Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Author at CMZoo

Three pink-backed pelicans joined the African penguins at Water’s Edge: Africa today! Pandora, Plato and Penelope have moved into the penguin building, where they will stay for a few days to settle in before beginning to explore the outdoor penguin areas, too.

Pink-backed pelicans have a wingspan of 7 to 9 feet, but they’re one of the smaller species of pelicans. They’re native to lakes, rivers and ponds throughout southern Africa. They are named for the pale pinkish hue on their backs that can be seen when they stretch out their wings.

The three pelicans lived with African penguins at their previous AZA-accredited zoo in Maryland, so they’re used to sharing space with them. Keepers say the penguins have been giving the pelicans space this afternoon and have responded well to their presence.

Pandora, a 4-year-old female, will live at CMZoo temporarily while her new exhibit and breeding partner prepare for her arrival at another AZA-accredited zoo. 4-year-old male, Plato, and 4-year-old female, Penelope, will live here for the foreseeable future as companions to each other and our penguin flock.

Their keepers say the three large birds are really curious and have been exploring the exhibit. Just like our flock of 17 African penguins, once the pelicans feel comfortable, they will have the opportunity to share sidewalks with guests on Boulder Beach, at Water’s Edge.

Next time you’re at the Zoo, swing by and say hello to our new pelican ambassadors.

Bailey, an 8-year-old reticulated giraffe at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, welcomed her very first calf to the herd at 11:37 a.m. today. Bailey and the female giraffe calf are doing well. Following Cheyenne Mountain Zoo tradition, the calf will be named after she is 30 days old.

“You couldn’t ask anything more of a first-time mom,” said Jason Bredahl, giraffe animal care manager at CMZoo. “Bailey is nonstop grooming her baby, paying attention and making sure the baby is in a good position to nurse. Mom is doing a great job.”

The little calf is doing well, too. She’s already winning the hearts of CMZoo staff and online fans.

“This is probably the smallest giraffe calf I’ve ever seen,” said Bredahl. “Bailey is small for a giraffe, too, so that’s not surprising. She’s super adorable. She’s strong and is nursing well, so we’re really excited to share her with everyone as soon as we can.”

At first, the calf had a hard time standing because she had positioned herself in a corner of the stall and she kept bumping into the walls before she could get her footing. After waiting to see if she could get up on her own, keepers and vet staff asked Bailey to move into another area so they could give the calf a hand. The team picked her up and moved her into the middle of the stall around 1:27 p.m. She took her first steps on her own after a quick medical assessment, then a nudge from mom, at 1:38 p.m. As long as keepers observe that baby and mom are doing well, they will continue to let Bailey take the lead on providing her care.

The weight and height of the calf are not known yet, although keepers and vet staff say she is one of the smallest giraffe calves they’ve ever seen. Newborn giraffe calves are typically five to six feet tall and weigh 150 to 200 pounds. Exact measurements haven’t been taken, but this calf appears to weigh about 100 pounds and is around five-and-a-half feet tall.

The calf is the seventeenth member of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s reticulated giraffe herd. The calf is the first offspring for mom, Bailey, and the sixth to be sired by dad, Khalid (pronounced cull-EED). Bailey moved to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on a breeding recommendation in Sept. 2016. CMZoo’s breeding program began in 1954 and has welcomed more than 200 calves since its inception.

Thousands of worldwide viewers witnessed the calf’s birth on Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s live camera feed, which will continue to stream live from the sand stall, where Bailey and the calf will continue to bond for the coming weeks. The live stream of the birth stall, and both outdoor giraffe yard camera feeds, are available at cmzoo.org/giraffecam. The Zoo will continue to provide updates on their social media channels.

