Kevin's Corner

In the midst of catastrophic fires and destruction at the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, Canon City, Colo., which began Tuesday afternoon, by early Saturday morning, the gift of life was literally given as a white buffalo calf was born, and was christened "Smokey." He's a pretty white bull calf, sired by the park's nine year old white buffalo bull, Chief Silver Bullet. Pictured with Smokey is his mother Brownie, All of the herd carry the white recessive gene, and 25% are born white.

The park's wildlife park has a small herd of buffalo, elk, and bighorn sheep, all miracleously survived the fire that swept through the park and across the Royal Gorge. They are all in very good shape, and are continued to be fed and watered until they can be safely moved.

[ Royal Gorge Bridge & Park ]



Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, Photographer: Tracy Bandera

There's a new set of stripes in Denver Zoo's zebra yard today. Thursday nigh, June 13, Denver Zoo welcomed the birth of an endangered, female Grevy's (Greh-veez) zebra. At less than a day old, the unnamed foal, is already comfortably exploring her new home with her mother, Topaz, never too far away. Guests can see mom and daughter with the entire herd in the yard now.

This is the third foal for Topaz and she is still proving to be an excellent mother, carefully shepherding the young foal around their yard. Topaz and the foal's father, Punda, were paired under recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) which ensures healthy populations and genetic diversity among zoo animals. Fortunately, the couple has proved to be an excellent match.

The female cub, named Misha (Mee-sha), was born on May 13. Guests aren't able to see Misha yet as she is still bonding behind-the-scenes with her mother, Natasha. The two will remain in their den until Mom determines it is time for Misha to explore the outdoor world.

This species is native to rocky, mountainous areas above the tree line in central Asia and in the Himalayan regions of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. They are well adapted for their harsh lifestyle with well-developed chest muscles and powerful, short limbs that help them climb and leap in the rocky terrain, while their long tails help them balance on small, mountain ridges. To protect them from the cold, they have long, thick hair that covers a dense woolly under-fur and their bushy tails are also long enough to wrap around their bodies and heads. Even their large paws are fully furred to provide warmth and good traction on snow.

Summer is a great time to adopt a pet—long, lazy days for playing, training and getting to know your new family member! That's why participating Metro Denver Shelter Alliance (MDSA) shelters and rescues are offering a five-day "Spring into Summer" metro-wide adoption special. From June 10 to 14, participating shelters and rescue groups are waiving fees for all cats and dogs 1 year and older—a first-of-its-kind collaborative adoption special.

Formed in 2000, the Metro Denver Shelter Alliance is a coalition of more than 25 public and private shelters, rescue and animal service providers committed to saving pets and fostering responsible pet ownership to increase the number of animals adopted and reunited at shelters throughout the community.

[ MDSA ]

You can visit the Denver Dumb Friends League website ,or stop by and see all the friendly faces looking for their forever home!

"Denver Zoo is proud to take a leadership role in the management of multiple male elephants to support the long-term vitality of Asian elephants in zoo settings. This encourages breeding programs at all zoos while providing an excellent home for elephants," Denver Zoo Vice President for Animal Care Brian Aucone said in a statement.

Born in Dublin in Feb. 17, 2008, Budhi will take the name Billy at Denver Zoo in honor of the memory of William Chenoweth, a long-time zoo supporter.

There are eight skylights built into Denver Union Station's 17th Street Gardens. They have an important job which is to light up the inside of the new underground bus facility.

As part of RTD's commitment to sustainability, these skylights will reduce the amount of electrical output needed to light up the bus facility.

A new survey by O2 reveals that the average person spends two hours a day using their phone and just 97 minutes a day with their partner. Other findings:

• 57% of people no longer use an alarm clock and instead use their phone's alarm to wake them
• 50% of people no longer wear a watch and instead use their phone for the time
• 25% of people have ditched their laptop in favor of their smartphone

Denver Zoo is celebrating the birth of an endangered Przewalski's (sheh-VAL-skee’s) horse foal, born this morning, May 31. The unnamed foal, whose gender is still not known, is not only the first birth for mother, Yisun, and father, Bataar, but also the first birth of its species at Denver Zoo since 1991. The foal is quietly exploring its yard under the watchful eye of its mother, but guests can see them both from the zoo’s main pathway now.

 

The Przewalski’s horse is considered the only remaining, truly “wild” horse in the world and may be the closest living wild relative of the domesticated horse. There are a number of other wild equine species, including three species of zebra, and various subspecies of the African wild ass, onager and kiang.

