Zoo's hippos are smart enough to like food

Are hippos smart?

April Hyatt thinks so.

For five years, Hyatt has coached the Nile hippopotamuses at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

“They’re very food motivated, which makes them easy to train,” Hyatt said.

Hyatt’s students are Kasai, 9, and her sister Zambezi, 16. These are big girls: Each weighs about 3,500 pounds. Two of their tricks are opening wide to have their teeth brushed and stretching their chin up to the top of the pen.

Good behavior is reinforced with apples, carrots and cabbage.

The sisters perform daily for an audience at the zoo, but zookeepers have a greater goal than entertainment.
Known as target training, these moves enable staff to perform routine checkups that would otherwise be difficult. The animals learn to be comfortable so treatment can be given safely, said Sean Anglum, the zoo’s spokesman. For instance, that stretch allows keepers to check for dry skin under their chins.

Ellen Wieczorek, 15, is a junior zookeeper in the aquatics department. She’s watched the girls get what they want.

They put their ice treats into the pool to melt faster and free the fruit inside, she said. And they can play fetch with a plastic tube.

Hyatt works with the hippos at least twice a day to keep them in shape. Often they’ll try to get extra treats by performing impromptu poses.

“Whether it’s routine or food motivation, they’re definitely smart,” she said.

HIPPO DEMO
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Rd.
Daily at 2:30 p.m. through the end of September.
Other zoo events: grizzly bear show, 1:15 p.m.; otter feed and talk, 1:35 p.m.; raven show, 3:30 p.m. and more.
Details at www.cmzoo.org.