The barn will remain closed to guests for at least another day, to give the new calf time to bond with mom. Other members of the CMZoo herd will be available for viewing and feeding in the outside yard from elevated platforms, where guests can get eye-to-eye with and feed lettuce to the herd, weather permitting.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is not only a leader in the training and health of giraffe in human care, but they are also making a huge difference in conservation of giraffe in the wild. Reticulated giraffe, the subspecies to which CMZoo’s herd belongs, are endangered. There are just over 11,000 mature reticulated giraffe individuals in the wild, and that population is decreasing. According to International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the reticulated giraffe population has declined by 56% in the last thirty years.

In October and November 2019, CMZoo helped establish a new population of a critically endangered giraffe in Uganda. The Operation Twiga IV team successfully reintroduced 15 Nubian giraffe to Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, where they haven’t existed in nearly 25 years. CMZoo VP of Mission and Programs, Dr. Liza Dadone, assisted with research and anesthesia, and provided care for the giraffe during the translocation. Our contribution to this effort is possible thanks to ongoing support from CMZoo members, guests and donors. Operation Twiga IV is led by Uganda Wildlife Authority with support from Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and other partners from around the world. See a video about the Zoo’s latest field conservation effort, Operation Twiga IV, here.

Through Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Quarters for Conservation program, by which 75 cents of every Zoo admission is allocated to conservation, guests have helped CMZoo send more than $3 million to support important conservation efforts since 2008.

International African Penguin Awareness Day is October 10, and the African penguin keepers at Water’s Edge: Africa have a special social media celebration in the works. On our Facebook and YouTube channels, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo will share a video about our flock of 16 African penguins, who serve as animal ambassadors for their wild counterparts.

“Our flock does an incredible job helping our guests form lasting connections with them and their species,” said Mandy Hester, keeper in Water’s Edge. “The exhibit really sets them up by removing as many physical barriers as possible.”

The flock is getting even more confident sharing space with our guests. Penguin beach, at Water’s Edge, is designed so penguins can walk right up to guests. Hester says the best way for guests to get that experience is to be in the right place at the right time, and to remember that penguins investigate things with their beaks – since they don’t have hands to feel things with.

“We’re encouraging guests to let the penguins approach them instead of approaching the penguins, and to avoid kneeling down – as tempting as that is to get face-to-face,” said Hester. “The penguins like shiny things and anything they can feel with their beaks, so keepers on the beach will sometimes give toys to guests that they can offer to the penguins. It’s been really fun watching these little guys make our guests fall in love with them.”

When guests enter penguin beach while the penguins are outside, a keeper is present to help guests learn how to best interact with them. Making sure penguins have space and have the opportunity to approach guests, we’ve seen that they most often will.

“When they waddle down on the path together, they’re so funny and curious,” said Hester. “If there’s a moth or something flying around, they’ll get really interested in that and follow it around for a while and then they lose interest and move on to something else.”

Keepers provide all kinds of enrichment to keep them stimulated, like wind chimes that shimmer. One guest that bought a bubble maker in our gift shop was playing with it on the path and the penguins loved it, so keepers bought some bubbles for them. That’s another favorite form of enrichment for the flock.

The penguins also like to investigate what treasures guests might have. They like to dig around in the underneath cargo areas of strollers if guests are comfortable with that and there’s nothing dangerous for them.

“Things that babies like, penguins like,” said Hester. “A stroller or diaper bag is a treasure trove. The guests who have interacted with them on penguin beach have formed those meaningful relationships with our penguins that we work so hard to foster. We’ve also seen them standing in line to the limited-capacity indoor penguin building with guests, which is just adorable.”

As well as bonding with guests and their keepers, they’re bonding with each other.

“We have a couple of breeding recommendations in our flock,” said Hester. “One is a pair that most recently joined the flock, but have successfully had chicks before. Ichaboe [ick’-a-boh], a 15-year-old male is one of my favorites. He’s huge. He was the largest chick on record when he was born at his previous facility. When penguins first arrive at CMZoo, they have to earn the respect of the flock. The flock members would try to push him into the pool, but he is so big and solid, he’d just stand there and they couldn’t move him. His mate is Spheniscus [sphah-nesk-us], a 14-year-old female. They’re both really confident. They are already bonded, so we have high hopes for them bringing another chick to the world.”

