More arrests may follow as the investigation continues, Aurora Police Department spokesperson Katie Fisher said. Police are still trying to identify several teenagers who damaged or stole from local businesses, or who committed other crimes during the Aug. 30 incident, she said.

Aurora police officers shopping center near East Sixth Avenue and Peoria Street at about 1:30 p.m. Aug. 30, when hundreds of teenagers gathered in the parking lot after an unpermitted basketball event: Quincy’s Community Classic.

Attendees of the back-to-school basketball tournament merged with crowds from the , another basketball event, Aurora police Detective Matt Campbell said during a Monday news conference. Social media influencers showed up after that and, as the increased attention drew more and more people to the area, the event “rapidly devolved,” he said.

“This event was not sanctioned in any capacity,” Campbell said.

Police started receiving 911 calls as the crowd grew, with people reporting road blockages, weapons and fights among teenagers in the crowd, Aurora police Chief Todd Chamberlain said during the news conference.

By the time police arrived, an estimated 750 to 1,000 people had gathered, Chamberlain said. Police previously said most of the crowd was teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17.

The group became an “unlawful gathering” when teens started breaking the law, vandalizing property and stealing merchandise from nearby businesses, including a restaurant and a grocery store, Chamberlain said. Dozens of officers were rerouted from across the city to disperse the crowd and “restore order,” he said.

This was not the first “teen takeover” incident reported in metro Denver. Roughly 300 teenagers gathered at The Shops at Northfield in June, . The threat of another takeover in Denver’s City Park that month led to an early closure of the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance.

“When you start to have violence, when you start to have property damage, when you start to have community concerns … this is no longer a peaceful event. This is no longer something that can be tolerated,” Chamberlain said.

As of Monday’s news conference, two teenagers had been arrested and arrest warrants had been submitted for four others, Campbell said. All six of the teenagers identified were boys between the ages of 13 and 17, Fisher said.

Campbell said the charges under investigation include assault, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct, theft and injury to property. Police did not identify any of the boys involved or release information on their criminal backgrounds because they are minors.

One of the fights that broke out during the “takeover” left a person unconscious at Del Mar Park, he said. The teenagers involved in that fight are facing assault charges, Campbell said.

“We are not holding a crowd responsible,” Chamberlain said. “We are holding those individuals responsible for their own conduct. … They made that decision to take advantage of a location, of a venue, of a problem and make it much, much worse.”

It’s unclear whether the event organizers, who did not apply for a permit or notify police of the potential crowds, or the social media influencers who exacerbated the incident can be charged. Chamberlain said that it’s still under review by the city attorney.

These incidents “occur quite often,” he said. It’s rare for one of this size and severity to happen in Aurora, though, he said.

“There’s no finger-pointing on this,” Chamberlain said. “This is something that unfortunately unfolded very quickly, but it could have been any city, any jurisdiction.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact investigators at rijordan@auroragov.org.

Six-year-old Araali will move to a different zoo this fall after her caretakers noticed behavioral changes between her and her four cubs in recent months, Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance officials said this week.

Araali gave birth to the cubs in August 2025, which represent the fourth generation of African lions born in the zoo. Araali was born in Denver in 2020.

“While (her care team) closely monitored these changes and explored various ways to maintain this family group, it became clear through Araali’s behavior toward the cubs that she was more comfortable with separation,” zoo officials said in a statement.

Araali’s care team started noticed changes when they tried to introduce the mom and her cubs to other lions, including aggression toward female lions she was raised with, primates and carnivores curator Matthew Lenyo said.

Then, when her male cub needed an exam earlier in the year, she showed aggression toward him when caretakers tried to reintroduce them. When zoo staff then tried to reintroduce the male alongside the rest of his siblings, Araali showed aggression toward all the cubs.

“Her responses showed us that she wasn’t comfortable with changing social dynamics, even after multiple attempts and consultations with our veterinary team and external resources,” Lenyo said. “This was an animal-led decision based on what Araali was showing us, with her long-term well-being as the priority.”

Denver Zoo leaders did not say which zoo Araali will move to but noted it is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums as part of the African lion species survival plan. A male lion from another institution will join her, and the pair will form a new social group.

