Coloradokids Workshop August 5, 20142013 Fighting Animal Boredom, Building Trust and Hard-To-Reach Place

he 2014-15 Colorado Kids reporting staff, both Tnewcomers and old hands, gathered in the Denver New season Zoo’s Gates Education Center recently for a day-long journalism training workshop. Reporters were presented with information on of CK starts writing, photography, interviewing and journalistic ethics including plagiarism and conflict of interest. with training At the conclusion of the workshop, five of CK’s most experienced reporters went on assignment within of reporters the zoo, shadowed by other reporters who wanted to learn from observing them in action. This week’s issue includes their stories. Putting the “work” in ColoradoKids workshop August 5, 20142013 Fighting AnimAl boredom, building trust and hard-to-reach place. marker training. This is her “foraging enrichment,” just a Soon, the animals have learned several small part of the enrichment and behavioral behaviors and can assist in checkups like training program at the Denver Zoo. mouth inspection. Enrichment and behavioral husbandry, One hidden benefit is that since the ani- meaning “animal care”, is mals don’t have the anxi- a way to keep zoo animals’ ety of being forced into minds and bodies active, examination, they are less help reinforce their natu- stressed and healthier! ral behaviors and teach Having animals that are new behaviors. cooperative during check- Emily Insalaco, the Cura- ups is a great asset to the tor of Behavioral Hus- zoo. bandry at the Denver Zoo, But Insalaco says the explained the benefits training has an even big- of this program. Her job ger benefit, explaining was created after she was that “When you work with called in for three years to the animals everyday, you start a behavior program know them better, so you for the zoo. know if something is dif- In the past, keepers ferent.” Hide ... With Tundra safely locked inside would have difficulty lur- Usually, zoo animals her den, a zoo intern hides bits of food ing animals out of their don’t cry in pain when they around the Bear Mountain enclosure. exhibits for vaccinations are sick or hurt, but instead and checkups. act in an abnormal way. undra the Grizzly Bear stares intent- Animals sometimes The keepers who train ly at the door to the inside portion also had to take medicine the animals everyday Tof her enclosure, waiting to be let so they would be asleep know their personali- inside. Why is she so eager? during the examination, ties and recognize when sometimes skewing the something is “off”. Then, a By Ellory Boyd, results. vet can intervene. 12, a CK Reporter Now none of this is nec- These animal-keeper from Louisville essary thanks to Insalaco, relationships are the most and her team of keepers. ... and seek! Then, when Tundra valuable tool the zoo has They train animals to is let out, she stays amused and for keeping Tundra and Because she knows that when she comes voluntarily participate active by searching out the hidden her fellow animals healthy out, her enclosure will be dotted with food, in examinations using and mentally engaged for treats. Photos by Ellory Boyd hidden for her to find, in every high, low, a method called sound years to come. we asked, you answered CK readers are comfortable in the world ot all CK readers consider completely lost. Now here’s our next question: Nthemselves fully bilingual, Here’s what we asked you, and Summer vacation is down to but most are reasonably confi- what you told us: its last bits. How do you feel A dent in their ability to get along If you were in a country where about school starting up again? D in a second language. they spoke every language except A. I can’t wait! When we asked how you English, how well would you do? B. I don’t mind. Summer’s would get along if you couldn’t A. Fine. English is not my only long enough, I guess. B use English, nearly 80 percent language. 