The CHUN Capitol Hill People's Fair exists as a celebration of the diverse Denver urban community and its residents. As Colorado's Premier Arts and Crafts Festival, the uniqueness and magic of CHUN's Capitol Hill People's Fair is created by the careful blending of great family fun, carefully selected handmade arts & crafts, delicious culinary delights, fabulous entertainment and the commitment to raise funds for and promote the missions of non-profit organizations.
 

June 1 and 2, 2013 

Civic Center Park

Denver, Colorado 

Saturday - 10am to 9pm 

Sunday - 10am to 8pm 

FREE Admission!

 

Similar to an annual physical or wellness exam, the sixth annual report evaluates the preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease conditions, health care access and community resources and policies that encourage healthy and fit lifestyles. Included in the report’s latest edition are benchmarks for each data indicator to highlight areas that need improvement.

 

The metropolitan statistical area (MSA) of Denver-Aurora-Broomfield scored 68.1 (out of 100 possible points) in the 2013 report, up four spots from last year. In 2012, the metro area ranked ninth with a score of 65.6. Minneapolis-St. Paul achieved a high score of 76.4 to capture the top ranking for the third consecutive year.

 

Denver ranked fourth on personal health indicators related to health behaviors, chronic health conditions and health care access. The area ranked 14th on community/environmental indicators associated to the built environment, recreational facilities, park-related expenditures, physical education requirements and primary health care providers.

About the Colorado Freedom Memorial:

• The Colorado Freedom Memorial is made of glass and stands 12 feet tall and 95 feet long. It's base is tiled in granite.
• The panels of glass that make up the memorial lean forward and back, representative of men falling in action. A trough of water runs in front of the memorial, representative of the oceans that separate Colorado from the fields of battle.
• Nearly 6000 names appear on the wall. They are grouped by war, but names will not be alphabetically listed. This will allow for additions as they are discovered.

Denver Day of Rock
 

Denver Day of Rock is a one-of-a-kind music event presented by Concerts For Kids to raise awareness of the children in our community. This free event will feature five stages of live music throughout downtown Denver on Saturday, May 25, 2013. 

The Dumb Friends League will resume dog adoptions Tuesday after a four-week freeze. The shelter suspended intake and adoptions in April after five dogs died in a pneumonia outbreak.

 

"We wouldn't be resuming adoption operations if we thought there was an increased risk to the community," Bob Rohde, president and CEO of the Dumb Friends League, said in a news release.

• Top Artist
• Top Billboard 200 Album: "Red"
• Top Country Song: "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"

About Powerball Simulator.

 

Accurately emulates the American Powerball lottery game. Simulates up to 6,000 games per minute. Runs inside your browser.

Ahanu was born at California’s Oakland Zoo in February 2011 and arrived at Denver Zoo in March 2013. His arrival has brought a youthful energy to the exhibit and he has been a playful pal for 15-year-old Otto. Otto’s long-time yard mate, Ariel, died of age-related symptoms in October 2012 at almost 19-years-old. North American river otters live an average of 20 years of age in zoos.

Denver Zoo

Otters play more than most wild animals. They have been observed wrestling, chasing other otters, diving for rocks and clamshells, swimming with pebbles or other small objects balanced on their noses, toying with live prey and sliding down mud banks or snow banks. “Play” activities actually serve a purpose – they are used to strengthen social bonds, practice hunting techniques and scent mark territories.

According to the people at Walk Score, Denver ranks No. 3 on the 10 most bikeable large U.S. and Canadian cities list. Denver fell behind Portland, Ore., which topped the list at No. 1, and San Francisco, Calif., which was named the second most “bikeable city.”

 

The list is based on factors such as bike lanes, hills, intersection density, average block length, the number of bikers on the road and other bicycle infrastructure.

DIA was ranked ninth on the list of the “World’s Best Airports” over 50 million passengers per year, the largest category of passenger traffic. DIA is the only airport in the United States to make the top-10 global list. Skytrax also named DIA third among the “Best Airports in North America.”

 

“Denver International Airport strives to provide a world-class passenger experience in all aspects, from offering  local and national flavors at our concessions to providing great customer service and flights to more than 180 destinations around the world,” said Manager of Aviation Kim Day. “We’re proud to have been recognized by our passengers as one of the greatest airports in the world.”