The Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) estimates a little more than 600 West African giraffe remain in the wild today. Although that number seems small, it is a sign of successful conservation efforts over the past 30 years. Only 49 wild West African giraffe existed in the mid-1990s, due to illegal hunting, climate change and habitat loss.

In November 2018, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Vice President of Mission and Programs and head veterinarian, Dr. Liza Dadone, traveled to Niger to assist with Operation Sahel Giraffe. Dadone was part of a multinational, multi-organizational team led by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation in support of the Republic of Niger and in partnership with the Sahara Conservation Fund, with additional assistance from Ivan Carter Wildlife Alliance, San Diego Zoo Global and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, with involvement from members of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Giraffe & Okapi Specialist Group.

West African giraffe are a subspecies of northern giraffe. The world’s only remaining population lives about 40 miles southeast of Niamey, Niger, in an area known as the “giraffe zone” – where giraffe are the only large wild mammals coexisting (and competing for resources) with humans.

“There was a lot of local pride and respect for the West African giraffe there,” said Dadone. “The locals felt they were a chosen community to have the last of this subspecies of giraffe anywhere in the world.”

The ongoing goal of Operation Sahel Giraffe is to establish the first-ever satellite population and increase the number of West African giraffe population by relocating giraffe from their sole location in the giraffe zone to Niger’s Gadabedji Biosphere Reserve (GBR), a reserve area conservationists have identified as a site to rehabilitate. West African giraffe haven’t occupied GBR for nearly 50 years.

The need was evident, the plan was in place and the partners were invested. Now, the team of conservationists, government officials, veterinarians, giraffe experts and rangers needed to put the plan into motion. First, they set up the boma – a paddock where the giraffe would stay together for three weeks before their relocation to the GBR.

“To contain an animal that could stand 18 feet tall and weigh one ton, you need a very strong, very tall fence,” said Dadone. “It took a large team over a week to dig holes, bring in trees we could use as pillars and build the wall structure.”

Next, they needed to identify which of the 600 giraffe were the best candidates to establish this important foundational herd in the GBR.

“We were trying to find young adult giraffe that were old enough to be independent from their mothers, but not so old that they were fully mature and harder to restrain and move. Ideally, that’s between one and three years old,” said Dadone. “Because you can grow a population faster with proportionally more females, we intentionally sought more females than males. We were obviously seeking animals that appeared to be healthy. Logistically, we needed animals that weren’t located at the far end of the existing population’s roaming area, so they didn’t have to be transported many hours to the boma.”

Then, the team would need to find the right age and sex of giraffe in the wild, anesthetize them and transport them by trailer to the boma, where they could ensure the giraffe were safe, contained, fed, shaded and watered.

There were 600 animals in this area, but it took a lot of work to find them. One day, the team engaged the help of a colleague who flew his ULM microlight over the area to help with spotting giraffe in the large area with limited road access.

“He circled to the herd, then circled back to us and was trying to lead us, but we didn’t have any form of communication,” said Dadone. “At a certain point a Coca Cola bottle with a note in it was dropped from the plane. We drove to retrieve it, and sure enough, the note told us which direction to head toward the herd.”

The team followed the pilot’s message in a bottle and found the herd. At least one of the giraffe met their needs.

“Each time we brought in a giraffe, it was a different experience,” said Dadone. “When we would find a giraffe that met the needs of the project, we referred to a catalogue that identified all of the giraffe by their unique spot patterns. Because of the rangers’ work over many years creating that catalogue, we could identify each individual animal before starting anesthesia.”

Wildlife veterinarian Dr. Pete Morkel, who has led field conservation efforts like this countless times across Africa, led the field anesthesias for the Operation Sahel Giraffe team. He would estimate the size of the animal being targeted and load the anesthesia dart appropriately for that animal.

“These animals have lived in close proximity with humans, so they were less wary of us, which allowed Pete to slowly walk over toward the animal to get into dart range, then dart the animal in the shoulder or rear,” said Dadone.

Usually, the animal would stop running and go down on its own, but sometimes the team would have to help it down safely with a series of ropes. Once down, the team applied a blindfold and earplugs to the giraffe, to minimize stimulation and help calm the animal. To avoid potentially harmful side effects of anesthesia, the team immediately administered an anesthesia reversal drug, which would wake the animal within about a minute.

