female spotted hyena, on Monday, May 26. Ngozi moved to DZCA the day after her fifth birthday and was the last original resident of Benson Predator Ridge. Earlier this month, Ngozi celebrated her 26th birthday, making her the oldest spotted hyena in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Ngozi has been under successful long-term treatment for spondylosis, a degenerative spinal condition affecting the discs, ligaments, and joints. On Monday, our Animal Care Specialists observed a rapid decline in her hindleg mobility which would negatively impact her quality of life. Our dedicated Animal Care and Veterinary Medicine team made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize her to relieve her suffering. This decision did not come lightly and was made due to the progression of her condition and the significant effect it was having on her ability to navigate her habitat. Ngozi passed peacefully on Monday afternoon, surrounded by those who loved and cared for her. A full postmortem examination will be performed by our Veterinary Pathologist to fully understand Ngozi`s condition and help support the scientific understanding of spotted hyenas around the world.
Like every loss we experience at the Zoo, saying goodbye is difficult and Ngozi`s passing has been especially hard on those who cared for her over the years. Members of our Carnivore Team have shared what working with Ngozi has meant to them. Please visit the link in our bio to read their heartwarming tributes.
Ngozi’s legacy lives on through her seven offspring and the countless human lives she touched along the way. In her 21 years at Predator Ridge, she inspired a sense of awe and wonder in millions of guests and helped positively change the perception of hyenas. She will be deeply missed by all those who had the pleasure of knowing and caring for her. We invite you to honor her memory by sharing your favorite moments and stories in the comments below.
Photo Credit: Animal Care Specialists Jordan S., Amelia J. and Karli N. and Volunteer Photographer Mark Rinker
