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Forty Years Since Their Rediscovery, Black-Footed Ferrets Continue Wild Recovery
It’s easy to see why the black-footed ferret (BFF) is considered the ambassador of the prairie ecosystem. With its black-and-white bandit-esque markings, small stature and curious demeanor, many consider this species adorable. That’s true; but they’re also highly trained hunters with a big job: restoring balance in their ecosystem while helping their own species recover . . .
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Palm Oil: The Good, The Bad and The App That Can Help You Save Rainforests
With spooky season just around the corner, many people are stocking up on candy. It may come as a surprise, but the type of candy you purchase has an impact on wild orangutan habitats because it likely contains palm oil. Palm oil is a form of edible vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the . . .
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Tsavo Trust Continues Work to Save Wild Elephants and Rhinos, with CMZoo’s Support
Tsavo Trust is 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. Through the Quarters from Conservation program, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s members and guests have supported Tsavo Trust since May 2016. The organization was founded to help . . .
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CMZoo Tests Grow Pod as Sustainable On-Site Source for Lettuce
Have you noticed the shipping container next to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s historic carousel and wondered what’s going on? CMZoo is planning to grow lettuce using a retired shipping container. But, that’s simplifying things. Inside the modified shipping container’s sturdy walls lies a high-tech, energy efficient, and bio-safe grow house. It’s hard to find a project . . .
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25 Years of Saving a Species: CMZoo Conservation Team Releases Wyoming Toads and Tadpoles into the Wild
June is an exciting time in the Laramie Basin of Wyoming. Every year, our dedicated team of conservationists travels at the crack of dawn to this special place to release toads they’ve been raising for a year, and tadpoles recently hatched at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Earlier this month, they released 220 ‘headstart’ toads and this . . .
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Golden Years: Mexican Wolf Matriarch, Luna, Ages with Esteem
Wolf Woods is arguably the wildest place at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Seven Mexican wolves, led by 13-year-old matriarch, Luna, roam the expansive yard which was designed to preserve our wolves’ wild instincts as much as possible. As part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP), they or their . . .
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CMZoo Announces 2021 Member Vote Conservation Funding Recipients
Last month, members cast their votes to help the Zoo decide how to spend $75,000 of member conservation funds among five conservation projects vying for support. The three projects with the most votes will receive the full funding they requested. The number of votes received for the remaining two projects will help CMZoo decide how . . .
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CMZoo Member Conservation Vote Presents Opportunities to Fund New Projects and Ongoing Partnerships
Every membership and every visit to the Zoo is conservation in action. Since 2015, including this year’s contributions, the Member Conservation Vote has provided $525,000 of membership revenue to support field conservation worldwide. Each year, a total of $100,000 of membership revenue is contributed to conservation in two ways: “Our members are passionate about conservation . . .
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Cofan, Male Mountain Tapir, Recovering from Kidney Removal Surgery
Cofan, our 17-year-old male mountain tapir, is recovering from having a kidney removed in mid-February. In December 2020, his keepers noticed he was starting to act unusually and that his symptoms were progressing quickly. He was uncoordinated, was not shifting to his outdoor yard, and was eating less and losing weight. “Cofan is normally eager . . .
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Work to Protect Wild Okapi Continues Thanks to CMZoo Members
Found in the heart of one of the most biologically diverse areas in all of Africa, okapi have only been widely documented in science since 1901. Threatened by habitat destruction, mining, poaching and civil unrest, there may be as few as 10,000 left in the wild. Okapi are only found in the rainforests of the . . .