“Any time we’re working hands-on with a species that’s almost gone, we try to make the most of every moment we have,” said Dadone. “During that time, I was able to administer medicines, like parasite treatments, to help minimize the risk of spreading diseases. I also took bloodwork for anesthetic monitoring, which is a long-term project with GCF and other partners to identify which anesthetic combinations are safest and most effective for giraffe anesthesia in the field.”

From those same blood samples, Dadone performed additional research and overall health assessments. While waiting for the giraffe transport vehicle, the team also took measurements, skin samples for follow-up genetic studies and hoof assessments that continue to benefit giraffe in human care around the world.

Once the team loaded the giraffe into the transport vehicle, which was a modified horse trailer, they headed for the boma, where they would introduce the giraffe to the rest of the giraffe selected for relocation and reintroduction. After three weeks allowing the giraffe to acclimate to each other in the boma, the team transported two loads of four giraffe each in the back of long-bed open-top trucks, to release them to the GBR nearly 500 miles away.

The team released eight West African giraffe into the GBR, where GCF now supports a reserve and community based monitoring system to ensure the giraffe thrive in their new home. Giraffe have 15- to 18-month gestation periods, so it may be a few years before any calves are born.

“It’s exciting to get involved with yet another critically necessary project that will ultimately serve as proof that these projects work and can save species on the brink of extinction,” said Dadone. “We have a few years to see how they do, but we’re hopeful it’ll lead to an increase in effort to try to save giraffe in that area and to reestablish more animals in the coming years.”

Every admission and membership to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo supports conservation efforts like Operation Sahel Giraffe. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation is a key conservation partner of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, who supports their giraffe conservation efforts throughout Africa.

For more information on CMZoo’s commitment to conservation, visit www.cmzoo.org/conservation.

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Animal Encounter

Abuto, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s seven-year-old male African lion, often wows guests with his remarkable roar, striking mane and impressive intelligence. He has many roles, including ambassador, inspiration and patriarch. Abuto is father to males Aslan and Boma, and to female Elsa, who were all born at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on June 25, 2015. Their mother, Lomela, and her sister, Zwena, are both eleven years old – and complete the CMZoo pride of six.

Abuto and the rest of the pride serve an important ambassador role here at CMZoo, helping to connect our guests to wild African lions. The wild lion population has declined by 43 percent in the last 20 years, and experts predict they will be extinct in the next 20 years. Working to prevent conflict between ranchers and lions, which often results in lion fatalities, EWASO Lions is one of CMZoo’s Kenyan conservation partners that provides local communities with education, training and guidance on conservation practices that help both people and wildlife.

Our pride inspired Cheyenne Mountain Zoo members to send $16,000 to EWASO Lions last year. Through their programming, Kenyans who depend on their livestock and agriculture to survive learn to use tools that create healthy, safe barriers between themselves and the lions who live nearby.

Support from CMZoo members went specifically to EWASO Lions’ Lion Kids Camp. Kenyan children who grow up in close proximity to wildlife often have perceptions shaped by negative observations or encounters, such as a lion hunting their family’s livestock. Through a combination of wildlife education, safari experiences and a conservation-themed curriculum, EWASO Lions is educating and inspiring the next generation of wildlife conservationists to help save wild African lions, with Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s support.

For more information on EWASO Lions, click here.

Click the video below to learn more about Abuto, and how his behavioral training is helping him contribute to his own long-term care.

Guests and staff alike are enamored with CMZoo living legend Laredo, a Rio Grande turkey. At nearly 18 years old, Laredo is the oldest documented living turkey in the United States, and probably in the world. The average lifespan of a turkey is between five and seven years.

Despite his unbelievable age, 19-pound, three-foot-tall Laredo’s keepers say he’s in excellent condition. Turkeys have a keel, which is like a human sternum that’s centered in the chest. In healthy turkeys, the keel is surrounded by healthy muscle and fat and protrudes only slightly.

“We can tell he’s healthy because when he chooses to let us do physical assessments, we can feel that area is full and strong,” said Kevin Pellow, animal keeper in The Loft and My Big Backyard. “When a bird starts losing weight or feathers, it’s usually a sign something needs to be addressed.”

People often ask about Laredo’s secret for a long and healthy life, and although we like to joke that corn flakes must be magic snacks, the truth is, Laredo is protected from predators and gets assistance that his wild relatives don’t receive. A stable weight through a consistently available and healthy diet, managed aches and pains, socialization and a beak trim when necessary seem to make up the recipe for a happy turkey life.

