Association of Zoos and Aquariums

DENVER ZOOLOGICAL FOUNDATION WINS COVETED AZA EXHIBIT AWARD

CONTACT: Kris Vehrs, AZA 301-562-0777 x 229

TAMPA, FL September 29, 2006 Today the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) honored the Denver Zoological Foundation with the AZA Exhibit of the Year Award for the Denver Zoo entrance and Predator Ridge. Zoo officials accepted the award in front of thousands of their professional colleagues at the AZA's 82nd Annual Conference, meeting here this week. AZA honored the zoo with this award in honor of their contributions to help achieve AZA’s vision of building North America’s largest wildlife conservation movement.

The Denver Zoo entrance and Predator Ridge, a $27 million exhibit, is a series of animal habitats that house 15 African species. It is designed to re-create a portion of Samburu National Reserve in Kenya.

Within Predator Ridge, the Lion Kopje (pronounced COE-pee, an Afrikaans term for a rocky outcropping) exhibit is home to pride of lions. Their new habitat features 10-foot-tall mounds for lions to survey their surroundings, electric “hot rocks” for warmth, and a separate maternity den for mothers and future cubs called “Pahali Ya Mwana” (pronounced Pah-hall-ee-yaw-mwah-nuh, Swahili for "place of the young"). Both Pahali Ya Mwana and the Lion Kopje offer close-up views for visitors to watch zookeepers work with the animals.

The exhibit offers several animal enrichment opportunities, including the ability to rotate hyenas, wild dogs and lions to different exhibits, where their sense of smell is stimulated by the previous inhabitants’ odors and other behavioral enrichment items. This group of animals is also part of a unique operant conditioning program, wherein their keepers teach them basic verbal commands, which allows close examination for health checkups.

An interactive discovery center called Pahali Ya Simba (pronounced Pah-hall-ee-yaw-sim-bah, Swahili for "place of the lions") plays an integral role in the zoo’s mission to educate visitors. In the center, guests are able to view scenes of animals from within the Samburu Game Reserve in Kenya on new plasma screens. To further the educational experience, visitors can learn about African wild dogs and hyena conservation research, and watch the zookeepers as they work with the lions and wild dogs in a specially-designed interactive area.

The Exhibit of the Year Award is presented by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for outstanding dedication to conservation issues and construction of exhibit space replicating species natural habitats.

About AZA

Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. With its more than 200 accredited members, the AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation, and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.

[return to Newsroom]