Denver Zoo Denver Zoo News 2023

TinoPup said:
My above reply answers a bit of this. In short, KultureCity works *with* autistics (and those with other sensory needs, like ptsd) and listens to the community. IBCCES is people who don't have autism and don't want to learn from those with it.
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My notifs brought me right to this post and I almost thought you meant the post above mine before I realized there was another new one! Thank you for specifying, it's helpful to have more insight. I'm very familiar with local organizations (multiple family members and only recently realizing myself have ASD) but our family has never been very involved with or studied the national organizations.

Given the Denver Zoo has previously discussed some autism-related accommodations and interests before this, I want to think they are leaning on a deeper bench of information than what IBCCES would offer by itself, which would hopefully suggest this is just a certification they happen to qualify for rather than representative of a closer link.
 
JVM said:
My notifs brought me right to this post and I almost thought you meant the post above mine before I realized there was another new one! Thank you for specifying, it's helpful to have more insight. I'm very familiar with local organizations (multiple family members and only recently realizing myself have ASD) but our family has never been very involved with or studied the national organizations.

Given the Denver Zoo has previously discussed some autism-related accommodations and interests before this, I want to think they are leaning on a deeper bench of information than what IBCCES would offer by itself, which would hopefully suggest this is just a certification they happen to qualify for rather than representative of a closer link.
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I hope you're right on that one. I don't know enough about either certification to know if they could also get KultureCity, but if they can, that would be nice.
 
JVM said:
My notifs brought me right to this post and I almost thought you meant the post above mine before I realized there was another new one! Thank you for specifying, it's helpful to have more insight. I'm very familiar with local organizations (multiple family members and only recently realizing myself have ASD) but our family has never been very involved with or studied the national organizations.

Given the Denver Zoo has previously discussed some autism-related accommodations and interests before this, I want to think they are leaning on a deeper bench of information than what IBCCES would offer by itself, which would hopefully suggest this is just a certification they happen to qualify for rather than representative of a closer link.
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80% of staff has to do the online training and pass a test, so it's not something they'd just happen to do vs work toward. They have to re-certify every 2 years. It's unfortunate they chose to go with the organization that doesn't seem to actually care much about autistics, vs pleasing parents of autistics.
 
TinoPup said:
80% of staff has to do the online training and pass a test, so it's not something they'd just happen to do vs work toward. They have to re-certify every 2 years. It's unfortunate they chose to go with the organization that doesn't seem to actually care much about autistics, vs pleasing parents of autistics.
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You raise a completely valid point, but I was more suggesting that it may be less problematic on the zoo's part if it is one of multiple tools they are using than if it is the only tool they rely on, and expressing hope that based on their history in the area/field they may build additional partnerships with less problematic organizations. To your point though, it's hard to imagine they would make a wide portion of their staff go through multiple forms of training.

Editing to clarify I am agreeing and only clarifying my previous post, not trying to disagree with the new information.
 
JVM said:
You raise a completely valid point, but I was more suggesting that it may be less problematic on the zoo's part if it is one of multiple tools they are using than if it is the only tool they rely on, and expressing hope that based on their history in the area/field they may build additional partnerships with less problematic organizations. To your point though, it's hard to imagine they would make a wide portion of their staff go through multiple forms of training.

Editing to clarify I am agreeing and only clarifying my previous post, not trying to disagree with the new information.
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I see what you meant :) Unfortunately, imo, going with this organization shows that they're listening to the wrong people and indicates their other autism-related things might not be great, either.
 
Here is a link to a recently published scientific paper from the Denver Zoo.

Age and Social History Impact Social Interactions between Bull Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) at Denver Zoo

Abstract

Wild bull Asian elephants spend time in all-male groups. Therefore, managers of ex situ populations increasingly house bulls together. We examined the social interactions of five bull Asian elephants at Denver Zoo, using instantaneous sampling to compare social interactions across adolescent and mature bulls, and bulls with a social history prior to the integration of this group compared to bulls with no social history. Both age and social history significantly affected bull behavior. Adolescent bulls exhibited more affiliative and submissive behaviors when housed with mixed-age and mature social partners compared to with only adolescents, and less non-contact agonistic behavior and less time in proximity to a conspecific with mixed-age groups compared to with only other adolescents. Mature bulls exhibited more affiliative behavior when they were with only adolescent bulls compared to only mature bulls, and more time in proximity to a conspecific and increased contact agonistic behavior with at least one adolescent compared to only mature bulls. Bulls in new social groups engaged in more affiliative, agonistic, and submissive behaviors, and spent less time in proximity, than when they were in previously established social combinations. As more institutions house bulls socially, our results provide insights into factors that may affect bull social interactions.

Age and Social History Impact Social Interactions between Bull Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) at Denver Zoo
 
On March 28th, the zoo announced that they acquired (0.0.2) American (albino) alligators named Bruno and Banshee from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in Florida which are now on exhibit in Tropical Discovery.

Denver Zoo
 
On May 17th, the zoo announced they started construction for the flamingo exhibit which will open in 2024. The flamingos were moved to the former bald eagle/Andean condor exhibit and one of the zoo's eagles was moved to a new exhibit next to Stingray Cove, while the other bald eagle and the Andean condors are off-exhibit.

Flamingos Move to Temporary Summer Habitat | Construction for our flamingos’ brand-new habitat is underway and their new home is slated to open next year! In the meantime, our fabulous flamboyance... | By Denver Zoo | Facebook
 
On May 23rd, the zoo announced they acquired a (0.0.1) Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle from the San Diego Zoo in California, and is now on exhibit with the Komodo dragons in the Tropical Discovery area.

Denver Zoo

On May 28th, the zoo announced they reopened the Emerald Forest building to the public after renovations.

Denver Zoo

On June 2nd, the zoo announced that a (0.0.1) Rocky Mountain goat was born on May 30th and is now on exhibit.

Baby Bulletin: Meet Our Fluffy Baby Rocky Mountain Goat | There's a fluffy new addition on Goat Mountain! We're delighted to share that a Rocky Mountain goat kid was born to first-time parents Elbert and... | By Denver Zoo | Facebook
 
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