“Most birds in human care need some kind of beak trim or beak care about every three months,” Pellow said. “For Laredo, we’ve only had to perform one beak trim ever. It’s a sign that Laredo is interacting with enough enrichment that he doesn’t need help there. It’s a good indicator of how active he still is, which means he must be feeling good.”

Laredo’s need for specialized care is minimal, especially considering his age. He takes medication to help control pain in his legs and feet, which is compared to an ibuprofen for people. Keepers say Laredo likes to take his medicine in mini peanut butter sandwiches or grapes, and that he shows no signs of slowing down.

“On a recent snow day, the chickens wanted to stay inside in their coop, so we gave Laredo the choice to go into his yard or into the chicken yard,” Pellow said. “Later, we found Laredo playing out in the chicken yard, stomping in the melted snow and galloping around.”

Laredo’s many admirers in addition to his keepers at CMZoo include Hannah Bragg, CMZoo graphic designer, Donna Greenfield, grants and development officer, and Tiffani Clark, development officer. They visit Laredo as often as they can, and say he has a calming effect on them. A new video of Laredo having a snack or cooing at a chicken brings ear-to-ear smiles to their faces. The descriptors “handsome” and “charming” are used without limitation. It’s clear Laredo has a CMZoo staff fan club. Maybe that’s why Pellow says Laredo might have a little extra appreciation for himself.

“He likes to look at himself in the mirror,” Pellow said with a laugh. “He’s kind of narcissistic that way. He can be territorial, too. It depends on which chickens want to come into his yard, because sometimes he lets his favorite chickens come into his barn, sleep near him and share his food.”

Although he’s somewhat skittish and leery of people, Laredo is a unique animal to visit next time you visit Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

“If you talk to him softly, tell him he’s beautiful, and act calmly around him, he may let you feed him with help from a keeper,” said Pellow. “We’re working on it.”

Guests can visit Laredo any day of the year in My Big Backyard, near The Loft and Asian Highlands at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s EdVenture department is excited to introduce Stroller Safaris, a brand-new monthly program series for early explorers.

Stroller Safaris are informal exploratory experiences for children between the ages of one and four. During every Stroller Safari, children accompanied by an adult will use all five senses to connect with nature and animals. Participants will enjoy a sensory activity, meet-and-greet with an animal ambassador and an animal feeding experience.

Join us for our inaugural Stroller Safari program, Juju in January. Registrants will participate in a gorilla-themed sensory activity, meet Juju, a member of our gorilla troop, and assist keepers with feeding one of our animal ambassadors in The Loft!

To sign-up for a Stroller Safari:
Pre-register online at www.cmzoo.org/stroller, or
Contact the EdVenture Dept. at edprograms@cmzoo.org or 719-424-7827.

For more information regarding upcoming Stroller Safaris visit:
CMZoo’s webpage at www.cmzoo.org/stroller, and
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/260590121278699/.

Disclaimer: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a leading organization in animal care and welfare. As such, we allow all of our animal ambassadors to choose whether or not they participate in our programs. They even have the option to choose to participate in their own healthcare! Therefore, we cannot guarantee the participation of any of the animals mentioned during a Stroller Safaris program. In the event that an animal cannot or chooses not to participate in a program, CMZoo staff will provide an alternate ambassador. We hope that you’ll appreciate our dedication to the well-being of our animals.

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.

It’s no surprise that Luna, Navarro and their gorgeous pups continue to be guest favorites at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. What did surprise guests, keepers and vet staff earlier this year was the arrival of the pups.

After decades of unproductive breeding attempts, the Zoo welcomed a litter of the endangered species. The pups and parents are very important to the continued survival of the species in human care, and as ambassadors for their endangered counterparts in the wild.

“Some people wonder why wolf demonstrations at the Zoo aren’t as hands-on as some of the other animal demonstrations,” said Basia Dann, Rocky Mountain Wild animal keeper. “We don’t want to create too much of a positive association between people and food because one of their biggest threats in the wild is the sometimes uneasy sharing of space between humans and wildlife. Regardless of how much we want to talk to them and encourage them with positive food reinforcement the way we do with other animals, it’s best for them if we keep our distance and they keep theirs.”

That’s because the ultimate goal is for CMZoo’s descendants to one day return to the wild, where populations have been dwindling.