African penguins are endangered, so zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums work to maintain the species’ viability through a Species Survival Plan, which matches penguins to breed based on genetics. That doesn’t always mean the individuals – whether they’re recommended to breed or not – are always interested in their selected mates.

“Captain is recommended with Percy, Pearl or Roxy, but he’s bonded with Darby,” said Hester. “Biggs and Roxy were bonded and lived together before moving here, but they are not recommended for breeding. While Roxy was back in Toledo, finishing her yearly molt, Biggs came to CMZoo and bonded with Percy, but they are not recommended either. When Roxy arrived, Biggs and she bonded again, but Biggs was already bonding with Percy, so we saw Biggs spending time in both Percy and Roxy’s nest boxes. Then Biggs picked Percy, and Roxy bonded with Rico. Rico used to be bonded with Napoleon, but they lost interest in each other and now Napoleon likes Pearl, but Pearl doesn’t seem to feel the same way. Rufaro, who came with his parents, Safara and Alex, and his brother, Rudo, has bonded with Pamona, who came by herself. We track all of this, but don’t expect everyone to keep up. It’s like a reality TV show.”

There are no scheduled times that the penguins explore the areas they can share with guests, so it’s a special experience that occurs several times a day. Next time you’re at CMZoo, swing by and say hello to our penguin flock at Water’s Edge: Africa.

Back to The Waterhole

Most people who have been to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo have seen our African lions majestically gazing out over Colorado Springs from atop Pride Rock, or hanging out on the perches and heated floors in their Relaxation Room. Abuto, CMZoo’s 9-year-old African lion pride patriarch, is an amazing ambassador for his species, having formed countless connections with our guests and members.

Abuto came to CMZoo in 2013, around the same time African Rift Valley lead keeper, Amy Schilz, came to the Zoo.

“We’ve been working together since he was a year old,” said Schilz. “Right away we started working on behaviors and training that still help us take great care of him as he deals with ongoing health issues.”

About four years ago, he started showing signs of illness. He is usually really energetic and can be seen roaring, running around and enthusiastically participating in training and enrichment. At around five years old, he started having ‘off days,’ when he seemed lethargic, which led his team to investigate what was going on.

At the time, Abuto participated in a voluntary blood draw that revealed he was in the beginning stages of kidney disease. While investigating further, Abuto’s team also discovered he has high blood pressure.

We’ve been monitoring Abuto’s issues closely and managing them with medications and diet. Abuto’s father had a rare form of kidney disease that can be hereditary. Chronic kidney disease is unfortunately prevalent in big cats. The disease is progressive and can’t be cured, so his team manages Abuto’s symptoms with diet, medications and fluids to keep him comfortable.

His symptoms subsided for a while, but over the last few months, Abuto has started to show the same signs as before that he is having an ‘off day’ here and there, and maybe isn’t feeling well. CMZoo’s veterinary team and Abuto’s care team in African Rift Valley has been performing frequent voluntary blood draws and blood pressure tests with Abuto to see what’s preventing him from feeling his best.

“We are seeing some of his kidney values climbing higher, which is unfortunate,” said Schilz. “We’re doing the best we can for Abuto, but kidney disease is something that affects big cats and domestic cats often. We’re monitoring him closely, because the levels are higher than they have been in the past, and we want to do everything we can to prevent them from increasing further.”

Abuto’s blood tests have shown the progression of his disease over the years, most recently indicating a significant jump in levels. His team is working to adjust his treatments with hopes they can manage his symptoms in this next stage of the disease.

Abuto is the total package, from his gorgeous mane, to his impressive roars and his incredible intelligence. He, like most CMZoo animals, participates in voluntary training that allows his keepers to provide top-notch care for the 500-pound feline.

