Rocky Shores Archives - Utah's Hogle Zoo

Diego’s Care

Utah's Hogle Zoo — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 17:40:32 +0000

Deep Dive on Diego's Care

How Utah’s Hogle Zoo and its health partners came together in a milestone for zoo medicine.

Nothing bids a warmer welcome to Rocky Shores than the iconic barks of California sea lions Maverick, Finn, and Diego. For eight years, Diego has been a charismatic and beloved presence at Hogle Zoo, captivating guests with his playful personality. In fall 2024, Diego faced an unexpected health challenge that would call on every resource and ounce of expertise from his dedicated care team and the zoo’s community partners.

Rut season

Each breeding season between May and August, male sea lions experience rut—a period of heightened hormonal activity marked by vocalizations, displays of dominance, and territorial behaviors. Shortly after rut season ended in September, Diego’s care team observed changes in his behavior. Diego, typically lively and robust, became less mobile, vocalized more than usual, and showed a decreased appetite. These concerning signs prompted swift action from the zoo’s animal care and health teams.

Collaboration of care

Determined to help Diego, Hogle Zoo enlisted renowned pinniped anesthesia expert Dr. James Bailey to lead a lengthy anesthetic procedure so we could run diagnostic testing. On October 5, 2024, the team came together in a monumental effort to provide the best possible care. With the help of keepers, veterinarians, and health partners from University of Utah Health, Diego underwent an extended anesthetic procedure in the sea lions’ indoor habitat.

The initial results provided some relief to the team – Diego’s bloodwork and abdominal ultrasound came back normal, ruling out several potential concerns. However, they also left unanswered questions about the cause of Diego’s symptoms.

“Diego is an incredibly special individual that we, the Rocky Shores team, have had the privilege to care for since he arrived here at UHZ in 2017. Initial exam results alleviated some concerns, but we knew we needed more information. Our veterinary and animal care teams were ready to meet the challenge of figuring out the logistics of how to get Diego the best possible diagnostic care to allow us to properly address the health concerns we were seeing.”

- Rocky Shores Senior Keeper, Kimmy McIntyre.

The team’s unwavering commitment and determination led to a rare and complex undertaking—getting a 650-pound sea lion to a CT scanner. With his care team by his side, Diego was carefully moved to the U of U Health radiology department. Under anesthesia, Diego’s vital functions were manually supported by his team, who delivered breaths through a large oxygen tank during the transfer.

“Hogle Zoo’s medical and husbandry team often perform innovative diagnostics and therapies to give the animals the very best care possible, but taking a 650-pound sea lion for a CT scan was a first. Riding in the back of the zoo van with him, the large animal anesthesia machine and a huge tank of oxygen and manually giving him breaths the whole way was quite an experience,”

-Dr. Erika Crook, DVM, Dipl. ACZM, Board Certified Specialist in Zoological Medicine and Director of Animal Health for Hogle Zoo.

Edward Quigley, MD, PhD, professor of radiology at U of U Health, led a CT scan of the sea lion’s entire body to diagnose him. “It was logistically pretty amazing,” Quigley said. “Diego was longer than the standard CT scanner table, so we had to be creative to support his hindquarters while imaging.” He adds that the radiology department often lends its expertise and advanced scanning equipment to help Hogle Zoo with complex imaging or critical cases.

Diagnosing Diego

Through the CT scan, Diego was diagnosed with severe degenerative disc disease, a spine condition that involves narrowing of vertebral disc spaces, narrowing of the spinal canal, and bulging discs. These findings explained Diego’s flipper weakness—chronic in his front flippers and progressively worsening in his rear flippers.

Road to recovery

Waking up after arriving back at Hogle Zoo, Diego began his recovery journey, closely monitored by the animal care and veterinary teams through the night. In the days following his procedure, Diego’s appetite returned, allowing him to eat enough fish to take his twice-daily steroid anti-inflammatory medication, similar to aspirin, to treat his back discomfort. He began regaining strength and mobility, even enjoying a brief swim.