17% C. I want to see my friends, who answered said they’d at B. I’ve learned another language but you can keep the “school” C least be able to order a meal and well enough to get by. 25% part. find a bathroom, and many felt C. I could maybe find a bath- D. Are you kidding me? they’d do better than that. room or order a meal. 37% To answer this question, go to Only about a fifth would feel D. I’d be completely lost. 21% www.nextgen.yourhub.com ck Kids and adults can find live links to information about stories in Colorado Kids at www.ColoradoNIE.com Colorado Kids Zoo is giving a big frog a big hand is produced by Denver Post Educational Services he Denver Zoo is more than just a place Executive Editor: Dana Plewka where people come to see animals. The [email protected] zoo is a big contributor to the conserva- CK Editor: Mike Peterson T tion of many different species of animals. [email protected] We welcome your comments. By Andrew Onodera , For tools to extend the learning in 13, a CK Reporter this feature, look under from Centennial “eEdition lessons” at: www.ColoradoNIE.com One of these animals is the Lake Titicaca frog. eEditions of the Post are Lake Titicaca frogs are the largest entirely free of charge for classroom use. aquatic amphibians, sometimes weighing in at Contact us for information on all over two pounds. our programs. These frogs are in danger of becoming extinct due to predators being introduced into the lake. Denver Post Educational Services Humans are also part of the equation. Accord- 101 W. Colfax Ave. ing to Rick Haeffner, Curator of Reptiles at the Denver CO 80202 Denver Zoo, “there has been a big resurgence in Photo courtesy of the Denver Zoo (303) 954-3974 collecting the frogs from the lake and turning left or what would happen to the environment if (800) 336-7678 them into food, primarily ‘frog shakes.’” they were to go extinct. Stories without bylines were Since the flesh of these frogs is believed by The main conservation goals are to create a safe written by the editor. some people to have healing qualities, vendors in area for the frogs to live and to show the local Peru blend the flesh to make a thick drink. people that frog shakes really don’t have any heal- The Denver Zoo is working with scientists in ing properties. Learn more! Peru on the conservation efforts. Haeffner also said, “The way it looks now, we’ll Nobody knows just how many of these frogs are probably be bringing a hatched Lake Titicaca frog You can get additional details into the Denver Zoo this year.” about stories in CK by going This would make Denver the first zoo in North to ColoradoNIE.come and America to have a Lake Titicaca frog. clicking on the Colorado Kids The point of having this frog isn’t just so people Web Links section can come and see it, Haeffner said. It’s so they can come and learn about it. “We want to talk about why the frogs are here CorreCtion and provide education about the frog to the people who come to see it.” The name of artist Chuck This helps the zoo with its conservation efforts. Close was misspelled in last Projects like this show that the Denver Zoo is week’s CK. We regret the error. more than just a place to see animals, but also a place to save them. not really leopards, but they are really cute he Denver Zoo has been Pi and Ruhu, the twins born home to four clouded leop- at the zoo, are the oldest of the Tards, an endangered species trio. The zoo had to take care of that lives in Southeast Asia. them after their mother did not. Lisu, their mother, started out By Tripp Ceyssens, fine, grooming them and nuz- 12, a CK Reporter zling them, but would not nurse from Arvada them. “We knew that they would die in a few hours, so we had Now the zoo is raising another to take matters into our own three of these rare cubs at the hands.” said Neiderer. Toyota Elephant Passage. The other cub, Saya, was Pi, Ruhu and Saya are clouded brought in from The National leopards (Neofelis nebulosa), a type Zoo about a month later. of wild cat that lives in Southeast Saya was born an only child, Asia, in the southern parts of China and this type of cat needs to and also other southeastern coun- Photo courtesy of the Denver Zoo, range map from Wikipedia interact at a young age. tries. big cats and house cats. The Denver Zoo would like to Evergreen Leopards (Panthera pardus) are a mem- mate Pi and Saya later, as well as have Ruhu forests are a ber of the family that includes tigers, lions mate with another clouded leopard, but that favorite home and jaguars: No relationship to the clouded will be done in another place, since the zoo for this cat. leopard at all. does not have enough space, with four adult Despite its “They look like leopards, that’s probably cats and now the three young ones. name, the spe- where they got their names,”, says Margaret So those three cubs may be moving to cies is not really Neiderer, a keeper at the Denver zoo. other zoos at the end of the year. a type of leop- She says that they also play like their If you want to see them, you need to ard, but a sort of look-alikes, but they are still not related to come to the clouded leopard exhibit in the bridge between the larger cats.

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