Although it’s early for the cubs to be separated from their mom — male lions leave at around 2 years old, while females can — the four siblings are fully weaned, eating independently, and will continue to learn by observing other adult lions at the zoo.

A City Council committee on Tuesday advanced to design the upgrades, which include converting the underground backstage area into a five-story facility.

The project, which voters approved as part of the $950 million Vibrant Denver bond package in 2025, will add new dressing rooms, showers, an elevator, covered parking for the performers, a kitchen and a dining area. It will also make the backstage compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act for the first time since it was built in the 1940s.

“When the building was designed, it was made so that horses could get up and down (the ramps),” said Tad Bowman, the venue director for Red Rocks and the Denver Coliseum. “Some of the performers have trouble getting up and down those ramps and need assistance to get to the stage.”

In response to a question from Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer, Bowman confirmed that the iconic exposed rock that performers can see in the dressing rooms and dining room will still be built into the structure.

“One of the most amazing pieces of Red Rocks is the backstage, the fact that the rooms are actually built into the rocks. If it rains or snows, the water runs down through the rooms. And I don’t want to lose that in this,” Sawyer said in the committee meeting.

The new structure will be designed to be partly underground so that show attendees can still see the city view from the seats, said Patrick Riley, the program manager for the Vibrant Bond.

“We will make sure that we maintain the sightlines that are so critical to the Red Rocks experience,” he said.

City officials plan to complete the project over several years without disrupting any shows at the venue. Crews will do construction work only during the venue’s five-month off-season, Riley said.

The initial contract is only for the design. The construction, which is expected to begin in November 2027, is allocated about $30 million from the bond.

The unanimously approved the item, along with about $3 million each for bond-funded improvements at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, the Denver Zoo and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The full council will consider the items in an upcoming meeting.

The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance plans to welcome two southern white rhinos this fall, the zoo announced in a . These rhinos will be the first of their species to call the Denver Zoo home in the zoo’s 130-year-history.

The southern white rhinos, coming from other organizations accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, are native to southern and parts of eastern Africa, according to the zoo. They spend much of their time grazing on grass.

The zoo’s announcement did not specify an exact arrival date, nor did it say where in the zoo the animals would live.

The Denver Zoo’s animal care and veterinary medicine teams noticed Hagrid, a 6-year-old Bactrian camel, was showing signs of “gastrointestinal discomfort” early last week and began monitoring him, .

“He received a physical examination, and teams provided supportive care and pain medications while working to determine the cause of his discomfort,” . “Despite their best efforts, Hagrid passed away in his habitat on Tuesday evening.”

A necropsy revealed that the camel had an ulcer that ate through his stomach wall, according to the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. His third stomach chamber may have also been displaced, which would have prevented food from moving through his digestive system normally, zoo officials said.

Bactrian camels are critically endangered in the wild, according to the . They live in the Gobi and Gashun Gobi deserts of northwest China and Mongolia and are one of the rarest large mammals on Earth, according to the organization.

Hagrid arrived at the Denver Zoo in July 2020 alongside his habitat mate, Sprout, when he was just three months old, Denver Zoo officials said. He was born on April 17, 2020, at Hemker Park Zoo in Minnesota.

“I’ll never forget the day they arrived,” . “Hagrid then spent the next couple days announcing to the zoo that he was here by ‘screaming’ any time we were around. He also did it when we were on our way to bottle feed him. He was such a sweet boy and will be sorely missed.”

Denver Zoo officials described Hagrid’s death as “heartbreaking.”

He “quickly became a favorite among staff, volunteers and guests” in Denver, zoo officials said. One of the zoo’s animal care specialists wrote that she could “never deny that face all the treats.”

“His playful personality and goofy spirit brought comfort, connection and joy to so many people,” zoo officials said in the announcement. “He also served as an ambassador for his species and helped inspire our community to learn more about the importance of protecting wildlife.”

Sprout, Hagrid’s fellow camel, is being closely monitored and supported by zoo staff, according to the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. Losing a companion can be a big change for an animal, but there are no physical or mental health concerns for Sprout at this time, officials said.

The — which lineage traces back to some of the last wild bison in North America — will seasonally graze about 150 acres of native prairie in the according to the news release.