The Mexican wolf has been protected as an endangered subspecies of gray wolf since 1976 under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Mexican wolves were near extinction in 1998, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and partner agencies initiated a captive breeding program descended from seven founder wolves.

USFWS reports that there are only 114 Mexican wolves in the wild and 300 in human care. The population of Mexican wolves in human care at Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited zoos is an important part of the plan to repopulate the species in the wild. The Mexican Wolf Recovery Program is run by USFWS, with cooperation from the AZA Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has been a participant in the program since 1994. But, until this year’s litter, it had been 20 years since wolf pups made an appearance at the Zoo. For many years, the Zoo housed a bachelor pack of wolves, but within the past seven years, the AZA’s Species Survival Plan (SSP) placed various breeding pairs at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo with the hopes of offspring.

Luna, the 10-year-old mother of the 2018 litter, and two-year-old father Navarro and their pups, as exemplary animal ambassadors, continue contributing to the success of the Mexican wolf Species Survival Plan. One pup, Lupa has already moved on to another organization where the hope is that she will have her own litter one day. Her move was always part of CMZoo’s plan, but was expedited when keepers discovered Lupa limping one morning in November.

Immediately upon noticing Lupa limping, CMZoo vet staff took x-rays of her leg and discovered a fracture of the growth plate of her left femur, just above the knee. The injury is not uncommon among young wolves, but keepers and staff don’t know exactly how it occurred. With approvals from USFWS and the SSP, CMZoo took Lupa to the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., where surgeons discovered the fracture has worsened in the short time since her last x-rays.

After a successful surgery, Lupa returned to CMZoo, but staff quickly recognized the Zoo’s terrain and a quickly approaching Colorado winter we going to add challenges to her healing process. Although staff separated Lupa from the full pack for her recovery period and placed her in an adjacent area with a littermate, she was still a very active pup in a rocky and vertical natural habitat.

“Like your dog at home does after a surgery that requires stitches, she was irritating the wound by overstretching the incision, so it wasn’t healing as quickly as we would have liked,” said Dr. Eric Klaphake, associate veterinarian at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. “Because her leg was shaved in order to perform the necessary surgery, we decided the snow and cold temperatures would be uncomfortable for her. We didn’t want to keep her inside without socialization, so we found her a new home in a flatter, warmer environment, where she could receive a companion as well.”

Phoenix, Bluestem, Hope and Shadow, Lupa’s littermates at CMZoo, are flourishing. They have grown so much since their birth in May that it has become difficult to tell them apart from their parents by size alone. Luckily, CMZoo keepers have some tips on identifying them. Shadow’s face is darker than the rest of the pack, and she has light eyebrow patches. Phoenix is the biggest of the pups and has two dark spots in his left eyebrow. Bluestem and Luna are similar in appearance, with light fur and even lighter eyebrows. Bluestem is smaller than Luna. Hope has a dark face and dark eyebrows and has a black and white ‘V’ patter in the fur on her chest. Navarro is the biggest wolf whose face is a darker shade of red than the rest of the pack.

You can catch a glimpse of one of the rarest species in North America during a wolf keeper talk at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo every Monday, Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Golden Years

Seeing LouLou, a 36-year-old female African elephant at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, participate in one of her daily care routines is like witnessing a pedicure of gigantic proportions.

Annie Dinwiddie, senior elephant keeper, points her target pole toward a horizontal rod and gently says, “foot.” Three-and-a-half-ton LouLou gracefully places her twelve-inch diameter round pad on a foot rest where Dinwiddie can inspect it and remedy any issues.

“We do this every day with all of our elephants,” Dinwiddie said. “As big as elephants are, the last thing we want is foot problems. Those feet are connected to the rest of their giant body. Their foot health is often a good indicator of their overall health, so this is one way we’re taking a preventative approach in their overall care.”

LouLou balances on three legs and presents her front left foot while Dinwiddie washes it and inspects it closely for any stuck debris, cracks or elephant-sized hang nails. The process takes about three minutes on one foot that needs a little work, due to LouLou enthusiastically using her toenails to strip bark from a log – a tasty treat for elephants. With the same ease and grace as she did before, at Dinwiddie’s request, LouLou expertly shifts her weight to present her back foot and Dinwiddie repeats the process.

