At Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, we’ve launched our first-ever Orangutan Gorge Event, inspired by the natural fruiting seasons in their native habitats. In the wild, orangutans experience cycles of scarcity and abundance, gorging on native fruits during fruiting seasons. To simulate this, our orangutans will enjoy monthly gorge events featuring 40 pounds of native fruits like jackfruit, coconut, passion fruit, papaya, guava, and more!
This unique enrichment not only stimulates their natural behaviors but also gives them the chance to explore new flavors and textures, just as they would in the wild. It's an exciting experiment to see what they love, what they’re curious about, and how they interact with these novel treats!
#DenverZoo #OrangutanEnrichment #SavingWildlifeTogether #Orangutans #Conservation
Sooper Foods Spotlight: Spotted Hyena
Caring for our spotted hyenas means balancing nutrition, creative feeding techniques, and plenty of enrichment! In this Sooper Foods Spotlight, presented by King Soopers, we are learning about how our animal care specialists ensure these remarkable carnivores stay happy and healthy.
From ground meats tailored to each of their needs to massive bones hung or buried in their habitat, hyenas are specially adapted to extract nutrients from even the hardest to digest meals. Ngozi, Tavi, and Kelele also enjoy treats like bananas and sweet potatoes, showing off how hyenas are some of the best scavengers and hunters in the animal kingdom!
Check out the full story on our Youtube: https://youtu.be/pD6CTT-p1SE
#SpottedHyena #ZooNutrition #Wildlife #Conservation #DenverZoo
Ever wonder what it takes to feed over 2,500 animals at Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance? In this Sooper Foods Spotlight, presented by King Soopers, meet our incredible Nutrition Team. They start their day at 6 a.m., carefully prepping customized diets for everything from fruit bats to lions. 🦁🦇
During weekly trips to King Soopers, they source fresh, seasonal items and reduce waste by buying smaller quantities of produce with specific animal’s needs in mind. Whether it’s chopping veggies, growing browse, or sourcing high quality meat, every meal is tailored to keep our animals happy, healthy, and thriving.
🐾 It's a true team effort—our Animal Health and Animal Care teams work closely to ensure every bite meets the unique dietary needs of our animals, even pivoting to find creative and enriching solutions for picky eaters like our primates and carnivores.
Shoutout to our Nutrition Team for their dedication to animal care and conservation.
#SooperFoodsSpotlight #KingSoopers #ZooNutrition #AnimalCare #DenverZoo #SavingWildlifeTogether
Jake the Asian Elephant Interacts with Enrichment 🐘
New enrichment ✅
A little leg razzle dazzle ✅✅
One happy, enriched elephant ✅ ✅ ✅
Jake, one of our Endangered Asian elephants, recently enjoyed some brand-new hose enrichment! While this elephant car wash is undeniably adorable for us, it’s also one of the many ways our expert animal care specialists help keep Jake mentally and physically stimulated! 🐘
At Genesee Park, in partnership with Denver Mountain Parks, we have accomplished a groundbreaking conservation effort: the world’s first reintroduction of native dung beetles to a landscape with bison. While bison were reintroduced here over 100 years ago, we now know it takes an entire community of species to create a thriving ecosystem.
These tiny recyclers help break down bison dung, pulling nutrients underground where they fuel plant growth and improve soil health. Among the stars of this initiative are two species of "rollers" and the rainbow scarab—a dazzling beetle which will become part of a breeding program for future restoration projects.
By bringing back these small but mighty recyclers, we’re paving the way for healthier soil and more resilient landscapes. 🌱
Cover photo by: Animal Care Specialist, Troy B.
#WorldSoilDay #Conservation #DungBeetles #SoilHealth #Bison #EcosystemRestoration
Happy World Wildlife Conservation Day from DZCA! 💚
This World Wildlife Conservation Day, we reflect on our 128-year journey and our continued mission to Inspire Communities to Save Wildlife for Future Generations.
At Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, we're committed to delivering exceptional care for our 2,500+ animals while expanding our conservation impact locally and globally. Saving wildlife takes all of us, and together, we can create a future where wildlife thrives. Join us in #SavingWildlifeTogether, today and every day! 💚 #DenverZooConservationAlliance #WorldWildlifeConservationDay
Make an Elephant-Sized Difference This Giving Tuesday! 🐘
This #GivingTuesday, YOU can make an elephant-sized impact for our animal family! 🐘
Your donation supports DZCA’s groundbreaking animal care efforts, like our Asian elephant plasma program and research, helping both our beloved bachelors and their entire Endangered species. ❤️
Donate any amount TODAY for a chance to win a one-night stay at The Crawford Hotel! Donate now: https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/Denverzoo
At the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, voluntary blood draws are more than just a procedure—they’re a testament to the incredible relationships our animal care specialists build with our animals every day. Whether it’s Tundra the grizzly bear, Viktor the Amur tiger, or Yisun the Przewalski wild horse, each voluntary blood draw represents months of trust, training, and teamwork.
Why does this matter? Voluntary participation allows our animals to take charge of their health care, making the process more stress-free and less invasive. Instead of anesthesia—which can alter results or add unnecessary risk—our animals choose to participate, often trading a little poke for a yummy treat!
Huge shoutout to our team of animal care specialists and Registered Veterinary Technicians for their dedication and expertise. This is what teamwork at the Zoo looks like!
#AnimalCare #AnimalWellness #VeterinaryTechnician #Zoology #AnimalTraining
Support Tundra the Grizzly Bear This Colorado Gives Day
Miss Tundra might be snoozing the winter away but that doesn’t mean our teams stop providing her with dedicated and personalized care! To manage her torpor, the lowering of body temperature and metabolic activity that many animals experience during the winter months, her nutrition and care plan shifts to best suit her needs. Her teams ensure she has every opportunity to do what comes naturally to her, which means drastically adjusting her specialized plans to fit her every season! 🐻
You can support Tundra all winter long! Donate to DZCA this Colorado Gives Day to support Tundra’s specialized care: https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/Denverzoo
Happy #WorldTamanduaDay! Today, we’re celebrating with our very own Winnie and her favorite adventure: #WalksWithWinnie! 🐾 As the youngest and most spirited tamandua at the Zoo, Winnie absolutely loves her enrichment walks.
These strolls, guided by her dedicated Animal Care Specialists, offer her the chance to explore new sights, sounds, and smells around the Zoo, giving her a fun way to stay mentally and physically active. Each step helps keep her healthy, curious, and engaged!
Give Winnie a cheer as she explores her world—and come by to see if you can spot her on her next stroll! 🐜💛
Footage from Animal Care Specialist, Rebecca W.
#DenverZoo #Tamandua #Enrichment
Blueberry the Boreal Toad Vs. A Mealworm
Wildlife Photographer Kristi Odom recently joined Blueberry, one of our Ambassador boreal toads, for an epic lunchtime showdown. The whole encounter was filmed in epic slo-mo thanks to Kristi! 🐸 🪱
While Blueberry receives top-notch care at the Zoo, we’re also working to support her wild counterparts. These state-listed Endangered toads are one of the species hardest hit by the deadly chytrid fungus. In 2019, DZCA became the first zoo to successfully breed boreal toads, releasing 682 tadpoles in Utah. Since then, in partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, we’ve released over 2,700 Zoo-born tadpoles back into their high-altitude habitats and launched a community science project to monitor their habitat across Colorado. Go, #TeamToad! 💚
