Kazi, a female African lion cub born at the Denver Zoo on Oct. 25, 2006. Photo provided by Denver Zoo
Denver Zoo's spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) born on March 3, 2015 are now regularly on exhibit outside. Visitors can watch the cubs, named Kidogo (Kid-oh-goh) and Kubwa (Koob-wah) through their stages of development at Predator Ridge. Zookeepers gave the cubs Swahili names. Photo provided by Denver Zoo
Denver Zoo is celebrating the birth of a rare okapi (Oh-kah-pee). The female calf, named Kalispell (Kal-i-spell), was born to mother, Iosi (Ee-oh-see), and father, Jekaro (Jeh-car-oh), on June 27, 2009 and is only the fifth birth of this species at the zoo. Kalispell will remain behind the scenes for a short while longer, but visitors will soon be able to see the youngster as she grows and becomes more self-sufficient. Photo by DAVE PARSONS/ Denver Zoo
A zoo hospital staff member examining a newborn aye-aye, a rare endangered primate found in Madagascar, that was born at the zoo on April 18, 2009. The infant's birth is significant as it is only the second aye-aye to be born at a North American zoo as well as the first to be conceived at a North American zoo. (AP Photo/Denver Zoo, Dave Parsons)
The Denver Zoo welcomed its newest resident, a newborn colobus monkey named Darby. The infant, whose gender is still unknown, is being held by his mother Sadie, 2008. RJ Sangosti/ The Denver Post
Denver Zoo Sumatran orangutan, Hesty (Hess-tee), will make her public debut Aug. 2, 2010. Hesty, the first birth of her species at the zoo in 25 years, is doing fine now with her mother. This is after a rocky start to the infantÕs life and two months behind-the-scenes receiving care from zookeepers and veterinary staff. Beginning August 21, visitors will be able to see them both between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the Great Apes Building most days. Animal care needs may alter this schedule, however. Photo by DAVE PARSONS/ The Denver Zoo
Denver Zoo's four endangered, Amur tiger cubs took a breath of fresh air Monday as they explored their outdoor habitat for the first time. The cubs - females Zaria and Akasha and males Nikolai and Thimbu - were each given a clean bill of health in their last exams and are ready to meet the public. The quadruplet cubs, born May 31, 2010 are the first of their species to be born at Denver Zoo since 2003. Just in time for Labor Day, visitors can see the foursome now at the Feline II Building. Photo by Dave Parsons, Denver Zoo
Denver Zoo is thrilled to announce the birth of a male De Brazza's Monkey named Kanoa! He was born to mother, Marinda and father, Kisoro, on November 27, 2011. This is the second birth for Kisoro, who came to Denver Zoo under extraordinary circumstances. Weather permitting, visitors can see Kanoa climbing around his habitat in Primate Panorama. Photo Dave Parsons/Denver Zoo
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Denver, CO (May 23, 2014) - Denver Zoo is celebrating the birth of three maned wolf pups, which were born on May 1. The unnamed triplets, made up of two males and one female, were born to mother, Adrianna, and father, Inigo, and are the first of their species to be born at the Zoo since 2009. All three pups were just given a clean bill of health by Denver Zoo veterinarians. Though the pups are not yet old enough to explore the outside world on their own yet, Zoo visitors might catch glimpses of them as their protective mother totes them from den to den inside the Wolf Pack Woods exhibit.
Denver Zoo's interim CEO Denny O'Malley, left, and Brian Aucone, Senior Vice President for Animal Sciences, talk about future activities at the zoo, April 27, 2018 in Denver. The Denver Zoo hopes to have a new CEO in place by June 1, but in the meantime itÕs restructuring its board and bringing in more fundraisers and community members.