“He’s so smart,” said Schilz. “You can tell he likes participating in training. He gets really excited and runs over to train. He knows how to show us his mouth and teeth, so we can check on his dental health. He’ll also flop down on his side and show us his paws when we ask, so we can make sure he doesn’t have any cracks in his pads and his nails are a healthy length. He also voluntarily participates in blood draw training and blood pressure checks, so we can keep tabs on those long-term health issues he’s facing.”

How do you draw blood from a 500-pound lion? By asking him.

Abuto is trained to present his tail through a specially designed blood draw panel at the base of a training area by the Relaxation Room. During this training, his keepers open an access door for Abuto and leave it open, so he can choose to leave if he wants to. From the other side of the panel, Schilz, his primary trainer, asks him to enter the space and then cues him to adjust his body so his tail fits through the port. Abuto runs into the space and positions himself quickly, knowing he’s going to be engaging with Schilz and getting lots of rewards: tasty meatballs. Schilz sits on the other side of a protective barrier to Abuto’s left, while African Rift Valley keeper, Kayla Ringuette, and CMZoo veterinary technician, Brenda Cordova, sit behind fencing near his tail at the blood draw panel. They provide verbal cues, like, “touch” and “poke,” to let Abuto know they’re going to touch his tail and then draw blood. Abuto does the same behaviors for blood pressure tests, when he also presents his tail for the team to attach a quick-release blood pressure cuff.

“Abuto is just the absolute best,” said Schilz. “When we first see him in the mornings, he’ll make ‘baby calls’ like coos and little moans to us. He’s so chatty. It’s like he’s telling us all about his night. We’ve been working together for so long that he recognizes my voice. If he hears me laugh, even from the bottom of the hill, he’ll run over to see me. He’s so special to me, the team, our whole staff and so many of our guests. We’re making sure he’s getting the best possible care, and we are hopeful we can address these issues as they progress, just as we have helped him in the past.”

Keepers are tracking quality-of-life markers for Abuto, as they do for any animal with ongoing health conditions. Abuto’s keepers are tracking whether he shows any symptoms or behavioral changes, including lethargy, presenting a droopy jaw, has squinty eyes, or holds his head low – which could indicate he’s not feeling well. They’re also tracking whether he chooses to participate in training or perks up for keepers as he normally would. Along with blood tests, the long-term data will help his team adjust his treatments and make any future decisions necessary.

“Abuto is really special to us and has a huge piece of our hearts, so when he gets sick, we want to do everything we can to make him feel better,” said Schilz. “He’s in great hands with our vet team and our keeper team, and we know all of his fans will continue sending him well wishes for a quick turnaround.”

We will keep you posted on Abuto’s ongoing issues. Guests can visit him in African Rift Valley.

Back to The Waterhole

Last year, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo joined the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund (RMWAF) and other partners to collect signatures for a petition that successfully landed a proposition on this year’s general election ballot. Proposition #114 asks Colorado voters to decide if gray wolves, once native to the state, should be carefully reintroduced to the Western Slope. The plan, if approved, would be led by Colorado Parks and Wildlife with the support of other wolf and ecology experts.

“There are a lot of issues competing for voters’ attention this November,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, vice president of mission and programs at CMZoo, who led the Zoo’s efforts to support RMWAF’s campaign to bring this issue to voters in 2020. “We have seen significant support from the public throughout this project, but voters should know this isn’t a done deal. We still need people to look out for Prop #114 on the ballot and give the experts involved a chance to restore this amazing species that is vital to our local ecosystem.”

Other than noting that Prop #114 is an issue worth voting on, there are important dates to keep in mind for this year’s election. Ballots will be mailed to Colorado voters October 9 and must be returned by November 3, 2020 – when polls open for in-person voting.

While Prop #114 is a complex and controversial question, for CMZoo it’s a simple question: do we want to live in a state with wolves in the ecosystem or not? For us, the answer is yes, no matter how hard we need to work to collaborate with all involved parties to address the valid concerns on every side of the question.

