A Zoo With a View

I would never have known about the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo were it not for my girlfriend, who works as a zookeeper there. This remarkable attraction advertises itself as the only truly mountain zoo in the United States, and it lives up to that billing. Sitting literally on the side of Cheyenne Mountain at an elevation of 6, 800 feet, it offers a panoramic view of Colorado Springs and the plains that stretch beyond the city.

It must be one of the oldest zoos in western North America, too, founded in 1926 by mining mogul Spencer Penrose. He incorporated the facility in 1938 as a non-profit public trust. This is another unique aspect of the zoo: it is privately run and takes no tax dollars for its operation, relying solely on admissions, memberships, donations and grants for its existence and continuing expansion.

The zoo hosts over 1, 000 animals representing nearly 200 species. Some of these are seasonal exhibits, such as the alligators, but thirty-one are participants in global Species Survival Plans. The zoo is best known for its herd of giraffes. These tall animals are a real attraction that visitors can feed from elevated boardwalks around the exhibit. Their popularity sometimes causes....well, “giraffe-ic jams.”

The zoo views are more than scenic, though you can take the “Mountaineer Sky Ride, ” a ski-lift style incline, for the ultimate experience. The zig-zag pedestrian pathways between exhibits allow one to often have a nearly 360 degree view of some of the animals. I was startled to find myself only a few feet from a Mountain Goat just below me when I was watching a magpie in its enclosure.

Maintaining accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a constant challenge given the age of many of the enclosures and the buildings that house still other exhibits, but progress is both steady and obvious. A brand new elephant barn and vastly expanded outdoor yard are nearing completion as I write this. Zoo officials were hoping to debut the new digs by now, but concern for the safety and acclimatization of the pachyderms means the grand opening will be delayed.

The zoo administrators are endlessly creative in fundraising. One example is the “Round Up for Elephants” that allows patrons of the zoo restaurant and other concessions to round up their purchase price with the extra change going to finishing the new exhibit. The zoo thus makes it easy for you to make a difference.

Yet another interesting facet of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is that some of the wildlife is not in cages. Native Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels have run of the place, when they can avoid becoming the prey of weasels. Deer make regular appearances on the grounds. Bears are problematic and unwanted guests that dumpster-dive after hours. Magpies scrounge for scraps from the captive animals. A Golden Eagle soared overhead just last week. Hummingbirds, as well as butterflies, bees, and other insects visit the many native flowers planted as part of the landscaping. I am working with two zookeepers to draft a list of all these species. Invertebrates included, it already tops 200 species.

Zookeepers and curators are constantly striving to create new enrichment opportunities for their captive charges, inventing new ways to enhance the mental and physical health of creatures that normally range unfettered for miles in their native habitats. Their caring attention shows. The animals are in beautiful condition.

The zoo does not settle for the standard fair of keeper talks and summer camps, either. Many special events highlight the year, including this month’s “Boo at the Zoo,” and the ever-popular “Electric Safari,” celebrating its 20th anniversary this holiday season.

I am looking forward to learning more about the zoo, and maybe even helping to integrate more invertebrate wildlife into their collection. It is difficult to not want to be a part of something that brings so much joy to visitors, and helps insure the continued survival of endangered species.

For more information, please see the web site for the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, as well as their blog, ”In Between the Spots.” Follow the zoo on Twitter and “like” it on Facebook. Most of all, do visit, become a member, or otherwise participate in more than the virtual zoo. You’ll be glad you did.

Feeding Frenzy

I stayed at the Reid Park Zoo right up until its closing last Sunday, February 14, and I was glad I did. It seems that some of the animals get fed when the human crowds thin out. Had I been more observant I would have noticed that there was a growing sense of anticipation among the big birds that share quarters with the white rhinos.

The marabou stork was getting increasingly restless and hanging out closer to the zookeeper entrance to the rhino paddock. It soon became clear why it seemed to have a strategy. The marabou was not the only bird there to get a handout. Amazingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, a whole flock of wild, native black-crowned night-herons swooped in to get a free meal as well! A great egret even joined in the fracas.

It was quite a free-for-all. Here I had thought that birds were such shy creatures. Well, ok, there was that encounter with a great blue heron last summer at the Campus Pond at UMass, but I thought that might be the exception to the rule.

Sure these birds look all elegant and everything….until they are scarfing down a piece of meat bigger than their head. (Isn’t there a rule against that? Maybe it only applies to people).

So persistent are the night-herons that they follow keepers with food. After I exited the zoo, walking around the back to get to the bus stop, what should I see but a pair of night-herons looming on the roof of one of the buildings, patiently waiting for a keeper in a golf cart to come by with more fish.

The keeper informed me that one of the birds has a split beak, and that they do hand feed it because it would not be able to survive otherwise. That did not keep the bird’s rival from trying to steal a bite, though. The competition from wild birds is quite aggravating to the keepers, but as the rhino keeper said, “What can you do?”

Zoo Birds

Among the many animals I saw on my visit to the Reid Park Zoo on February 14, perhaps my favorites were the birds. Many were quite large, colorful, close at hand, and otherwise camera-friendly.

Ironically, the two aviary exhibits were possibly the worst places to try and get pictures. Most of the birds perch high, not affording very good views, with or without a camera. The cage screening is either between you and the bird, or invariably shows up in the background. I did manage this shot of a curassow, a pheasant-sized, mostly ground-dwelling bird native to the New World tropics, but it was in the shade and trying its best to keep a low profile.

