What you see at the Denver Zoo may be more than meets the eye; how care teams train animals for checkups

From a sea lion's wave to an elephant's squats, talent is always on display at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. And while it often appears to be pure entertainment, there's a deeper, more critical purpose: ensuring the health and well-being of each and every animal. What visitors view as a show is, in fact, a program that allows for an animal's voluntary participation in their own health care.

While it may look like they're showing off, these behaviors, whether fancy footwork or perfect catches, are meticulously trained exercises that allow animal care specialists to monitor and maintain the health of nearly 3,000 animals across 450 species.

Take Maverick, a rescued sea lion and one of the zoo's brightest stars.

"We can ask him to roll over so we can make sure his belly is nice and healthy," one of his animal care specialists Tiffany Chernoff said, "From there, we could do something like an ultrasound if we ever suspected a pregnancy ... since he's a boy, we can use an ultrasound check on the health of his internal organs."

Maverick participates in eye drops, range-of-motion tests, and other "tricks," and they're are all driven by restaurant-quality rewards like the 20 pounds of fish he enjoys daily.

"You think about when you take your dog to the vet and you kind of have to hold them if they need to get an injection or something," Chernoff explained, "Our sea lions know that if they participate in those things and they're nice and calm, they're going to get something really awesome out of it. As much as we can do voluntarily while he's awake, it's so much better for him."

When voluntary training isn't possible, or for more intensive procedures, animals are brought to the zoo's on-site care facility. During the visit of CBS Colorado news crew, a golden lion tamarin named Kimmer underwent preventative procedures including a blood draw and an ultrasound before moving to a new zoo.

Dr. Jimmy Johnson, Senior Director of Wildlife Health and Conservation, explained the hospital's role.

"The hospital is mission-critical to the care we provide. It services every one of our nearly 3,000 animals, across 450 species," Johnson said.

The same principle of voluntary care extends to the zoo's largest residents, like Duncan the elephant. His impressive footwork and rolls, guided by animal care specialist Lauren Cahill, can also help detect injuries early.

"If I started to ask that squat behavior that he refused, but then I asked it again and he did it. If he continued to refuse that I might think, well, maybe his knee is sore and he doesn't want to go down on his knee," Cahill explained.

Cahill shared that anesthetic procedures on elephants are really tricky and often avoided unless absolutely necessary due to the difficulties involved.

"So having him participate voluntarily in his own health care is crucial to keeping him here and keeping him healthy," Cahill added.

Duncan's contributions extend beyond his own well-being. Through voluntary blood draws, he donates plasma, a life-saving resource for other elephants.

"Our technicians maintain a plasma bank. If there's an elephant in need, a staff member with plasma can be on the first plane out to save a life," Cahill said, "He's not only helping us take care of him, he's an elephant hero helping us take care of Asian elephants as a whole."

These daily interactions also build a bond between animals and their human caregivers.

"I'm really proud of him. We've been through a lot together, and watching him progress into the bull that he is," Cahill added.

So, the next time a visitor may press up against the fence for a closer look, remember that the "show" isn't just for your entertainment, but every flick of a flipper or wave of a trunk, may also be helping an animal stay in tip top shape.