Pueblo Zoo mourns the loss of beloved camel, welcomes some new babies

Pueblo Zoo staff are devastated at the loss of a beloved camel, Presley, who died unexpectedly Sept. 25 at the zoo.

Presley joined the zoo family at just 1 year old, arriving from St. Louis in 2014. He quickly became a favorite among both staff and visitors due to his vibrant personality and gentle demeanor, according to a press release from Brett Mills, the zoo's associate director of marketing and communications.

"We kind of had a lot of affectionate names for him — he was a little clumsy and kind of a doofus," said Abbie Krause, zoo executive director. "He had his own mind."

In 2022, Presley suffered a broken jaw. Despite that setback, he made a remarkable recovery, only to face another challenge with a broken toe.

"For a two-toed ungulate, this could have been a devastating blow, but thanks to the dedication of our veterinary team and the specialists at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Presley underwent a successful amputation and rehabilitation," Mills said in the release.

"There was a lot of intense love and energy that went into Presley. He spent a lot of time in Fort Collins at the vet school and they also fell in love with him there," Krause said.

"It was like a five-star hotel for him and he had his own staff," she recalled with a laugh.

After a year of hard work, Presley returned to his exhibit, continuing to bring joy to everyone who met him. He was more than just an animal; he was a cherished member of the zoo family, embodying the spirit of resilience and the joy of connection, Mills wrote in the release.

The zoo experienced another deep loss earlier this year when a 21-year-old male lion, Jaz, died in January. However, Krause noted 21 years was "a really long life for a male lion."

The zookeepers "get really emotionally invested and when these animals get sick and die, it's really hard. It's like losing a pet," Krause explained.

Krause said a new lion, Khari, 3, replaced Jaz and is cautiously getting acquainted with his companion Mashavu, a 16-year-old female lion.

"Big cat introductions are not a given and can be very unpredictable," Krause said. "They are not in love with each other but they are cohabitating together and getting used to each other."

New life at the zoo helps spread smile

When DeBrazza's monkey Ruby had her newborn baby six months ago, the zoo was "really delighted to have that baby and it is thriving," Krause said. "We still don't know what the gender is but it's breaking out on its own although it doesn't get too far away from mom."

A new baby ringtail primate also was recently born at the zoo. Like the DeBrazza's monkey, the zoo staff still doesn't know the young ringtail's gender.

"We also have a new guanaco, Pacha, a wild version of a llama. He is a character and he is a spitter," Krause said. "We have a guanaco, a llama and an alpaca so that people can kind of learn the differences between them."

Two new baby chinchillas also are helping to spread the smiles at the zoo. Five new Rodrigues bats are the zoo's most endangered residents because the species lives on a small island and "there are not many of them," Krause explained.

"We have a total of six Rodrigues bats now and we are hoping to contribute to the population if they breed," she said.

"Some of our animals stay their whole lives and some of them are part of Species Survival Programs, which ensures breeding and genetic diversity between zoos."

Located at 3455 Nuckolls Ave., the Pueblo Zoo is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

More zoo news: Today's camel quiz: One hump or two?

Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps . Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com .

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Zoo mourns the loss of beloved camel, welcomes some new babies