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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
Happy #NationalZookeeperWeek! Today, we`re spotlighting how our Animal Care Specialists contribute to wildlife conservation and research—here at the Zoo and beyond.
Our passionate Animal Care team doesn’t just provide top-notch care for the animals at DZCA—they’re also working toward a bigger goal of supporting the survival of species in the wild. ACSs support field work with our Field Conservation team, participate in programs like the boreal toad release and help rehabilitate animals that can’t be released.
Beyond their daily responsibilities, our ACSs are constantly learning—tracking animal behavior with tools to study how animals use their space and interact in order to help us improve habitats, enrichment, and overall wellbeing.
Research doesn’t just happen in labs. At DZCA, our ACSs assist with cutting-edge tech, reproductive training programs, and more—then share what they learn at conferences and workshops to help improve animal care everywhere.
We’re proud to celebrate these passionate professionals who are helping protect wildlife in Colorado and around the world! 💚
Happy #NationalZookeeperWeek! This week, we`re celebrating the incredible Animal Care Specialists (ACS) who make Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance such a special place!
To kick things off, we’re highlighting how to become an ACS and the early-career opportunities that help turn passion into a profession. Through internships, apprenticeships, and seasonal roles, we offer real-world experience, hands-on learning, and mentorship from some of the best in the field.
Whether it’s gaining confidence in animal management, or educating guests about wildlife and conservation, these roles give future ACS an authentic look at what it takes to care for animals at a world-class zoo—while working alongside the outstanding full-time caregivers here at DZCA. In fact, many of our full-time staff got their start in these very positions!
From those just beginning their journey to those who’ve built decades-long careers, we’re proud to celebrate the entire ACS team this week and everything they do to care for animals and inspire conservation action.
Our ACSs are the very best in the biz, and we’ll be spending this week spotlighting the skill, dedication, and heart that go into animal care at DZCA every single day. Stay tuned! 💚
☀️ It’s time to make the most of your summer by joining us at Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance! ☀️
We’ve got all kinds of sunny new experiences waiting for you, including daily flamingo enrichment walks, surprise animal encounters, an immersive OceanX Education Portal, plus all-new summer food and drinks (mango-lime Dole Whip, anyone?).
And there’s more! Starting July 21 through August 10, enjoy our new summer early hours! Members get early entry at 8:30 a.m., and all guests can join us starting at 9:00 a.m. Not an early bird? No worries—stay late with extended evening hours on Fridays and Saturdays!
Visit the link in our bio to plan your visit today. 😎
At 28 years old, Wally (a ring-tailed lemur) and Fozzie (a white-headed brown lemur) have spent their entire lives side by side. Despite being different species, lemurs thrive in mixed-species groups, and these two are often found sleeping, eating, grooming, and snuggling up together.
They now share their space with younger lemur, Zonker, who brings youthful energy to the trio. Together, they showcase the social intelligence and adaptability of lemurs, one of the most diverse groups of primates on Earth, found only on the island of Madagascar.
Lemurs like Wally, Fozzie, and Zonker remind us why it’s so important to protect Madagascar’s rapidly vanishing habitats. These primates are part of one of the most endangered groups of mammals on the planet, facing serious threats from agriculture and climate change.
You can find our lemur trio in Primate Panorama exploring their island or relaxing indoors inside the Emerald Forest building.
#Lemur #Madagascar #DenverZooConservationAlliance #SavingWildlifeTogether #PrimatePanorama