LouLou is one of six “Golden Girls” in Encounter Africa, along with Missy, Kimba, Lucky, Jambo and Malaika. They’re all African elephants, but have unique personalities and some distinguishable physical features that help CMZoo visitors recognize and enjoy their individual personalities.

At 49, Missy is one of the oldest African elephants in human care in accredited zoos. She’s often in the yard with LouLou, 36, who is the easiest elephant to identify because she doesn’t have tusks. Kimba, 40, is the largest of the group, weighing in at just over 9,000 pounds. Lucky, 38, is playful and can be seen splashing around in the water or, on sunny winter days, throwing snow and then eating it. Jambo, 35, and Malaika, 32, are known as the sassiest and prefer to spend solo time in one of their many spaces at the Zoo.

“In addition to providing foot care, we’re always trying to give them opportunities to take care of their feet on their own,” Dinwiddie said. “We do that by allowing them to be elephants and to do what elephants are designed to do: move and walk. We have a lot of space for our elephants.”

That space is important in keeping six middle-to-upper aged elephants exercised, flexible and mentally engaged.

“They get smarter and smarter, so we’re constantly thinking of new ways to keep them stimulated and on their toes – and that keeps us on our toes,” said Thomas Reid, elephant animal keeper. “They may be getting up there in age, but they’re all young at heart.”

A big part of an elephant keeper’s job is moving them around between the different spaces. The goal is to prevent them from being in the same space for more than an hour. Various husbandry activities that keepers practice with the elephants daily means the elephants explore different areas and stay comfortable with keepers being in protected-but-close proximity, which is necessary to their care.

“The training is always on their terms,” Dinwiddie said. “They’re trained to present their ears so we can do monthly blood draws. There are a lot of blood vessels in their ears and it’s the thinnest area of skin. They have the ability to restrict blood flow to their ears, so literally if they don’t want to participate, they can prevent it from happening. If they choose to participate, they get a handful of jumbo marshmallows as a special treat that reinforces their behavior.”

Taking proper care of any animal requires dedication, but keeping this aging group healthy and happy calls for a jam-packed schedule of care, training, monitoring and documentation.

The elephants also participate in ‘elephant yoga,’ doing various stretches instructed by keepers in effort to maintain flexibility. Keepers take the elephants on daily walks on a quarter-mile path they call the elephant trek, ensuring they get adequate exercise. Lucky and Missy get injections to help with arthritis, and they’re all weighed monthly. Keepers document images of each of their feet to track changes long-term and five of the six elephants need regular oral medications for various reasons.

“Because of their size, often it’s a large number of pills,” Dinwiddie said. ”We ask them to come around to the bollards and open their mouths. Then we throw the pills into their mouths and chase it with orange juice. They swallow and it’s all done.”

On days of 40-degrees-or-cooler weather, the girls have the option of going into the barn, which is open to guests all year long, or into the yard. Visitors can also get to know CMZoo’s amazing elephant herd by planning an animal encounter. During these behind-the-scenes experiences, guests can feed them and even watch them paint a picture.
For more information, visit cmzoo.org/encounter.

The time of gift giving is upon us, which means spending time thinking of the perfect gift to share with your loved ones. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has some great ideas that can help you spend less time shopping and more time together. For the person who has everything or the animal lover who can’t get enough, these experiences will live on well past the average wrappable gift.

Loft Animal Encounters

Have you ever been to the Zoo and looked at our armadillo Frida, and wondered what it would be like to feed her? Animal encounters make memories that last a lifetime. Any time of year, visitors can arrange to meet our Loft animals up close, prepare diets, feed them and help train alongside keepers. With reptiles, birds and mammals to choose from, there are perfect experiences for everyone! Booking information is available at www.cmzoo.org/loftencounters.

In addition to offering close encounters with smaller species, CMZoo can help coordinate one-on-one experiences with our larger ambassador animals. Learn more about those special arrangements at www.cmzoo.org/encounter.

Loft Animal Art Experiences

There are several animal artists at the Zoo whose art can be purchased online or from their habitats. But, did you know that you can set up an experience to be a part of the painting process from start to finish? Animal art experiences allow you decide which colors to use and to help train an animal to paint . At the end of the experience, the painting you helped create is your modern art masterpiece to take home and proudly display. Talk about a conversation piece! Visit www.cmzoo.org/loftencounters to learn about the different animal artists and to book your special Loft program!

