Changes are underway for the giraffes at the Denver Zoo, both in their care and how they interact with zoo visitors.
The zoo opened its Giraffe Encounter to the public Monday. The exhibit cost $190,000 and was funded by a multiyear sponsorship from the Denver Toyota Dealers Association.
“We are about securing a better world for animals through human understanding and teaching you how to make a positive impact on the world,” said Denver Zoo president and CEO Shannon Block.
Denver City Council member Albus Brooks brought his two daughters to the opening. With their little hands gripped tightly in Brooks’, the family walked up to the second-story platform to feed one of the giraffes. The girls’ eyes lit up as the animal’s long, black tongue twirled the lettuce out of their hands.
“It’s important at our zoos that people have an experimental, learning experience with these animals,” Brooks said.
Giraffe Encounter allows visitors to feed the zoo’s four reticulated giraffes: Dikembe, Kipele, Masika and Heshimu.
Previously, the car dealers association a $50 million exhibit that opened in 2012.
“We are excited to do this again,” said association president Deck Hughes. He said the elephant passage “turned out beyond our wildest dreams.”
The exhibit is free with admission and open throughout the day, and there are specific feeding hours.
Guests are encouraged to purchase lettuce to feed the giraffes for $5.
Visitors’ ability to be eye-to-eye with the giraffes is not the only new addition to the habit. The zoo started using the , or SNUGG, a month ago.
The customized corral securely holds the giraffe so zoo personnel can perform tests, draw blood and perform other necessary upkeep.
“There are a lot of animals we cannot be in the same space with,” said zoo curator Rick Haeffner.
SNUGG, built in-house, cost about $65,000 and , a Denver Zoo first. The 18-foot contraption, which weighs more than 4,000 pounds, has been inside the exhibit since May. Haeffner said zoo personnel are slowly working to incorporate it into the daily activities of the giraffes.
“Giraffes are very sensitive to any changes in their environment,” he said.
Dikembe, the lone male giraffe and standing 16½ feet tall, is adjusting to the device, Haeffner said.
SNUGG is connected to Dikembe’s stall, and he must walk through it to get outside.
Haeffner said the female giraffes haven’t used SNUGG yet.
“In all the history of having giraffes in the zoo, we could never weigh a giraffe short of a newborn,” Haeffner said.
But zookeepers were able to weigh Dikembe with SNUGG and determined he was 2,245 pounds, instead of the previous estimate of 1,800 pounds.
While the zoo doesn’t plan to patent the design anytime soon, it will be open to that option at some point.
“We believe that someone would have interest in the design,” said Scott Camp, the zoo’s public-relations specialist.
Tierra Smith: 303-954-1309, tsmith@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ByTierraSmith