“This vote is the best chance we have had at restoring wolves to the wilds of Colorado in a very long time,” said Dr. Dadone. “For the Zoo and the 15,298 registered voters whose signatures we collected last fall, we feel obligated to see this through. The initiative outlines the reintroduction of gray wolves to include ongoing collaboration from all stakeholders, and a solid plan from Colorado Parks and Wildlife incorporating research-based findings.”

CMZoo is home to a pack of seven Mexican wolves and has a long history of working to restore and relocate species in the wild, including black-footed ferrets, Wyoming toads, Mexican wolves, giraffe in Uganda, amphibians in Panama, and more. As an organization that contributes to the survival of species around the world, we see this is an exciting opportunity for Colorado residents to help restore a species that once roamed free, right here at home.

CMZoo’s role in this issue is as trusted wolf experts and animal advocates. One way we want to help is by addressing common misconceptions about wolves, based on our extensive experiences with them.

While many are excited about the chance to see wolves in the wild, popular culture has positioned wolves as dangerous and aggressive villains that could lead others to feel unsafe around them. Unlike mountain lions and other predators found in wild and populated areas throughout Colorado, a wolf’s natural reaction to human presence is to retreat.

“When Rocky Mountain Wild keepers go into the expansive enclosure with CMZoo’s pack of Mexican wolves to clean and replenish food, water and enrichment items, the wolves typically get as far away from them as possible,” said Rebecca Zwicker, Rocky Mountain Wild animal care manager. “We see it all the time. Their natural instinct is to be wary of humans. Even with our wolves in human care, we like to see that instinctual behavior intact, because the hope for our wolves is that they or their offspring are one day restored to the wild to support their dwindling wild population.”

The Rocky Mountain Wolf Project reports that since 1900, there have been only two possible cases of a wolf-related human fatality in North America, and no cases in the lower 48 states.

This is a complex issue, and we recognize this restoration could create hardships for some people who live in the region where they would be reintroduced, especially for farmers and ranchers in the regions proposed for reintroduction. As caretakers of animals, CMZoo understands that farmers and ranchers care for their animals and have invested generations of energy into them. We also know that both compensation for their livestock and mitigation strategies are essential if wolves are restored to Colorado. The health of public and private lands is critical for a healthy statewide ecosystem and its wildlife. We support a bill that helps us live in balance, uses management systems that support both of those standpoints, and puts experts in charge of the reintroduction who will hear all concerns and adequately address them as they meticulously implement the plan.

There is evidence of wolves’ positive impact on restoring balance in struggling ecosystems, too. Some may be familiar with the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park, in 1995. The National Park’s elk population had grown to levels not healthy for the ecosystem, due to the absence of predators, like the wolf. The elk drastically reduced the number of trees and shrubs that prevent erosion and serve the rest of the ecosystem.

Birds lost their habitats, as a result of the fauna’s inability to grow to maturity. The water temperature in streams rose, due to a lack of shade from trees and shrubs, which made them uninhabitable for fish and other aquatic species. Without competition from wolves, coyote populations increased, which reduced the number of small mammals in the area that served as a food source for many smaller predators, like foxes.

Since reintroducing the wolf, Yellowstone National Park’s elk population has decreased and become healthier. The wolves single out the weak, old, sick and young elk, leaving the strongest elk to reproduce and carry on healthy genetic lines. The Rocky Mountain Wolf Project also says the wolves’ presence near waterways reduced the negative impact elk had on streams, trees and shrubs and the animals that live there, simply by redirecting the elk. Coyote numbers have decreased, creating a better balance and more available food sources for dwindling numbers of foxes,
badgers, weasels and raptors, which share their prey.