Despite advanced spinal disease, Diego is stable and continues to participate in his care. Animal care and veterinary teams provide daily medication, assess for signs of relapse, and evaluate his habitat to ensure mobility and comfort.

Diego’s team modified his routine to support his wellbeing, including training adjustments to protect his spine and training for laser therapy, a non-invasive treatment to stimulate blood flow and reduce inflammation. While Diego’s overall range of motion has improved, his rear flipper movement is limited.

We’ve started monitoring superficial wounds on Diego’s body and believe these are due to his spinal disease and how he moves and rests in his habitat. While living in an aquatic environment limits treatments, Diego’s team is committed to finding creative ways to heal the wounds with oral and topical medicine, providing the best possible care as his needs evolve.

“Utah’s Hogle Zoo has amazing teamwork, creativity, problem-solving, stamina, and dedication that allowed us to do something remarkable. Without University of Utah Health’s radiology department, a diagnosis for Diego would not have been possible. Diego’s procedure was successful because of teamwork and innovation between animal experts at Hogle Zoo, the best pinniped anesthetist in the world, and a brilliant and willing human radiologist. This monumental effort reflects the zoo’s commitment to advancing animal wellbeing and the importance of partnerships in achieving remarkable outcomes,”

-Dr. Erika Crook

You can visit Diego and his habitat-mates Maverick, Finn, Mira, and Nika in Rocky Shores.

Follow us @HogleZoo for more Zoo Stories

The post Diego’s Care appeared first on Utah's Hogle Zoo.

Polar bear mating and denning

Utah's Hogle Zoo — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 21:34:09 +0000

Polar bear seasons: breeding and denning at Hogle Zoo

Utah’s Hogle Zoo is dedicated to protecting vulnerable species under our care and in their natural habitats. One key aspect of this commitment is supporting the natural behaviors of animals in our care, like polar bears.

Facilitating polar bears’ natural reproductive processes is one of the many ways we play an active role in preserving this iconic and vulnerable species.

This journey begins in the winter and spring with the breeding season and transitions into the fall with the denning season. Our animal care team carefully supports each phase. They work tirelessly to create environments and conditions that reflect the bears’ natural cycles while prioritizing their wellbeing.

From fostering bonds during breeding season to preparing for the possibility of cubs during denning, every step highlights the critical connection between conservation efforts and the potential to contribute to the survival of this vulnerable species.

Polar bear breeding season

Polar bears are primarily solitary animals, both in their natural habitat and under human care, and typically only come together in the spring for breeding season. At Hogle Zoo, Nikita (male) and Neva (female) share habitat space each spring for breeding before parting ways in the fall.

During the spring months of the breeding season, guests may expect to see normal behaviors from the bears that our animal care team keeps a close eye on, like:

Chasing or following each other

Resting near each other

Making different sounds, like chuffing

Sharing toys

Open-mouth greetings

Minor wounds

Breeding season can last from a week to a few months—depending entirely on the bears’ behaviors and preferences. Each year, their confidence and comfortability with one another grows.

See breeding season updates:

2025 →

2024 →

When facilitating breeding season for the bears, our teams take everything one step at a time and work hard to give them space and time to participate in breeding if they choose. By providing the right environment and closely observing their needs, we help Nikita and Neva thrive in ways that work best for them.

Resident female polar bear, Neva

Resident male polar bear, Nikita

Bulking season

One step in this delicate process is adjusting Neva’s diet for substantial weight gain before denning season begins. Denning is an energetically expensive process for female polar bears. During this time, they don’t hunt or seek food; instead, they rely on fat reserves. Female polar bears gain up to a third of their body weight before denning.

To help Neva reach an ideal denning weight, our team begins increasing her diet in the spring. Over the years, Neva has steadily gained weight, indicating that she’s becoming more accustomed to preparing for denning season. Polar bears rely on sea ice to hunt seals and build essential fat reserves in their natural habitat. However, Arctic ice is now melting earlier in the spring and freezing later in the fall, threatening the polar bear ecosystem and their ability to reproduce. The shrinking hunting season leaves polar bears less time to hunt and fewer opportunities to build the needed fat reserves. Without sufficient sea ice, females may not gain enough weight to support pregnancy.

