Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s conservation partners are still hard at work on the front lines, despite the pandemic that has slowed much of the world. The Zoo and our supporters continue to send funding to important efforts around the world, including Operation Twiga, a giraffe conservation project in Uganda, and Tsavo Trust, an elephant and rhino conservation organization in Kenya.
Operation Twiga began in 2016 to establish new populations of giraffe in safe habitats by translocating healthy, breeding giraffe from existing populations to form new herds in safer habitats.
“It takes a village to save giraffe,” said Stephanie Fennessy, Giraffe Conservation Foundation director. “Operation Twiga V is another conservation success realized by the Uganda Wildlife Authority in partnership with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and financially supported by CMZoo, the Kratt family and many other donors.”
Thanks to CMZoo’s Quarters for Conservation program, whereby 75¢ from every admission to the Zoo is contributed to conservation, our guests are once again making an impact for wildlife and wild places. Although COVID-19 prevented CMZoo staff from attending the Operation Twiga V translocation, as they have in previous years, teams on the ground in Uganda continued this important work, with Operation Twiga V – the sixth giraffe conservation translocation.
Operation Twiga V (2020) was a continuation of Operation Twiga IV (2019). Both translocations contributed to populations in Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, an historic habitat in Uganda where giraffe hadn’t existed for more than 20 years.
“We’re so grateful for our guests’ continued support of the Zoo, which allows us to continue supporting these important conservation efforts,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, vice president of mission and programs at CMZoo. “Last year, CMZoo assisted on-site with Operation Twiga IV, in Uganda, but because of COVID-19, we couldn’t attend this time. That’s another reason why it’s so valuable to continue partnering with front line organizations. They can keep the work going, and we can keep supporting them while we can’t be there with them.”
For more information about Operation Twiga V, please read this article from Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Quarters for Conservation program also allowed us to send more support to Tsavo Trust – a field-based non-profit organization in Africa that uses aerial surveillance and on-the-ground field efforts to protect wildlife in Tsavo National Park, the largest national park in Kenya.
The organization was founded to help protect the last of the “big tuskers,” which are likely the last viable genetic pool of African elephants with tusks weighing more than 100 pounds each. The park is also home to a number of black rhino sanctuaries established by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KSW) and supported by the Zoological Society of London. The black rhino is critically endangered, due primarily to illegal poaching for their horns.
In partnership with the Kratt Family Foundation, CMZoo and its guests funded two clean water stations, known as boreholes, in communities near Tsavo National Park. The effort is a project under Tsavo Trust’s Community Conservancy Program. The program aims to improve local wildlife relations with local community members, by creating secure buffers bordering protected areas of Tsavo National Park. Tsave Trust also reaches out to nearby communities who have, “faced serious hardships, such as lack of water, food insecurity, and constant human-wildlife conflicts, resulting in a negative perception towards wildlife,” according to Tsavo Trust’s most recent conservation update to CMZoo.
The availability of clean drinking water improves the quality of life for members of these important nearby communities, and helps foster goodwill between Tsavo Trust and their neighbors, who can help save wildlife. Tsavo Trust representatives say the community members have been made aware that “the water has come from the elephants.”
Since 2008, CMZoo’s Quarters for Conservation program has helped guests send more than $3 million to conservation efforts around the world, and right here in Colorado. Every visit to CMZoo is conservation is action.
Every visit to the Zoo is conservation in action. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and its guests and members are celebrating a huge milestone, having raised $3 million since the Zoo’s Quarters for Conservation program launched in 2008.
Quarters for Conservation, or Q4C, is the Zoo’s largest fundraiser for field conservation. It actively engages visitors and staff in supporting long-term projects championed by the Zoo. Known as legacy projects, these currently include biodiversity conservation on behalf of giraffe, Panama frogs, orangutans, black-footed ferrets, African elephants and rhinos, Wyoming toads and African vultures. Every visitor to the Zoo receives three “quarter” tokens representing the 75¢ Q4C allocation from their admission fee. They can then select the legacy projects they would like to support by placing their tokens in the corresponding slots in the Q4C kiosks. The kiosks record the number of tokens, so it’s easy to see how popular each project is.