Until the 1940s, when wolves were eradicated from Colorado’s wild places, wolves thrived in the Rocky Mountain State. The last wolf was shot in 1945, as a result of an extermination campaign that didn’t consider the wolves’ important role in our delicate mountain ecosystem. Today, wolves roam the Rocky Mountains from Mexico to Canada and Alaska, but not in Colorado.

“Our state is one of the last gaps in connecting these wolf packs, which is detrimental to the long-term health of the species,” said Zwicker. “Colorado’s wild places can provide additional habitat for wolves and contribute to the safe and natural ‘wildway’ (like a highway) between subspecies of gray wolf.”

A wolf pack recently confirmed in Colorado may lead some people to believe that the species doesn’t need our support to thrive again naturally.

“Although one small pack of wolves has been located in northern Colorado, there’s no way those few remaining individuals could create a healthy, genetically diverse, sustainable population of wolves in Colorado,” said Zwicker. “Thinking about the greater goal of providing positive ecological benefits of a healthy and established ecosystem, these few wolves couldn’t have an adequate impact.”

As an apex predator, their presence at the top of the food chain in Colorado is vital, as it is in Yellowstone National Park. Western Colorado, where the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project seeks to reintroduce wolves, has more than 15 million acres of public land with an abundance of wild prey for hunters and wolves.

Returning wolves to our state in adequate numbers will surely impact Colorado’s big game species, such as elk, and there are concerns that this will negatively impact our hunting economy.

“When wolves have been removed from the ecosystem, populations of elk and deer can reach unhealthy numbers which can lead to disease spread, starvation and a devastating impact on plant life and waterways,” said Dr. Dadone. “To some, wolves will make hunts more challenging. For others, their presence will create memories that make the hunt live forever in their minds. When you think of how amazing it would be to see a wild wolf pack, we lean towards the latter.”

As with all election propositions, it’s important to think critically about how the return of wolves to Colorado could impact our state in positive ways and the potential obstacles we’ll need to creatively overcome as a statewide community.

Back to The Waterhole

Did you know that September is National Chicken Month? Well, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has some very special honorees making their appearance just in time to celebrate! We are welcoming a new flock of little ladies to the chicken yard in My Big Backyard who will eventually be a part of the chicken feeding experience.

The new girls came to us as day-old chicks in August. After a few weeks, they have moved to the barn in My Big Backyard, where they can be seen on warm days next to the opossum exhibit (peek in the half door to hear some adorable peeps). Breeds include Speckled Sussex, Silver Laced Hamburgs and Australorps. This group of individuals has been named after dessert foods like Tiramisu, Figgy Pudding, Bon Bon and S’mores.

Our current flock of feathered friends are all three years old and also came to the zoo as day-old chicks in 2017. They are named after chefs and spices, such as Martha Stewart, Betty Crocker, Cinnamon, and a fan favorite, Rosemary, a Polish chicken, who has a distinct white ‘poof’ of feathers on her head. These chickens start and end their day with our famous Chicken Parade, during which they run, walk, saunter, and meander their way to and from their coop before and after spending their day in the chicken feeding area, interacting with Zoo guests. Some like to leave the yard throughout the day to explore the surrounding areas looking for bugs, spying on Guy the rooster, or just checking out the Zoo.

By the end of September, guests will likely see the chicks in a ‘transition yard’ next to the big birds as they all get acquainted. Chickens have complex social lives and it takes time to introduce them. Our Zoo keepers have done several successful chicken introductions over the years, and the trick is to let the birds take their time getting to know one another before mixing all of the chickens in one yard. Chickens grow really fast, so the chicks will soon look more like teenagers than little babies, but the cuteness level is still really high! Once everyone is comfortable with each other, the chicks will join the big birds and everyone will be part of the parades and feeding experiences, available for guests for $1 per cup of feed on days warm enough for the chickens to be outside – usually 40 degrees or warmer.

We are so excited about our new chicken friends and hope you are just as excited to meet them, too. Be sure to visit My Big Backyard and look for the new chicks on your next visit!