Baby giraffe at the Denver Zoo, born April 14, 2010, named Cricket. Photo provided by Denver Zoo
Denver Zoo welcomes two new arrivals, spotted hyena cubs (Crocuta crocuta) born to mother, Ngozi (Nuh-Go-Zee) and father, Kibo (Kee-boe) on November 14, 2006. The cubs will go on exhibit sometime this spring. However, visitors can see mother and cubs via a live video feed on monitors in the interpretive center of Predator Ridge. There are only 51 spotted hyenas on exhibit in 19 North American zoos. The hyena cubs weighed less than three pounds at birth and are growing fast, now each weighing about five pounds! Zookeepers have identified the sex of the newborns as a male and female, but they have not yet been given names. This is the third hyena birth in Predator Ridge in since March of 2005 when the first cub was born at Denver Zoo since 1987. The hyenas share the use of the habitat with African Wild dogs and lions on a rotational basis. Like the other animals in Predator Ridge, spotted hyenas are native to Africa. Hyenas are mostly found south of the Sahara Desert, excluding the southern tip of Africa and the Congo Basin. The spotted hyena is the largest of the four hyena species and can grow up to four feet tall and weigh up to 250 pounds. These hyenas have longer forelegs than hind legs and feature sandy brown spotted coats. Spotted hyenas scavenge carcasses or kill prey in packs. These packs can bring down large prey like zebras and can force lions to abandon a kill. A single hyena is capable of chasing and killing prey three times its own weight. The spotted hyena has very powerful jaws that can even crunch through large bones resulting in white excrement! Photo provided by Denver Zoo
A Red-capped mangabey monkey named Kanzu was born at the Denver Zoo on Sept. 30, 2007. Photo provided by Denver Zoo
Denver Zoo is hand raising a rare 10-day old female golden-cheeked gibbon (Hylobates gabriellae) named Lily in 2005. She is doing well under the careful watch of zookeepers. Photo credit: Denver Zoo, David Parsons
A 5-week-old spotted hyena cub named Isoke made it's media and public debut in 2005 with it's mother Ngozi at the Denver Zoo. They were in the maternity den of Predator Ridge. Born completely brown, the cub will develop spots on it's coat. Zookeepers have not identified the sex of the cub yet. Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post
Denver Zoo hatched a Crocodile monitor (Varanus salvadorii) on January 9, 2003 after a 201-day incubation period. This is the first hatching at the Denver Zoo and only the sixth successful hatching of this species in a U.S. zoo. Photo provided by Denver Zoo
Aloha! Denver Zoo is celebrating the hatching of three nene (nay nay), or Hawaiian, geese. Two hatched May 7 and the third hatched May 9, 2011. These goslings are the first to hatch in several years at Denver Zoo. Though the three female goslings will eventually be on display, they are currently growing and developing under the watchful eye of bird keepers in the zoo's Bird Propagation Center. Photo by DAVE PARSONS, Denver Zoo
The number 13 might be a lucky number after all. Denver Zoo is proud to announce the birth of four endangered red ruffed lemurs, the first of their species born here in 13 years! The quadruplets, born March 12, 2011, include male, Rusty and females, Bordeaux, Chianti and Mena. They are now big enough to explore outside their nest box and can be seen with their parents in the Emerald Forest exhibit in Denver Zoo's Primate Panorama.
Rhu, one of two clouded leopard cubs born March 14, at the Denver Zoo, paws at the glass during public viewing hours at the zoo, April 24, 2014. Rhu and her brother Pi are being cared for by Zoo staff around the clock after their mother was unable to take care of them. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
A tawny frogmouth chick was born at Denver Zoo on Jan. 27, 2014. provided by Denver Zoo
Denver Zoo is celebrating its second-ever birth of a southern tamandua, a species of anteater. The new arrival, a male named Salvador, was born on March 12, 2015. Provided by Denver Zoo.
Spotted hyena pup, Kelele at the Denver Zoo, 2014. Photo provided by Denver Zoo
Baby otter at the Denver Zoo, 2014. Photo provided by the Denver Zoo.
The cubs, a male and a female, were born on the morning of Thursday, September 10, 2015 to lioness Neliah, and are currently with their mother behind the scenes in the Denver Zoo's Benson Predator Ridge exhibit. Photo provided by Denver Zoo
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Kazi, a female African lion cub born at the Denver Zoo on Oct. 25, 2006. Photo provided by Denver Zoo
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By John Wenzel | jwenzel@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
Getting your player ready...
In the middle of a busy weekday at the Denver Zoo, Denny O’Malley squats to pick up the discarded crust of a grilled cheese sandwich.
A wave of people — kids, parents and grandparents streaming toward him from the , which on this day features African lions and wild dogs — parts around O’Malley as he tosses the crust into a trash can.
It’s not exactly his job. As the zoo’s interim CEO, O’Malley is only a temporary steward of 121-year-old city within a city that costs $100,000 per day to run and houses about 4,000 animals representing 600 species.
But before the Denver Zoological Foundation can hire a new CEO to replace ex-president Shannon Block — who left abruptly in June, after the zoo’s high-profile spat with the city auditor — O’Malley needs to attend to the fine details of this nonprofit institution that last year welcomed a record 2.2 million visitors and bills itself as Colorado’s most-visited cultural destination.
Even if he must attend to the grilled-cheese crusts.
