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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 first birthday to our lion cubs Olive, Poppy, Alpine Lily and Guion! 🎂🦁
The birthday celebration looked a little different last week. With one of our cubs, Olive, healing from a toe injury, the cubs stayed together behind the scenes. But that didn’t stop the party! They enjoyed special birthday enrichment and meat popsicles while our four magnificent adult males Kito, Usiku, Bahati, and Jasiri showed up for a special lion demonstration in honor of the occasion.
And let`s be honest, the first birthday is always really about the parents, right? 👀 🦁
Over the past year these cubs have grown from tiny, wobbly little ones into thriving adolescents, naturally finding independence from mom Araali and hitting every milestone. We`ve fallen in love with them the whole way.
Here`s to year one and everything that comes next! 🎉
#LionCubs #AfricanLion #DenverZooConservationAlliance #SavingWildlifeTogether
Our Flock Party Golden Flamingo Scavenger Hunt is back and better than ever! You loved it last year, so we’ve doubled the number of golden flamingos hidden throughout the Zoo during Flock Party. These little flamingos will be hidden in plain sight, so keep your eyes peeled for these elusive, bedazzled birds. If you’re lucky enough to find one, bigger and better prizes await! This year’s prizes include a special Flock Party swag bag with a ticket to Flock Party 2027, bucket hat and more fun goodies. 👀🦩💛✨
It`s not too late to join the soirée of the season! Ticket link in bio.
Please plan ahead! We will be closed to the public Thursday, August 20 through Saturday, August 22.
🐾 August 20–21: The Zoo will be closed as we make improvements to enhance the experience for our guests and animals.
🦩 August 22: The Zoo will be closed for our brilliant annual benefit, Flock Party!
We appreciate your understanding as we work to create an even better wildlife experience for our community. Then, on Saturday, we`ll raise a glass to 130 years of impact during Flock Party!
Meet Lorelai Gillmore, our one-of-a-kind cownose ray at Stingray Cove. Born in 2024, Lorelai defied the odds from the very moment she arrived.
You might notice Lorelai looks a little different from the rest of the fever. During the earliest stages of fetal development, her subrostral lobes connected a little differently than most, presenting as stump-like appendages that actually resemble the cephalic lobes of her manta ray cousins! Rather than being a setback, they serve as a natural protective barrier for her gill rakers.
In her first years of life, Lorelai`s dedicated care team monitored her closely and held her at an offsite facility to track her development. She didn`t just meet every milestone, she demolished them, surpassing pups her own age in training, enrichment, and simulated guest interactions.
As her care team puts it: her uniqueness is her superpower. Come meet Lorelai and the rest of the shark and ray crew today! 🐟✨
Photos: @stingray.cove
#NationalStingrayDay #Stingray #CownoseRay #DenverZooConservationDay #SavingWildlifeTogether #LivingExhibits