Guests who book animal encounters with elephants and orangutans at CMZoo have the option to paint, too. For more information about painting with CMZoo’s larger animals, visit www.cmzoo.org/encounter.

WildNights

Can’t get enough of CMZoo? Spend the night! You can set up your own overnight program with family, friends, co-workers or whomever you want! Activities include special animal encounters, nature walks and more. At Kids Only WildNights, parents can leave their children safely with Zoo staff and enjoy a night to themselves (which is a great gift for parents!). To learn more about WildNights and all the fun experiences that happen at the Zoo after the admission gates close, visit www.cmzoo.org/wildnights.

These are just some of the great gifts that Cheyenne Mountain Zoo offers – visit cmzoo.org/gifts for even more ideas!

It’s no secret that Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is home to rare and unique animals. But, this month’s Animal Encounter features two CMZoo ambassador animals that are so extremely rare, that CMZoo is one of only two places in the nation where they can be seen. CMZoo’s mountain tapirs are two of only seven in the United States. Fewer than 2,000 exist in the world.

In addition to their rare presence, they have an unusual appearance. Their prehensile noses with long snouts, odd-and-even toed hooved feet and bear-shaped bodies look like something magical out of a children’s book. It’s not surprising that CMZoo’s mountain tapirs, Carlotta and Cofan (pronounced coe-FAWN), steal the heart of just about everyone who meets them.

Unlike their elusive wild relatives, Carlotta and Cofan are mostly calm, but have their playful moments. Cofan, a 15-year-old male tapir whose woolly fur is darker than his exhibit mate’s, is curious about new enrichment items and can sometimes be found splashing in the water feature in their exhibit. Carlotta, a 24-year-old female tapir is bigger than Cofan, and has a hole in her left ear (a common scar for female tapirs whose mates often bite their ears during breeding season). Carlotta likes water in moderation, too. One day, keepers found 360-pound Carlotta standing with all four feet in an 18-inch wide water bowl.

“Mountain tapirs are cool,” Michelle Salido, lead tapir keeper said. “They’re really interesting looking. Most people immediately think they’re a cross between a bear and an anteater, and you can see why.”

Mountain tapirs, from the Andes Mountains in Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru, are one of four species of tapir. With the average female weighing about 400 pounds, they’re the smallest of the tapir species. Mature female tapirs usually weigh about 30 pounds more than adult males.

Carlotta and Cofan live down the path from Monkey Pavilion, in a mountain-inspired exhibit that they share with Muscovy ducks. In the wild, they live at between 6,000 and 12,000 ft. in elevation, so their high-altitude home on the Front Range is especially suitable.

“It’s estimated there are fewer than 2,000 mountain tapirs left in the world,” Salido said. “There are only seven in the United States at two zoos, so the fact that people can come and see them right here in Colorado Springs is a real privilege.”

Carlotta and Cofan were the last breeding pair in the U.S., but are no longer suitable for breeding because of Carlotta’s age.

CMZoo staff, thanks to support from Zoo members, works diligently to save mountain tapirs and their habitats south of the equator. Earlier this year, Salido and two other CMZoo staff members went to Ecuador for a second time to track and attach GPS collars to mountain tapirs.

The research is critical, given the limited number of animals left in the wild and the lack of available data about them. Salido said CMZoo’s mountain tapir conservation partner at Andean Bear Foundation (ABF) and Smithsonian National Zoo reported that the high-tech GPS collars collected more geo-data in a week than the previously used radio collars collected in five years. The team’s goal is to present complete data to organizations that can place land protections in the areas where tapirs most frequently roam.

“Their native habitats are being developed for pipelines, mining and agriculture. The tapirs living in those areas are considered a nuisance,” Salido said. “One morning we were there, it took a matter of hours to see the difference in habitat destruction going on in the forest. Seeing their habitat destroyed in front of my eyes made our work that much more important to me.”

Salido said the tapirs she tracked in the wild are much bigger than Carlotta and Cofan, so getting close enough to attach the collars was incredibly challenging, especially given the mountainous terrain and high altitude.

Another unique feature of the tapir is its feet. Ungulates – hooved animals – are usually either even-toed or odd-toed, but tapirs are the only ungulates to have four toes on both front feet and three toes on each back foot.

“They live on wet, steep inclines in the wild,” Salido said. “You can see how the ability for their hooves to spread and morph to the ground beneath them helps them better navigate difficult terrain. They’re wicked fast in the wild.”

