Denver Zoo

For a time The Denver Zoo had these three lion cubs. The males are named Tsavo and Enzi, and the female is Sabi. They were born June 24, 2012 and will likely only be in Denver temporarily until permanent homes are found. They were orphaned when their mother died giving birth to her cubs. Lions probably number less than 30,000 in the wild today.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists lions as endangered in West and Central Africa. So the Denver Zoo is very excited to have these three lions who “do not share genetics with other lions in the US and, therefore, they offer valuable and unique genetics for shared breeding programs.”

Update: The two male lions have been sent on to other zoos, but the female is still here in Denver.

It's so fun to watch the animals go from small cubs into large mature animals.

The Denver Zoo offers something unique in the world, a zoo that can house nearly extinct Asian elephants. Pond said, “It’s a commitment because Asian elephants are extremely endangered – in the wild and captivity there are only 35,000 total, versus nearly 600,000 African elephants – and part of the problem now is that people don’t have the space to hold bull elephants.” Quoted from a Green Building News article by Torrey Sims 08/08/2012. The whole project focused on sustainability practices. The new space can house as many as eight bull elephants in its 10 acres. The six habitats are all connected with redundant pathways and the animals can roam around the whole space.

One of the reasons for the LEED Platinum certification was the zoos techniques of water conservation and its filtration system. According to the zoo website: “1.7 billion gallons of water a year go through their filtration system.” The maintenance people number and weigh every trashcan at the zoo daily. They recycle the waste (both human and animal) using a process called gasification and create power for heating and lighting the new Toyota Elephant Passage. They also separate out the potable and non-potable water so they can be used at the zoo for drinking, swimming and bathing, and cleaning the space. The Toyota Elephant Passage also incorporates radiant heating in the floors as well as low VOC carpets. This zoo is a wonderful example of innovative green construction and it is first zoo in the country to receive the LEED Platinum Certification. Well done!

This is a memoir written by an Englishman who went to Argentina as a young man and rescued a penguin from an oil spill in Uruguay.  He takes the Magellan Penguin back to the school where he is an assistant master at a boarding school.  As I said it is really a delightful read, suitable for adults or children.  Read it a chapter at a time at bedtime.  What fun!