Australia Walkabout is home to two American alligators, Tommy and Sally. Both regularly participate in voluntary training sessions, including target and touch training, which allow the alligators to choose to participate in their health care while keepers perform general health checks.

As ambush predators, alligators have unique adaptations that help them blend into their surroundings and strike swiftly when prey approaches. Their eyes are positioned high on their heads, enabling them to remain submerged while still keeping watch above the surface. Alligators can have about 80 teeth in their mouth at a time and can go through 2,000 to 3,000 teeth in their lifetime.

Tommy and Sally are great ambassadors for their species, educating guests about the crucial role alligators play in maintaining balance in the ecosystem.

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Twinkly-eyed, button-nosed Cora is adjusting to her new home in Asian Highlands. The 1-year-old female red panda, who arrived at CMZoo on July 9, is enjoying an enriching environment with branches, triangle perches, recycled firehose ‘vines’ and bamboo snacks.

It’s been more than 20 years since a red panda lived at CMZoo, and in that time, their wild population has declined by half. Only approximately 2,500 red pandas remain in their native Eastern Himalayan forests, with habitat loss and fragmentation being the leading threats.

Cora’s arrival supports the Association of Zoos and Aquariums SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) Red Panda and the Red Panda Species Survival Plan, helping to manage a diverse and healthy population in human care while inspiring red panda preservation for their wild counterparts.

Cora is mostly visible to guests when she’s out in her main yard. To help her settle into her new home, keepers have added a few branches to the front of her enclosure for extra privacy. They’ve also put up a ‘quiet zone’ sign and set up barriers to keep guests a few feet farther away than usual while she gets comfortable. Stay tuned to our social media platforms for updates on Cora!

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Earlier this month, a group of volunteers and conservation experts gathered to release hundreds of critically endangered Wyoming toads back into their native habitat. Wyoming’s Laramie Basin is the only place in the world where Wyoming toads live. Since 2008, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, along with partners from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and others, has driven the year-round effort to breed, raise and release Wyoming toads.

None of this work is possible without the support of CMZoo guests and members. Over $5 million has been raised for conservation through our Quarters for Conservation program. Every Zoo guest receives three “quarter” tokens, representing the 75¢ Q4C allocation from their admission fee. Guests can show support for their favorite legacy conservation projects, including the breed-and-release program helping Wyoming toads recover in their native prairie lakes, by placing their tokens in the corresponding slots in the Q4C kiosks located in the Zoo’s admissions plaza.

Thank you for saving wildlife and wild places!

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At 6 weeks old, the Rocky Mountain goat kids are hitting milestones, including eating solid foods, sparring with each other, exploring all the yards, and meeting their dad, Albert, and older sister, Blanca. They are finding their footing like little pros and learning how to be Rocky Mountain goats from their mom, Lena. Visit the twins across from the Sky Ride during your next trip to CMZoo!

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Kids, kits, joeys and pups! This season, we’ve welcomed seven baby skunks, two Rocky Mountain goats, two wallaby joeys, and five meerkat pups. These adorable littles are already awesome ambassadors for their species and quickly becoming guest favorites, each bringing their own unique energy and playfulness to CMZoo.

The seven skunks will head to other AZA zoos when they’re mature and independent in the coming months. At their new homes, they’ll represent their wild counterparts and help even more people learn to love and appreciate skunks. There are no current plans for meerkats, joeys or Rocky Mountain goat kids to leave CMZoo.

Be sure to visit the cuteness overload firsthand during your next visit!

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Adding animal demonstrations to your next Zoo day itinerary is one of the best ways to kick off the summer. Included with your regular daytime ticket, you’ll have access to multiple animal demonstrations throughout the day. From brachiating orangutans to a guinea pig parade, these demonstrations offer fun and educational experiences for our guests while also enriching and engaging our animals. Highlighting their natural behaviors and unique features, these demonstrations provide insight into some of the residents of CMZoo.
(Animal demonstrations are weather and animal permitting.)