Carlotta and Cofan are model ambassador animals, helping people form connections with animals whose species are threatened with extinction in this lifetime. One way they do that is by meeting guests up close and personal. Salido says every morning she greets these two ‘Labradors of the Zoo,’ as she calls them. She gives them a good chin scratch and armpit scratch, and they stick their legs out for more.

“These two are calm and gentle for the most part,” said Salido. “They love getting chin scratches. They’ll walk over and put their heads between the bollards so we can reach them. They go into a ‘tapir trance’ and get super relaxed. Cofan will close his big eyes and let his tongue hang out if you scratch him just right.”

Their appearance has earned them some unusual but endearing nicknames. They’re sometimes playfully called ‘snorkel pigs,’ referring to their long snouts and body shapes. Others call them ‘clown mouth tapirs,’ alluding to the white fur around their mouths – a feature that distinguishes mountain tapirs, also known as woolly tapirs, from the other four species of tapir.

CMZoo will continue working to protect mountain tapirs in the wild. To learn more about these rare mammals, swing by the Tapir exhibit to see Carlotta and Cofan at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Water’s Edge: Africa may be the biggest new addition under construction at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, but it’s not the only one. By summer 2019, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Membership and EdVenture departments will have a new place to call home.

The 4,465 sq. ft. two-story building under construction immediately south of the Zoo’s Mountaineer Sky Ride will house eight full-time EdVenture staff and two full-time Membership staff. It will also serve as home base for ZOOMobile program staff, teen volunteers and more than 20 part-time EdVenture and membership staff. A large, open room on the second floor will serve as an EdVenture classroom and host WildNights, camps and teen programs throughout the year.

Frank Haas, CMZoo landscape architect and planner, and project manager of the new building, describes the building’s design vision as, “rustic modern Colorado mountain architecture.”

Think stone, timbers and rusted steel. If you’ve seen Pizza with a View or Cozy Goat, you have experienced the flavor of this new building. Like those two eateries, this new project includes outdoor patio spaces, one of which features a modified shipping container, intended to be a fun space for kids as they gather for programs.

In line with CMZoo’s principle to grow the Zoo with respect for the mountain upon which it sits, it is being built to complement its surroundings rather than drastically changing the landscape to accommodate construction.

“We limited the size of the building to the flat open portion of the site,” Haas said. “By doing that, we preserved a sacred grove of trees on the east side of the building.”

CMZoo also focuses on outdoor education and adventure, and the EdVenture department leads that cause.

“In this new building, our team and our programs will be in the heart of the Zoo,” Stacey Graham, director of EdVenture programs said. “We’ll be more accessible to visitors and more in-tune with the Zoo’s daily activity, which will allow us to better grow our programs to meet the needs of our members and program participants.”

‘Growth’ is the key word in Graham’s mind as she looks ahead to occupying the new building next year.

“We’ll have a dedicated space for EdVenture programs, which means we can manage them more efficiently,” said Graham. “We want to start offering walk-up programs for people who come to the Zoo, but haven’t had the chance to participate in a camp, WildNight or animal encounter. Ultimately, we’ll have more resources to offer more programs and to offer our current programs more frequently and with a higher standard of quality.”

Emmaline (Emma) Repp-Maxwell, membership and annual gifts manager, is also looking forward to how available and connected this building will allow her and her team to be for CMZoo members and donors. There’s even a walk-up window, so members can drop by the office to say hello, manage their memberships and discuss ideas while they’re exploring the Zoo.

“Imagine being able to hear from the people we support directly and on a daily basis. We’re excited because this new location and its features, like the walkup window, will organically help us relate better with our members,” Repp-Maxwell said. “We’ll get to know our members on a more personal level while they get to know us and that we’re here for them.”

Repp-Maxwell points out that the membership department has a hand in almost every other department at CMZoo. Sharing a physical place with the EdVenture team will promote more collaboration, which Repp-Maxwell says will benefit members.

“The EdVenture team is made up of a really amazing group of people who so often interact with our members who participate in their programs,” Repp-Maxwell said. “Being closer to them and to our members is sure to elevate the quality of support we can provide.”

The EdVenture-Membership building is scheduled to open early summer 2019. For more information on EdVenture programs and CMZoo membership options and benefits, email Graham’s team at edprograms@cmzoo.org and Repp-Maxwell’s team at membership@cmzoo.org.