“These bison carry forward a conservation legacy that began more than a century ago with Colorado’s first wildlife reintroduction at Genesee Park,” said Shannon Dennison, director of Denver Mountain Parks, which manages the herd, in a statement. “The Daniels Park bison are the direct descendants of the animals that helped bring the species back to the state.”

The project was announced this week by the Highlands Ranch Community Association Backcountry Wilderness Area, , and .

The groups calls the bison’s return “an important step toward restoring ecological processes that once shaped Colorado’s Great Plains landscapes.”

Frances, or Frannie, was born earlier in 2026 to mom Fern and dad Howard, the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance announced on Monday.

Frannie is an eastern or mountain bongo, which is one of the largest species of forest antelopes. Eastern bongos can grow up to 4.5 feet tall and 10 feet long and usually weigh between 460 and 900 pounds.

According to zoo officials, are much less common than western bongos and are only found in the mountain forests of central Kenya, near Mt. Kenya and the Aberdare Range. Frannie’s large ears are an evolutionary adaptation that helps bongos have sharp hearing.

Known for being shy and reclusive, . Conservation experts estimate there are fewer than 100 mountain bongos living in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

As she grows into her ears, Frannie will also grow smooth, hollow, lyre-shaped horns like her parents, which can grow up to 2.5 feet long.

and her family in their habitat, which is across from the elephants and McGrath Family Amphitheater.

The rare baby boy was born Sunday after seven hours of labor and is doing well, said Matthey Lenyo, the zoo’s curator of primates and carnivores. The baby, who has not yet been named, weighs between three and four pounds.

He is the first male orangutan to be born in captivity in the United States in 2026. No males were born in the U.S. in 2025, Lenyo said.

The baby’s father, 18-year-old Jaya, lives at the Denver Zoo but has not been introduced to his offspring.

Hesty, who was born at the Denver Zoo in 2010, has not needed human assistance with nursing or caring for the baby, Lenyo said. She is a first-time mother.

“She’s doing it all,” he said. “That’s the best case scenario.”

Hesty’s life had a difficult start after birth and required help from the animal care staff before she was reunited with her mother. So her caretakers prepared for a similar situation.

The orangutan care specialists to have the baby, using positive reinforcement to convince her to cooperate with testing and other needs. They trained her to hand a stuffed animal through a specially designed crate in case something went wrong, Lenyo said.

Hesty’s baby, however, has not needed human assistance, according to .

“It’s important to know that’s what orangutans do,” Lenyo said. “They have a natural instinct and they learn from other females.”

Unlike Eirina, another orangutan at the zoo, Hesty did not have extreme morning sickness that required daily cups of tea.

Hesty traded her placenta after birth for her favorite treats so the zoo’s veterinary staff could examine it for any signs of health problems, Lenyo said.

Hesty is known among zoo staff and visitors for the long, swooping bangs that hang over her face. The zoo frequently posts portraits of her on its Instagram page.

Lenyo said the new mom managed to maintain her fashionable locks during childbirth.

“Even during labor, she looked beautiful,” he said. “Her hair was everywhere it needed to be.”

It’s too early to tell whether her son will share that trait.

“We see some little blond sideburns,” Lenyo said. “We are very curious to see what he looks like when he grows up.”

The zoo will wait until mid-June to introduce the baby to the public. The exact timing will depend on when Hesty is comfortable with it. The zookeepers will also follow Hesty’s instincts before introducing the baby to the other orangutans at the zoo.

The zoo is seeking the public’s help in choosing between three names: Rambutan, Oka or Jamartin.

live in the rainforests and swamps on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. There are fewer than 14,000 in the wild.

The Denver Zoo said goodbye to its longtime black rhino resident, Rudisha, on Tuesday as the animal’s “chronic health conditions” continued to worsen, according to zoo officials.

Rudisha, the 32-year-old rhino fondly known as Rudy, was born at the in 1993 and moved to the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance in 2016 from the , according to .

Rudy has been the sole occupant of his Denver Zoo habitat for roughly a decade, “enjoying his golden bachelor years,” zoo officials said.

“Over that time, his curious personality and strong connections with staff, volunteers and guests have made him an important part of the DZCA family and a fan-favorite among our community,” . “Whether he was resting in the shade of his habitat, expertly shaping and styling his horn to his liking, playfully jogging alongside his care team or leaning in for scratches behind his soft rhino ears, Rudy shaped our community in immeasurable ways.”