Summer Schedule

9:30 a.m. — Penguin Keeper Talk in Water’s Edge: Africa
10 a.m. — Guinea Pig Parade in Water’s Edge: Africa (Tues., Wed., and Sun. only)
10 a.m. — Lion Enrichment in African Rift Valley (Tues. and Sat. only)
10 a.m. — Wolf Feeding in Rocky Mountain Wild (Thurs. and Sun. only)
10:45 a.m. — Caring for Elephants in Encounter Africa
11:15 a.m. — Orangutans are Awesome in Primate World
11:30 a.m. — Barn Owl Training in Scutes Family Gallery
11:30 a.m. — Alligator Feeding in Australia Walkabout (Mon. and Tues. only)
2:15 p.m. — Caring for Elephants in Encounter Africa
2:30 p.m. — Skunk Training in The Loft
3 p.m. — Treetop Acrobats in African Rift Valley at the colobus monkey exhibit (Fri., Sat., and Sun. only)
3:15 p.m. — Caring for Awesome Apes in Primate World
3:30 p.m. — Grizzly Demo in the temporary bear habitat above the tapir yard
4:15 p.m. — Meet the Hippos in Water’s Edge: Africa

Advance tickets are required and can be purchased at cmzoo.org.

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Are they rabbits? Deer? Jackalopes?

None of the above! Patagonian maras are rodents native to South America. They are part of the cavy family and are related to capybaras and guinea pigs. Four-month-old mara siblings, Poa (male) and Briza (female), recently moved into their new home in My Big Backyard. The friendly duo is quickly stealing hearts with their energetic leaps, adorable dirt baths and whiskered snoots. Visit Poa and Briza during your next visit to My Big Backyard!

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World Tree Kangaroo Day is Tues., May 21, and we have an exciting day of activities planned in Australia Walkabout to help raise awareness for tree kangaroo conservation.

Only about 2,500 Matschie’s tree kangaroos remain in the wild in their only known habitat: The Huon Peninsula of northeastern Papua New Guinea. Threatened by logging and mining exploration, the marsupial arboreal species is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

At CMZoo, we support the Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Plan (SSP) by providing a home and care for tree kangaroos that don’t have current breeding recommendations, like Som. While Som receives quality care, she’s also contributing to the conservation of her species by inspiring and educating guests.

Check out some of the fun activities we have planned for World Tree Kangaroo Day!

  • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – join us for family activities in Scutes Family Gallery:
    – Coloring pages
    – Paper masks
    – Button making
    – Simulated pouch peek activity (find an imitation tree kangaroo joey in a pouch replica)
    – “Walk like a tree kangaroo” activity
  • 11 a.m. – keeper talk at the Matschie’s tree kangaroo exhibit in Australia Walkabout.
  • 1 p.m. – puppet show in Safari Cabin (near the entrance to the Sky Ride).

This event and all activities are included in the price of your daytime admission to CMZoo.
Please note: advance tickets to the Zoo are required for members and the general public, and some days may sell out. Get tickets at cmzoo.org.

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Amur leopard brothers, Basha and Mango, are quickly growing in size and skill. The 9-month-old brothers are about the same size as their parents, Anya and Anadyr, and eagerly participate in fun enrichment and important training sessions.

While there aren’t any current plans for Basha and Mango to leave CMZoo, their care team is working alongside other zoos and partners to develop a program designed to successfully prepare big cats for transportation to a new accredited facility, if and when the need arises. Basha and Mango are helping spearhead that program, which Asian Highlands keepers will share with other zoos for the welfare of all big cats on the move. Basha and Mango currently still spend most of their time with their mother, Anya. As part of this program, they are also starting to explore spaces without her and participating in voluntarily crate training.

Amur leopards are widely known as the rarest big cats on the planet. Only around 100 individuals remain in the wilds of Eastern Russia and China. CMZoo’s four Amur leopards represent four percent of the wild population. Helping Basha and Mango master the skills needed to successfully adapt to a new home in the future will hopefully give them the opportunity to breed and have families of their own, increasing the number of Amur leopards in the world.

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Slender-tailed meerkat mom, Hullabaloo, and dad, Sage, have their paws full with two tiny, fluffy and squeaky bundles of joy. On March 2, the first-time parents welcomed their babies to their cozy behind-the-scenes den in Encounter Africa. Hullabaloo and Sage are adapting to parenting like pros and their brand-new family is bonding well.

The little ones are hitting all the meerkat milestones, like nursing, opening their eyes, and exploring with mom and dad. As long as the pups and new parents continue to do well – and weather is warm enough – they could start exploring outside in the next few weeks. Guests can keep an eye out for the young family in the west meerkat habitat in Encounter Africa.

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