“Our guests have helped us save animals from extinction simply by visiting the Zoo,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, vice president of mission and programs. “Three million dollars in conservation support is huge – and we want to thank our guests and members. Through this program, they are directly empowered to make a difference, and they did. It’s an example that no matter how small, when we all work together, we can change the world for the better.”
One of the projects that CMZoo recently supported and participated in on the front lines, is Operation Twiga. In November 2019, with financial support from Q4C, CMZoo staff traveled to Uganda for Operation Twiga IV. They helped transport 15 critically endangered Nubian giraffe to a safer home within Uganda, where their species has another chance at survival. As part of this project, CMZoo vet staff helped to collect important medical data for an ongoing study to help giraffe in their natural habitat and those in human care.
“We haven’t been involved in giraffe conservation that long, so this Q4c funding since 2008 has allowed us to really step up and take a leading role among Zoos in the past few years,” said Dr. Dadone. “It’s raised visibility in our Zoo community that giraffe populations aren’t safe. People see a large herd of giraffe here at the Zoo, and I think it’s easy to assume that they’re still doing okay across their native lands in Africa, but that’s no longer a reality. Giraffe are locally extinct in seven countries in Africa. Our Zoo, including our supportive community, is committed to ensuring that incredible animals like giraffe are around for the next generation.”
Q4C beneficiary species truly run the gamut, from 18-foot-tall giraffe in Africa, to tiny toads from Wyoming.
“Another program I’m especially proud of is our Wyoming toad breed and release program,” said Dr. Dadone. “This species was once thought to be extinct in the wild. The only reason they exist in the wild today is because of our work and our team’s collaborations with other institutions. Some might think Wyoming toads aren’t as cute as a baby giraffe, but the toadlets are really adorable and are critical to our ecosystem and to ensuring we have a viable wildlife population in our own backyard. The research that we’ve done on headstarting [raising the toads to adulthood in the Zoo and then releasing them] and their nutrition has really improved the overall health of the last few generations of the Wyoming toad, which gives them an advantage when they are released into the wild. We’re continuing to evaluate our best practices and have an even better chance at saving this species long-term.”
Wyoming toads are symbolic of so many amphibian species in decline all over the world, including Panamanian frogs, which also receive support thanks to Q4C funds and frontline CMZoo staff support. In February 2019, three CMZoo staff members went to Panama to assist the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project by remodifying two feeder insect pods into frog pods. For this 10-day trip, the goal was to set up two shipping containers to house and breed approximately 450 additional frogs brought in from El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center, and later released. This involved disinfecting the shipping containers, painting, installing plumbing and water filtration, assembling racks, and drilling and prepping tanks.
Q4C supports an in-house breed and release program for black-footed ferrets, as well. Since 1991, when CMZoo began breeding black-footed ferrets, 567 kits have been born. Roughly half of those kits are released into the wild while the others continue breeding at CMZoo and other facilities who support this recovery effort and the Species Survival Plan. This ongoing recovery effort supports the population of black-footed ferrets, who were once thought to be extinct, and which are vital to the prairie ecosystem in Wyoming.
CMZoo’s work to save habitats for orangutans through advocacy for sustainable palm oil production is largely supported by Q4C. Thanks to that financial support, CMZoo’s sustainable palm oil team consults staff at other conservation organizations on starting their own palm oil programs and recently attended the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s (RSPO) annual conference in Thailand to represent CMZoo in the RSPO’s proceedings. Those proceedings directly impact the ways companies that use palm oil can help preserving wild lands for orangutans and other species.
Through Q4C, CMZoo also supports a conservation partner called Tsavo Trust – an organization in Kenya that works to protect the last of the big tuskers, which are African elephants with tusks weighing more than 100 pounds. CMZoo’s funds helped Tsavo Trust build permanent housing that allowed staff to live on the land where these critically endangered giants live. It also paid for pilot hours – frontline aerial surveillance that protects rhinos and elephants from poachers seeking their ivory.