Rudy’s animal care specialists said the rhino was “one of those animals you meet once in a lifetime” — sweet, patient and playful, according to statements included in the announcement.

The team said they’ll remember him for leaning against his yard’s cables to ask for scratches, for showing the importance of slowing down and remembering the little things, for his mood-lifting spirit and for his periodic “zoomies.”

Rudy entered end-of-life care in early May for age-related mobility challenges and chronic health issues, like arthritis and Iron Overload Disorder, . That disorder causes iron to build up in vital organs, leading to liver disease, lowered immunity and other complications, officials said.

The median life expectancy for black rhinoceroses in human care is 20.2 years, according to . On average, rhinos live 30 to 35 years in zoos, according to the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance.

Friday. Denver’s biggest public park, City Park, took a hit in April after a suspected arsonist torched its historic bandshell, where the annual, free music series Jazz in the Park takes place on summer Sundays. Never fear: the park has plenty of supporters, including at this year’s City Park Day 2026, a collaboration between a dozen community organizations and nonprofits.

The 5-8 p.m. event on Friday, May 29, takes place at City Park Pavilion, just across from the bandshell site, and features a performance from a scaled-down version of the Denver Municipal Band, ice cream from My Kings, face painting, live-animal ambassadors from Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, park rangers demonstrating the Goosinator (a humane, anti-goose device), and various tables for local orgs. And if you have Victorian garb? You should wear that, too, organizers said.

Cars can enter at Montview and Colorado boulevards, and the parking lot north of the Pavilion is ADA accessible, with RTD bus service on the 20 and 40 lines. It’s free to attend at City Park, 2001 Steele St. in Denver. Visit for more information.

Denver Fringe Festival No. 7

Opens Thursday. The wide-ranging, experimental and always-surprising Denver Fringe Festival returns for its seventh year, Thursday, June 3, to Sunday, June 7, with more than 80 shows from Denver and national artists. Those range from comedy and drama to world and regional premieres of new works, including short plays, opera, dance, queer storytelling, clowning and magic, live music, improv and more. (There’s even a “one woman, one dog” show, “Yama,” which we’d like to see.)

Events take place across Denver and Aurora at venues such as Rise Comedy, Hope Tank, The People’s Building, Ratio Beerworks, The Truss House, Savoy Denver and more. A full festival pass is $95, with individual shows varying in price, including some free ones. Pick them up online (see below) or at the Fringe Hub at Ratio Beerworks at 2920 Larimer St.

Want more? There’s a free kickoff party at the MCA Holiday Theater at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 3 (RSVP on ), and the KidsFringe events June 6-7 also include free shows. See a full list of titles, times and venues at .

CinemaQ returns to Denver Film

Friday-Sunday. The slate of themed film fests from Denver Film, the nonprofit home of the Denver Film Festival, continues to impress with events focused on women, the AAPIP community, silent films and more. This week’s focus is CinemaQ, the LGBTQ-themed event from director and founder Keith Garcia that celebrates its 18th year of new and exciting titles from queer filmmakers on diverse topics.

It opens on Friday, May 29, with “Leviticus,” which blends “psychological horror with a sharp critique of intolerance,” organizers wrote. There are also shorts programs, on-site talent for Q&As and post-screening discussions, the free “SaturGAY Morning Cartoons and Cereal” and more. It runs Friday, May 29-Sunday, May 31 at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver. Festival passes are $85 and screenings are $16 per person at . See the full schedule at .

Dolphins come to life on IMAX

Open now. IMAX is a selling point for films such as “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” but it started as an educational and exhibition tool. Those types of films are still arguably the most worthy IMAX experiences, at least when you can find a legit IMAX theater — which the Denver Museum of Nature & Science fortunately has.

Its latest 3D IMAX film, “Call of the Dolphins,” injects some gorgeous imagery and science into its Infinity Theater with the nonfiction survey of dolphin life, taking viewers “beneath the ocean’s surface for an up-close exploration of how dolphins live, play and interact — both with each other and with us,” organizers wrote.

Tickets are $7-$10, on top of museum admission, which ranges from $21 to $26 per person. 2001 Colorado Blvd. in Denver. For details and daily showtimes, call 303-370-6000 or visit .