Back to The Waterhole

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is moving forward with plans to demolish Monkey Pavilion, located centrally near the Zoo’s eateries and historic carousel, starting in November. Monkey Pavilion was built in 1942 and originally housed big cats, such as tigers, leopards and lions. Since then, the building has undergone renovations to support residents including lemurs, monkeys, sloths and more.

Since their inception, zoos have modernized in leaps and bounds. Fostering relationships between our guests and animals is our top priority, supported by our focuses on animal care, conservation and education. The animals’ homes play a vital role in our ability to achieve our goal of helping people fall in love with wildlife and wild places. We understand perception matters. We want to inspire our guests, and have seen that if an enclosure presents too many barriers, our ability to foster those connections is limited.

While the building provided good homes and enriching experiences for the animals that lived there, it falls short of providing an environment that helps our keepers build connections between guests and animals. We see opportunities for better use of the area. The possibilities seem endless, and we are considering every idea. We have not yet made decisions about the future of the space, but will announce them when the time is right.

The building, once considered architecturally beautiful and state-of-the-art, has become a symbol of zoos past, and its design does not reflect who we are today. We acknowledge that Monkey Pavilion is an iconic building at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Many longtime guests, members and staff have childhood photos by the outdoor exhibits or with the nearby zebra and lioness statues, which will be relocated within the Zoo. Its now-dated design is a nod to the progress Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited modern zoos have made since its construction, and its demolition is further evidence of the importance we place on providing the best possible opportunities for our guests to fall in love with animals, without distracting barriers.

Embracing our past, and learning from it, strengthens our future potential. It highlights how far we’ve come through positive changes across the zoo profession, and it encourages us to keep striving for additional change that will make us even better in the future.

Of course, demolishing this building requires a lot of coordination, and our animals’ best interests are at the heart of our planning, along with ensuring our guests’ experiences aren’t negatively impacted by the building’s removal. Some current Monkey Pavilion residents will move to other spaces at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. For others, we have identified new homes at other AZA-accredited facilities. The building will continue to empty over the next month and a half, with the building closing October 28, 2020.

Demolition is slated to begin in November and is expected to take several months. We will keep you posted as we make progress on this historic update to our Zoo.

About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society was founded in 1926. Today, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America’s mountain Zoo, offers comprehensive education programs, exciting conservation efforts and truly fantastic animal experiences. In 2020, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was voted #4 Best Zoo in North America and CMZoo’s Rocky Mountain Wild was named #2 Best Zoo Exhibit in North America by USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. It is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s goal to help guests fall in love with animals and nature, and take action to protect them. Of the 233 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of just a few operating without tax support. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo depends on admissions, membership dues, special event attendance and donations for funding.

Our littlest mountain lion, nearly 5-month-old Koda, ventured out into one of the exhibit yards on Thursday! Guests can see Koda, who joined us mid-June after being found alone on a logging road in Washington, intermittently as he adjusts to his new surroundings. He will spend increasing amounts of time exploring this yard, so be sure to look carefully as you go by the mountain lion yard closest to the moose barn. He may be napping in a nook, and he can get startled by loud voices, so it’s best to remain quiet when you visit.

Koda has had one introduction with one-and-a-half-year-old female mountain lion Adira in the dens. The intro went well, but Koda’s enthusiastic approach appeared to make Adira uncomfortable, although she was patient and gentle with Koda. So Koda will continue exploring this yard by himself and run off some more energy until his animal care team decides he’s ready for another introduction. Adira and Sitka will enjoy time nearby, in the yard closest to the porcupines. Once Koda is familiar with this new-to-him space and has learned some important prerequisite behaviors – like coming back to his keepers when called with so many new smells, sounds and sights competing for his attention – he will get to try introductions with Adira again.