The seventh Q4C legacy partner is VulPro – protectors of African vultures. The dedicated staff at VulPro, in South Africa, save vultures who have been injured as wild birds, and rehabilitates them to release. Those that are too injured to survive in the wild find a permanent home at VulPro.
Before launching Q4C in 2008, CMZoo was supporting conservation, but at a fraction of what is possible now. In the past few years, CMZoo has collected about half a million dollars per year through Q4C. Even with our three-month COVID-19 closure this year, the Zoo was able to hit this substantial $3 million milestone as expected.
“Small change pooled together makes a big difference,” said Dr. Dadone. “Thanks to our guests and members, we have been able to support this amazing frontline work. When we work together, we can make a positive difference for our world.”
In addition to contributions from admissions to every Zoo visit and special event ticket, $2.50 from each individual plus membership, and $5 from each family or higher-level membership, is allocated to Q4C. EdVenture and Animal department programs also contribute to the cause.
For more information about these projects and Quarters for Conservation, visit cmzoo.org/conservation.
- Meet & Greets – unique animal interactions year-round, with any one of our smaller animals listed below.
- Animal Encounters – connect with amazing animals and their Keepers, plus options to feed many of the animals listed.
- V.I.P. Tours – behind-the-scenes exclusive animal experiences that make memories for a lifetime!
Once in a lifetime Opportunities
Select your unique experience from the following options:
Encounters
Opportunities to connect with amazing animals and their Keepers and a chance to feed any one of the animals below.
Note: All Encounters do not have any age restrictions unless otherwise noted, however children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.
Cost:
Tour prices are dependent upon the season.
Member discount: $50 off total tour cost. Group must have at least one active Zoo member on the tour to receive discount.
Summer ( May – August ) : $2,250 for up to (5) five people
Fall ( September – November ) : $2,000 for up to (5) five people
Winter ( December – February ) : $1,750 for up to (5) five people
Spring ( March – April ) : $2,000 for up to (5) five people
Foster any animal and you’ll help Cheyenne Mountain Zoo continue to provide outstanding care. Whether given as a gift or used to celebrate a favorite species, symbolic adoptions come with a variety of benefits only adoptive parents can enjoy.
Ways to adopt your favorites:
- Digital Adoption – ($35) choose any Zoo animal from the full list provided below.
- Group Adoption – ($35+) pick a herd, chatter or family for your classroom or group, offered for certain featured animals below.
- Traditional Adoption – ($50+) choose any Zoo animal from the full list provided below.
- Wild Adopt Gift Packages – ($65) includes a cuddly plush, offered for many featured animals below.
- Gift any Adoption – ($35+) gifting any adoption is offered during check-out.
Every day of the year, conservation is at the center of the inspiration and work at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. As 2018 comes to a close, we’re reflecting on some of CMZoo’s conservation contributions this year. We hope you’ll be inspired to take action, big or small, to join us in the important work of conserving endangered species for generations to come.
One way to support wildlife conservation (while learning a lot and having a great time) is by visiting the Zoo! Through CMZoo’s Quarters for Conservation program, guests contribute to conservation around the world, simply by visiting the Zoo. For each paid admission to the Zoo, 75¢ is directly allocated for conservation programs including safeguarding African vultures, rescuing frogs in Panama, protecting wild orangutans, restoring the population of black-footed ferrets, saving wild giraffe, increasing the population of endangered Wyoming toads and helping to protect African elephants and rhinoceroses. Each year, Quarters for Conservation allows Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to contribute $500,000 to these conservation efforts and more.
Learn more about Quarters for Conservation here and continue reading to learn about some of 2018’s conservation highlights.
Operation Twiga
Giraffe conservation was given a generous boost from many helping hands when Operation Twiga continued in 2018 with Operation Twiga III in Uganda. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo staff and other concerned conservationists took part in translocating endangered Nubian giraffe to a safer location, where they could establish new herds and maintain the important genetics of their subspecies. Additionally, the operation generated more critical health data which will feed research that helps conservationists understand disease management and threats facing all giraffe in the wild.