The best places to watch birds at the zoo were the large mammal enclosures, namely the zebra and rhino paddocks. The zebras share their quarters with a magnificent pair of African crowned cranes. The cranes did keep their distance, though, so it is thanks to the 20X zoom feature on my Canon PowerShot SX10 IS that I was able to capture even reasonably good images.

The variety in the texture of plumage on the crowned crane is truly astounding. Smooth wing feathers typical of most birds, but also coarse, straw-like feathers that make up the “pom-pom” atop its head, and the streaming plumes on its chest.

Also in the zebra pen was a flock of chicken-sized guinea fowl, decked out in snazzy polka dots.

Yes, this one is pecking through zebra waste products. No accounting for taste, apparently. These birds are also native to Africa.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the rhino enclosure contained some of the largest birds on exhibit at the zoo, including a pair of kori bustards. These are among the largest birds capable of flight.

Standing between two and three feet tall (nearly one meter), and weighing in at an average of over 25 pounds as adults (males up to 18 kg), they are formidable predators of reptiles, insects, and small mammals on the African savanna. They also feed on berries and seeds.

What the marabou stork lacks in beauty it more than makes up for in size, as this was clearly the “king of the rhino enclosure.” Despite a clipped wing, this bird still managed to strut proudly through the paddock, standing prominently atop large rocks and other vantage points, and always keeping an eye out for a snack.

Interestingly, marabous are now more abundant in their native Africa than they were at the early part of the 20th century. Their rise in population is attributed mostly to a soaring human population and the organic waste we produce in the course of livestock production and agriculture in general. Adult male marabous can stand nearly 1.5 meters tall, and weigh over eight kilograms. Their wingspan is well over two meters.

I happened to be present for the feeding of the bustards and the stork near the end of the day (Reid Park Zoo closes at 4 PM), and boy was I in for a surprise. Stay tuned….

Reid Park Zoo

Reid Park in Tucson, Arizona is very much like Central Park in New York City. Both are mostly places to jog, picnic, and actively recreate, and both have a small zoo. I visited the Reid Park Zoo this past Valentine’s Day, and managed to at least catch a glimpse of many of its captive animals.

The zoo, celebrating its 40th birthday this year, occupies only a little more than seventeen acres, but an amazing diversity of fauna is packed into that space. This has created some concern when it comes to the elephants in particular, as they really don’t have enough room to roam. To that end, the zoo plans to tack on an additional seven acres for an expansion entitled “Expedition Tanzania.” Three acres are designated for the elephants alone, and will include mud wallows, and pools and streams. The cost of the expansion is estimated at about $8.5 million. Fundraising is progressing well, and construction could start as early as this year.

The elephants are certainly a major attraction, as are the two white rhinos, but the official mascot of the zoo is the giant anteater. This is one of my favorite animals, too. They look about as improbable as a platypus, but their fur is beautifully marked.

Their bushy tail is about as long as the rest of them, and they walk on their knuckles, more or less, so as not to break their very long front claws. They use their claws to pry open termite mounds in their native plains of Brazil. Those mounds can be as hard as concrete, but slightly more brittle.

The most recent addition to the zoo is a baby Grevy’s zebra, born on January 30, 2010.

He did put in an appearance while I was there, frolicking in the large yard that he shares with mom and pop, two African crowned cranes, and a small flock of Guinea fowl. Yes, no question, he sure is cute.

Another show I was privileged to see was a full-blown courtship display by a peacock, not a stone’s throw away from me. He was so close that I couldn’t back away far enough to get a good shot of his entire glory. It was a fitting end to a Valentine’s Day at the Reid Park Zoo.

(Living) Gem Show

This weekend is probably the peak of the annual Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, easily the largest, most economically important tourist event of the year in southern Arizona. There are so many rocks, minerals, fossils, meteorites, sculptures, and other merchandise here that I’m surprised it doesn’t tip the Earth’s axis. The scale of the exhibition defies easy comparisons and quantification. It is difficult to find any other display that rivals the gem show for color and spectacle, but perhaps the Tucson Botanical Gardens has it in the form of its annual “Butterfly Magic” exhibit of live Lepidoptera.

There are stones and tourists here at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show from all over the globe, but there are also live butterflies and moths from all over the world at the TBG. Rocks may glitter and gleam, but they don’t fly, or land delicately on you like the insects in the live butterfly exhibit.

Among the wonders of the butterfly show are metallic blue Morpho butterflies from the Latin American tropics.

Like a living geode, they usually conceal their beauty while perched with wings closed. The underside of their wings are colored in earthtones with spots and stripes.

Sharing its name with a stone of similar color, the Malachite, Siproeta stelenes, also hails from Mexico and Central America, but can also be seen in extreme southern Florida and south Texas.

Glasswing butterflies in the family Nymphalidae, subfamily Ithomiinae, have wings as transparent as the windows of any building. No silica here, just an absence of the scales that normally give butterflies their vibrant color patterns. Only the veins and edges are pigmented here, creating artistic panes.

Not to be outdone by their day-active counterparts, some moths have a subtle beauty all their own. By any standards the African moon moth, Argema mimosae, is a glamorous animal, with tails that stream like a comet or shooting star.

No meteorite fall at the end, but an equally ephemeral life. With no mouthparts to feed, these giant moths live for no more than a few days, just long enough to reproduce.

My friends in the meteorite-hunting world have given me a new appreciation for both extra-terrestrial and earth-borne geology, but it is still difficult not to choose the living over the inanimate. Whatever your own predilection, be sure to share that passion with others. It is a great way to make new friends and expand each other’s horizons.