Delayed implantation

Polar bear breeding and pregnancy are separate events.

Female polar bears experience a unique process called delayed implantation, meaning the bears mate in spring, but if an egg is fertilized, it doesn’t implant until fall—and only if the mother has built up enough fat to safely support herself and her future cubs through denning. There’s no way to know if a female is pregnant or may be experiencing a “pseudopregnancy.” Blood and urine pregnancy tests aren’t effective for polar bears – and with their extra thick layers of fat, ultrasounds also don’t work. Female polar bears may den even if no cubs are on the way.

Polar bear denning season

After several months together during breeding season, the denning season begins in the fall. Female polar bears den to provide a safe, protected environment for potentially giving birth. The keyword here is “potential” – polar bear reproduction is unique and uncertain, and many things must go right.

Supporting Neva and Nikita

When Neva enters denning season in the fall, she is separated from Nikita to support their natural reproductive cycles. While there’s no way to confirm if she’s pregnant at this stage, our teams dedicate months to preparation—ensuring Neva is physically ready. Her denning environment is carefully tailored to her needs.

Neva’s Den

Neva’s den is a quiet, dark, cold space with reinforced HVAC, soft substrate, and soundproofing for minimal disruption. When our team observes Neva calmly nesting and resting through cameras, it shows us she’s comfortable and confident in her space.

See the 2024 denning season update →

Where’s Nikita?

When Neva is in her den, Nikita continues training and interacting with enrichment in his habitat. Our teams carefully think through changes in Rocky Shores designed to support Neva’s denning process – during the denning season, guests may see:

Less cleaning and maintenance in their habitat to minimize disturbances

Increased window marks

Adjustments to BooLights and ZooLights decorations

Guests can visit Nikita in Rocky Shores.

What comes next?

Facilitating polar bears’ reproductive cycles reflects our commitment to the wellbeing of the polar bears in our care. Whether or not cubs are in Neva’s future, each season offers opportunities for us to learn, grow, and refine our approach. We gain new insights into polar bear reproduction every year, allowing us to better support these incredible animals and their natural behaviors.

Neva’s progress each year is a testament to the strong bond and trust she has built with her care team. Polar bear cubs under human care are born between early November and late December. If Neva has cubs, she and her little ones will remain in the den until late spring. If she doesn’t, the cycle will begin again with breeding in the spring, guided by the bears’ needs and choices.

At the heart of everything we do is Neva and Nikita’s wellbeing. We continue taking this process one step at a time, remaining cautiously optimistic, and are prepared to help the polar bears thrive in whatever situation they show us is best for them.

Follow us @HogleZoo for more Zoo Stories

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Keeper’s experience with Polar Bears International

Utah's Hogle Zoo — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 20:34:15 +0000

Conservation Stories: Keeper Kimmy's Experience with Polar Bears International

Rocky Shores keeper visits the polar bear capital of the world

Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, known as the “polar bear capital of the world,” sits on the western coast of Hudson Bay at the mouth of the Churchill River. Though its human population is fewer than 1,000 year-round residents, it draws hundreds of polar bears that come to hunt seals on the sea ice as winter sets in.

This unique town is home to Polar Bears International (PBI), the world’s leading polar bear conservation organization. Utah’s Hogle Zoo is a proud partner of PBI and, as an Arctic Ambassador Centre, is committed to taking action at the institutional and community levels to help protect the Arctic tundra’s future.

As part of this commitment, Hogle Zoo participates in Climate Alliance, a collaborative workshop for zoo and aquarium professionals hosted by PBI and the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation.

In 2022, Rocky Shores Senior Keeper Kimmy McIntyre traveled to Churchill to gain insights on polar bear conservation and share knowledge on Arctic protection. Returning in October 2024 as a field ambassador, Kimmy led tours to educate visitors on Arctic sea ice, polar bear adaptations, and the ongoing impact of climate change on the region.

