Siberian Tiger (Amur Tiger)
Diet
- wild pig, wild cattle, deer, hares, rabbits (Siberian Tigers)
- eat up to 40 lbs at once, then don't eat for several days after (Siberian Tigers)
- adults like to live alone (Siberian Tigers)
- 10 - 30 square miles of territory (could be up to 120 square miles) (Siberian Tigers)
- usually found in the Russian Far East, variety of forests and elevations (Russian's Tough Tigers)
- largest living cat (Siberian Tiger)
- once they are put in captivity, they have to stay in captivity the rest of their lives (if they are let back into the wild they will die soon after) (Tigers In Captivity)
- breed well in captivity (Tigers In Captivity)
African (Black-footed) Penguin
Diet
- fish, anchovies, crustaceans (Black Footed Penguin, African Penguin)
- eat up to 14% of their body weight daily (African Blackfooted Penguin)
- found in South Africa (African Blackfooted Penguin, Black Footed Penguin)
- swim a lot (Black Footed Penguin, African Blackfooted Penguin)
- live in colonies (Black Footed Penguin)
- live in the cold (not freezing conditions however) (African Penguin)
Asian Elephant
Diet
- roots, grasses, fruits, bark (About The Asian Elephant, Asian Elephants, Asian Elephant Pictures, Asian Elephant Facts)
- can eat up to 300 lbs of food in one day (Asian Elephants, Asian Elephant Pictures, Asian Elephant Facts)
- need to drink at least once a day (About The Asian Elephant, Asian Elephants)
- like water (Asian Elephants, Asian Elephant Pictures, Asian Elephant Facts)
- like to roam (Asian Elephants, Asian Elephant Pictures, Asian Elephant Facts)
- found in Asia (tropical forests, lowland rain forests) (About The Asian Elephant)
- largest land animal (Asian Elephants, Asian Elephant Pictures, Asian Elephant Facts)
Polar Bear
Diet
- seals, walrus, beluga whale (Basic Facts About Polar Bears)
- found in the Arctic (Basic Facts About Polar Bears)
- icy habitats (Basic Facts About Polar Bears)
- travel a lot in search of food (Basic Facts About Polar Bears)
- like to swim (Basic Facts About Polar Bears)
Mshindi the Rhino
The Denver Zoo's black rhino, Mshindi, died in mid September in 2015. He was 21 years old. The average lifespan for rhinoceroses in the wild is 30 to 40 years (Black Rhino). Mshindi had been dealing with infections in his feet since April of 2014 and had undergone 20 procedures. Eventually he stopped responding to the treatments and the zoo decided to euthanize him.
Rajah the Lion
Towards the end of August the Denver Zoo's South African lion, Rajah, died at 17 years old. The average lifespan for lions in the wild is 10 to 14 years (Basic Facts About Lions). Rajah had been battling health issues and was euthanized when his condition was worsening.
Elephants in Zoos
In 2013, research was done to determine the top 10 worst zoos for elephants to live in. The Denver Zoo made number 10 on this list (2013 Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants). Another article published by the Denver Post claims that zoos aren't the place for elephants. Elephants in the Denver Zoo are kept in what they call the Toyota Elephant Passage. The article says that this area kept for elephants is "just a big cage that can't possibly meet the social and physical needs of its occupants, and was built despite the fact that other major zoos were phasing out their elephant exhibits because they could not meet the social, emotional and physical needs of these awesome mammoths" (Zoos Not the Places for Elephants). It has also been proven that elephants in captivity live significantly shorter lives than those in the wild (Zoos Not the Places for Elephants). Elephants are susceptible to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) as well. All these factors lead to the conclusion many people and zoos are finding - that elephants can't be well kept in captivity.