Active duty and veteran military members receive 50% off admission for entire household – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s annual Military Appreciation Week is Monday, Sept. 14 through Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020. All active-duty, veteran and retired military members and their dependents who live in the same household will receive 50% off the base Zoo admission cost for the day and time they choose to attend. Timed-entry e-tickets are required and must be purchased in advance at cmzoo.org/military, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Military Appreciation Week is the Zoo’s way of thanking military personnel for their service to our country. Tickets must be purchased in advance at cmzoo.org/military (capacity is limited); tickets will not be available for purchase at the Zoo’s admissions gates.

To validate their pre-purchased tickets at the front gate, military personnel and their dependents must present a valid military ID at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s admission booth. Accepted IDs include: a valid military / retired military ID; a copy of form DD214; state driver’s license printed with veteran indicator or military identifier; or ID issued by the VA, VFW or American Legion. If a service member is deployed, dependents are still entitled to this discount with a valid ID.

Fast Facts

Military Appreciation Week at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Monday, September 14 through Sunday, September 20
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; guests must arrive within 20 minutes of their ticketed time
Active-duty, veteran or retired military and their immediate family in the same household
50% off base Zoo admission

For more information and to purchase required advance e-tickets, visit: www.cmzoo.org/military

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Military Appreciation Week is possible because of the generous support of our partners, Black Bear Diner, Children’s Hospital Colorado, ENT Credit Union, and your Colorado Springs Toyota Dealers.

About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Baby Siamang Born to First-Time Parents, Eve and Wayan – Eve, a 9-year-old Siamang at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, took a different approach to Labor Day this year: by going into labor. In the wee hours of the morning, she gave birth to an adorable black-haired, pink-eared baby, whose sex has not yet been identified. Baby and mom seem to be doing well so far, and dad, Wayan, is curious and calm around baby. Their keepers, once they recovered from the happy surprise of discovering the baby this morning, have been monitoring the family of three, and see good signs from all.

“Eve and Wayan are normally spooning together when we come into work for early-morning checks,” said Kelsey Newman, keeper at CMZoo who doesn’t always work in Primate World, but was the first to see the baby Siamang. “This morning, I noticed they were sitting a little differently. Then, Wayan moved away from Eve and I saw the little baby’s arm. It was a surprise, for sure.”

Although Siamangs, a kind of gibbon, are endangered in the wild, Eve and Wayan did not have a breeding recommendation from the Gibbon Species Survival Plan. Because their different families’ genetics are well represented in Siamangs in human care, they weren’t currently recommended to breed, but those recommendations can change at any time. With that in mind, Eve has been on oral birth control. Just like humans, oral contraceptives are not 100% effective for apes. Siamangs don’t show signs of pregnancy as obviously as humans, so the birth did come as a surprise to keepers, but Eve seems to have embraced motherhood without skipping a beat.

“You can tell just by looking at Eve that she’s head over heels in love with that baby already,” said Joanna Husby, Primate World animal care manager. “She’s cradling her baby with both arms, licking its head and nuzzling it while it nurses. It’s really sweet.”

Husby describes Siamangs as the ‘romantic apes,’ because they’re the only ape species that mates for life in the wild. They have tight family bonds, and fathers play a big role in raising their babies, unlike many species of the animal kingdom. When mom Siamangs get sleepy, you’ll see the dads cuddling the babies while the moms rest.

“We’re already seeing great instincts in Wayan,” said Husby, who in addition to managing Primate World, is secretary of the Gibbon SSP and has worked directly with gibbons at CMZoo for 12 years. “He’s sticking close by without interfering. He’s really curious and is being respectful, showing support without taking over.”

While the baby bonds with its new parents, it’s important they have access to a quiet, private space. In addition to their indoor on-exhibit areas, they have access to multiple behind-the-scenes dens. Depending on weather and the baby’s development, the family will also have access to their outdoor space. The gibbons may be visible to guests in Primate World, depending on where they prefer to spend time.

There are no plans to name the baby, yet. Stay tuned to the Zoo’s social media pages for more updates on this sweet little family.