MUZIKI WAS THE OLDEST GIRAFFE IN THE CMZOO HERD, AND THE FIFTH OLDEST IN HUMAN CARE IN THE COUNTRY – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo said a grateful goodbye to Muziki (pronounced moo ZEE-key), a 27-year-old female reticulated giraffe, on Fri., March 13, 2026. After a quick decline in her health due to age related issues including bone density loss in her jaw, her care team made the difficult but compassionate decision to euthanize her. She was the oldest giraffe in the CMZoo herd and the fifth oldest female reticulated giraffe in the country.

Muziki was born at CMZoo, and she would have turned 28 years old on April 3, 2026. The median life expectancy for a female giraffe in human care is 20 years, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

“I’ll remember her as a leader in the herd,” Kacie Meffley, giraffe animal care manager, says. “She was gentle and confident. She taught newborn calves and giraffe who moved to our Zoo how to be giraffe at CMZoo because the herd would naturally follow her lead.”

Muziki also taught people. She was eager to participate in training, and her care team often relied on her skills at giraffe care workshops, hosted by the International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe at CMZoo. When giraffe care teams from other organizations want to learn about giraffe care, they can attend the workshops and work directly with the CMZoo giraffe care team and herd to learn skills they can take home to benefit the giraffe in their care.

“Muziki was the herd matriarch, and giraffe and humans alike worked to earn her respect,” Kacie says. “She wouldn’t let just anyone train with her, so once you earned her trust and respect, it felt pretty special. I remember one day, when we were applying an ointment to her joints to help with arthritis. She would step away when others approached, but she stood perfectly still for me to do it. That’s when I knew we had formed a real bond.”

Supporting animals through their senior years is a privilege, and the giraffe care team provided excellent care for Muziki through the end of her life. The Zoo aims to give animals their Last Best Day, with a goal to find the best possible timing to say goodbye while giving the animal as many fulfilling days as they can.

“Muziki’s last best day was spent doing her favorite things, enjoying the sunshine outside and receiving lettuce from guests, volunteers and staff,” Kacie says. “At the end of the day, she had the entire barn, with lots of choices to rest on sand or participate in enrichment while she spent time with other giraffe and staff.”

Muziki’s death comes just five days after the death of Mashama, a 15-year-old reticulated giraffe who passed away on Sunday. Yesterday, Bob Chastain, CMZoo President & CEO, addressed the difficult week in a letter to CMZoo members.

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 2025, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was voted #2 Best Zoo in North America and CMZoo’s Rocky Mountain Wild was named #2 Best Zoo Exhibit in North America by USA TODAY’s 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. Since 2008, CMZoo’s Quarters for Conservation program has raised more than $6 million dedicated to frontline conservation efforts around the world. Of the 237 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.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo staff and giraffe fans around the world are remembering Mashama (pronounced muh-SHAW-muh), an older male giraffe who passed away early Sunday morning. He experienced sporadic ‘off’ days with bouts of lethargy and decreased appetite over the past few months, but he was still having far more good days than bad ones. Despite consistent care and monitoring, and weekly diagnostics, no patterns or causes for his ‘off’ days were clear. He passed away somewhat unexpectedly around 1 a.m. MT on Sun., March 8, 2026.

Mashama would have turned 16 years old on March 23, the median life expectancy for a male giraffe in human care. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is now home to 15 giraffe, including Jasiri, a breeding bull who is visiting from Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. Forty percent of the herd is either approaching, at or beyond the median life expectancy for giraffe in human care.

Mashama was born at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and made millions of connections with visitors, fans online and staff over the years.

Amy Schilz, senior animal behaviorist at the International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe at CMZoo, worked with Mashama for 13 years.

“He’s always been so gentle,” Amy says. “He was eager to please and eager to train. I’ll remember him as a calm, steady and gentle soul who absolutely loved training.”

He was easy to identify in the herd because his coat was lighter than most and he had a unique way of chewing with his mouth wide open. He was one of the tallest giraffe in the herd, and he would use his size and confidence to shift to the front of the herd to take lettuce from guests. If you have a selfie with a giraffe who’s chewing with his mouth open, that’s likely Mashama, Mash, Mash-Man or Mash Potato, as his keepers endearingly called him.

“Mashama was the best friend you could ask for on a hard day,” Amy says. “With his quiet presence, it felt like he somehow knew you needed him. He would come over, gently press his face against yours, breathe out slowly and simply stand there while you petted him. Most of the other giraffe expect food if you want to touch them, but not Mash. He just wanted to be close and spend time with you.”

Mashama was an important part of the herd. He was always the last one to shift into the barn from the main yard each night. He would make sure the entire herd came in first, and only then would he run from the main yard into the building.

“He loved the babies and the babies loved him,” Amy says. “Young calves would follow him around and peek out from under his huge legs. They must have felt safe with him.”

Many fans called him ‘Uncle Mashama’ because he was playful and gentle with new giraffe calves, often standing over them in the yard as they learned to navigate the outdoor space with the large herd. Just after the three-minute mark in this video, you can see Mashama excitedly meeting now 5-year-old BB during her first yard adventure in 2020. In his younger years, he would get the zoomies and encourage the whole herd to run around. As he got older, the zoomies happened less frequently, but his excitable spirit remained.

When Mashama wasn’t relaxing with the herd in the Colorado sunshine, getting lettuce snacks from guests or helping youngsters settle in, he was a powerhouse in the training barn. Positive reinforcement and cooperative care allow animals to participate in procedures that would otherwise require anesthesia – always risky for any animal. As with all positive reinforcement training at CMZoo, Mashama always had the choice to walk away from sessions without consequence, but he nearly always chose to stay and participate.

“When we have giraffe training workshops, Mashama was our go-to giraffe for helping giraffe caretakers learn how to perform hoof care and blood draws,” Amy says. “He was so stellar that he’d allow people he’d never met to learn these important skills with him so they could help their own giraffe.”

Mashama was a pioneer in giraffe husbandry care, eagerly participating in training and treatment sessions with his care team. In 2019, he fractured his foot when a particularly frolic-filled day in the yard ended in a stumble. To help mend his fracture, he received an innovative orthopedic shoe, and he stood still to have the shoe fitted.

To assist in healing, he trailblazed giraffe care again, by being the only known giraffe to receive multiple stem cell treatments while fully awake. He participated in acupuncture and laser therapy. He lived well for several more years thanks to this technology and his incredible enthusiasm to participate in these sessions.

He participated in cooperative blood draws. His team would gather blood samples from a vein in his neck while he stood still, getting lots of lettuce and crackers as a reward. That behavior allowed Mashama to contribute to the Giraffe Plasma Bank regularly, supplying emergency blood and plasma for giraffe throughout the country who needed supportive care. He saved many calves’ lives through this contribution, and allowed veterinarians to learn more about giraffe blood testing, which continues to serve giraffe in human care and in the wild.

This week, Amy is teaching a giraffe care workshop at CMZoo, and most of the lessons she will share, she learned alongside Mashama.

“I have a slide about him in my presentations that says, ‘Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear spots,’” Amy says. “He has saved many giraffe lives and taught us so much. He’s a hero.”

Mashama will continue to help people learn about giraffe. Veterinarians will perform a necropsy (an autopsy for animals) and the Giraffe Center team will study his hooves. What they learn will help inform giraffe hoof care and training practices for decades to come.