“I was ecstatic for the opportunity to return to this special place. It’s a life-changing experience to see the wild counterparts of the animals I work with at the zoo in their natural habitat, and it’s an incredible opportunity to educate others on protecting the Arctic ecosystem.”

Keeper Kimmy's Time in Churchill

October 14-19, 2024: Guiding Tours on the Tundra Buggy

“After a few days of getting acquainted as a field ambassador, I joined several Tundra Buggy tours. My role was to share updates on PBI’s conservation efforts, focusing on current research initiatives. As a representative of Hogle Zoo, I highlighted projects the zoo supports:

Research Initiatives:

“Bear-dar” Detect to Protect Program

The "Bear-dar" program, developed in Provo, Utah, with funding from Hogle Zoo, is a mobile radar system designed to alert northern communities of approaching polar bears. By notifying towns before a bear arrives, Bear-dar helps residents safely get indoors and prepare deterrents, reducing risks for humans and bears. Through a partnership with Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo, bear-dar technology is now being tested east of Churchill and identifies polar bears by learning their movements. Coexistence between humans and polar bears is essential, especially as polar bears spend more time on land due to climate change.

“Burr on Fur”

Polar Bears International began a partnership with the company 3M to build a new, non-invasive tracking device for polar bears that attaches to their fur. Various zoos, including Hogle Zoo, supported this project through funding and trialing the prototype tracking devices on polar bears living in zoos. The information animal care staff could provide on how the tracker stayed on the polar bears while they played, swam, and displayed other polar bear behaviors helped PBI and 3M improve the tracker design. As of 2024, several of the “burr on fur” trackers are deployed on wild polar bears!

Learn more at Polar Bears International!

“I had the chance to chat with tour guests on the Tundra Buggies, and many were interested in hearing what it’s like to be a zookeeper! We had several opportunities to see polar bears and other wildlife up close – after all, you are out on the tundra for eight hours on a Buggy day!”

October 20-26: Busy, busy, busy!

“These days came and went like a whirlwind! I alternated spending every other day in the Polar Bears International House in town and being out on the Tundra Buggy in the wildlife area. I was extremely fortunate to see at least five polar bears each day and witness various polar bear behaviors!”

Polar bear sighting in town

“On my eighth day, I experienced firsthand one of the ways Churchill works to reduce the risk of human-bear conflict. After waking up to police sirens at 2:00 am, I heard four loud bangs in succession – deterrents. These loud deterrents encourage polar bears to leave town and continue moving toward the wildlife area. Thanks to these measures, no one—polar bear or human—was harmed.

Polar Bear Alert is a Manitoba conservation program that patrols a designated area around Churchill and responds to reports of polar bears in town via a 24-hour hotline. Conservation officers ensure the safety of people, property, and polar bears, minimizing harm to the bears and discouraging them from returning to town. While most polar bears are just passing through, it’s crucial they don’t start seeing Churchill as a food source, which can lead to dangerous outcomes. Polar Bear Alert has been highly effective in Churchill and is a model for other human-animal coexistence programs.”

October 27: Last day in Churchill

“I had mixed emotions—excited to return home to my zoo team and our beautiful polar bears, Nikita and Neva, yet sad to leave this wonderful place. It had been an amazing two weeks of sharing ways to help conserve polar bears and protect the Arctic ecosystem. I am so thankful to Hogle Zoo and Polar Bears International for providing me the opportunity to participate in the field ambassador program. I cannot express that enough! I look forward to being part of the continuing partnership between Hogle Zoo and Polar Bears International and sharing everything I learned with the zoo guests!”

If you'd like to get involved...

Start by talking about climate change. Resources like Conserving polar bears and Polar Bears & the Changing Arctic are great ways to start.

Visit the zoo! When you visit the zoo, you contribute to building personal connections with polar bears, fostering awareness, and inspiring action to protect their species and the Arctic tundra.

See you in Rocky Shores!

Follow us @HogleZoo for more Zoo Stories

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