During Operation Twiga III, the team was able to capture and move a total of 14 giraffe from Murchison Falls National Park, where oil drilling is set to begin, to their new home in Kidepo Valley National Park.
Tsavo Trust
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Quarters for Conservation has allowed us to send more support to Tsavo Trust – a field-based non-profit organization in Africa that uses aerial surveillance and on-the-ground field efforts to protect wildlife in Tsavo National Park, the largest national park in Kenya. The organization was founded to help protect the last of the “big tuskers,” which are likely the last viable genetic pool of African elephants with tusks weighing more than 100 pounds each. The park is also home to a number of black rhino sanctuaries established by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KSW) and supported by the Zoological Society of London. The black rhino is critically endangered, due primarily to illegal poaching for their horns.
In partnership with the Kratt Foundation in August, CMZoo sent $53,333 to support ongoing anti-poaching aerial surveillance efforts, bringing the total contribution to $145,000. These funds also helped complete the construction of Tsavo Trust on-site staff housing. This donation means Tsavo Trust can continue to monitor and protect roughly 16,000 miles of land that is vital to the survival of these endangered species.
Black footed-ferrets
In mid-September, four kits and four adult black-footed ferrets (BFF) were moved to a preconditioning center outside of Fort Collins, Colo., where biologists observe the ferrets to ensure they can hunt, avoid predators and shelter themselves to survive without human intervention and continue to increase the endangered species’ population when they’re introduced into the wild.
Since the 1981 discovery of a small population of BFFs in Meeteetse, Wyoming, conservationists launched a black-footed ferret recovery plan which continues to increase the population. Numbers fluctuate, but recent reports estimate 350 BFFs are thriving in the wild, thanks to this program.
Protecting wild orangutans
Palm oil is widely used in many products, ranging from food to cosmetics, but is grown in just a few countries throughout the world. This includes much of Indonesia and Malaysia, which are home to orangutans and other unique species. As the demand for palm oil has increased globally, Indonesia’s and Malaysia’s natural rainforest has decreased in size as a result of unsustainable slash-and-burn clearing to make way for more palm oil crops. This loss of habitat threatens the survival of many native species.
CMZoo is committed to educating the public about the use of sustainable palm oil, providing guidance about which companies are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, which means they are committed to using sustainably produced palm oil in their products. In September, CMZoo’s palm oil team traveled to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums annual conference to share knowledge and resources. CMZoo’s palm oil app has been named as a reliable guide for information on sustainable palm oil in many publications and forums, including most recently by National Geographic.
African vultures
Vulture conservation has been a focus at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for nearly a decade, and while strides have been made toward protecting them, this critically important species still hovers on the brink of extinction. They need our help more than ever.
This year, the Association of Zoos & Aquariums voted to include African vultures as one of their SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) projects, thereby creating an opportunity for more united conservation efforts. Currently, 12 zoos across the country are committed to partnering with African conservation organizations in order to address the African vulture population crisis. As part of this group, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo supports Vulpro in their efforts to re-introduce African vultures to their wild habitat through one of our Quarters for Conservation legacy projects.
In addition, these birds have been part of our annual membership vote the past three years. We are proud to say that Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has donated nearly $67,000 to vulture conservation to date.
Wyoming toads
CMZoo made favorable strides in the management of endangered Wyoming toads in spring and early summer as CMZ experienced a robust egg-laying season, followed by the release of hundreds of year-old toads into the wild. Wyoming toads are currently listed as “extinct in the wild” by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
On May 30, our CMZoo staff released more than 200 head start toads into the wetlands of the Laramie Basin of Wyoming. At the same time, 856 head-start toads were released by Saratoga National Fish Hatchery and around 50 were released by the Leadville National Fish Hatchery.
Head-start toads develop from tadpoles hatched the previous year. This year’s breeding season at CMZ began June 4 when, after hibernating for 35 days, 11 pairs of adult Wyoming toads were put together in the breeding center. Nine of the pairs produced fertile egg strands, which included 14,822 eggs!
The work continues, as we grow our conservation programs and educate the public about how they can help support efforts to protect wild species.