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SEVEN NIGHTS OF SPOOKY FUN STARTS THIS WEEKEND, CONTINUES NEXT WEEKEND AND ENDS ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT! – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo, kicks of Fri., Oct. 17! Around 20,000 community members are expected to enjoy the festivities over seven nights of spooky fun.

Boo at the Zoo is Oct. 17-19 and 24-26, plus Halloween night, Fri., Oct. 31, from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Advance timed e-tickets are required and available at cmzoo.org/boo. Capacity is limited and some nights are close to selling out.

In addition to visiting select animal exhibits and trick-or-treating at 20+ stations throughout the Zoo, attendees can enjoy frightfully fun attractions including scheduled animal demonstrations, all-evening giraffe and budgie feeding, a kid-friendly spooky haunted house, brand-new giant wooden pumpkins, Pirates’ Cove and handmade spooky decorations around the Zoo. Attendees can also enjoy rides on the Mountaineer Sky Ride and carousel, weather permitting.

An elephant-sized amount of candy (4.5 tons) will be handed out at trick-or-treat stations throughout the Zoo. Candy is purchased from companies that are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and have committed to using sustainable palm oil for the protection of orangutan habitats in the wild.

Orangutan fans can support companies that have committed to using responsibly sourced palm oil by downloading the free globally available mobile app, PalmOil Scan. The mobile app allows shoppers to scan product barcodes and see immediately how that company ranks in prioritizing sustainable palm oil. Learn more at cmzoo.org/palmoil.

Boo at the Zoo is an important fundraiser for the Zoo, which doesn’t receive any tax support. Attendance helps support animal care, conservation and Zoo operations and improvements.

The Zoo will close for daytime admission on Boo dates at 3 p.m. Boo at the Zoo will go on – rain, snow or shine. Be sure to bundle up on cold nights and enjoy a fall Colorado evening on the mountain!

HALLOWEEN-THEMED ANIMAL ENRICHMENT AND DEMONSTRATIONS:

HALLOWEEN NIGHT AND FRIDAYS – Oct. 17 and 24
5 p.m. – African Lion Keeper Talk (Lion Relaxation Room, African Rift Valley)
6:30 p.m. – Hippo Keeper Talk and Feeding (inside hippo building, Water’s Edge: Africa)
SATURDAYS – Oct. 18 and 25
5 p.m. – Meerkat Enrichment (meerkat yard between giraffe and African lions, African Rift Valley)
6:30 p.m. – Elephant Keeper Talk (inside elephant barn, Encounter Africa)
SUNDAYS – Oct. 19 and 26
5 p.m. – African Lion Keeper Talk (Lion Relaxation Room, African Rift Valley)
6:30 p.m. – Hippo Keeper Talk and Feeding (inside hippo building, Water’s Edge: Africa)

COSTUME REQUIREMENTS
For the safety and comfort of all guests, full-face costume masks and costume weapons may not be worn by guests 12 years of age or older. Masks worn by guests 11 years of age and younger must have openings that allow the eyes to be seen and that do not obstruct peripheral vision. Balloons are not allowed inside the Zoo (even as part of a costume) for the safety of our animals and wild animals.

FAST FACTS
Boo at the Zoo at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Dates: Oct. 17-19, 24-26 and 31
4 to 8:30 p.m.
Advance timed e-tickets are required.
www.cmzoo.org/boo

Boo at the Zoo is possible thanks to our generous partners, Black Bear diner, Blue Federal Credit Union, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Les Schwab Tires, Navy Federal Credit Union, Sturgeon Electric and Your Colorado Springs Toyota dealers.

Celebrate our seventeen ‘flockstars’ on International African Penguin Awareness Day (IAPAD), on Sat., Oct. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Zoo! You won’t want to miss six-month-old Sparrow’s very first IAPAD!

Penguin enthusiasts can join us in Water’s Edge: Africa for crafts, games, and other activities available throughout the day. Don’t miss the keeper demonstrations during penguin feeding times at 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., as well as a walkabout with a penguin named Napoleon at 11 a.m. There’s no cost to attend IAPAD events, but advance daytime admission tickets are required and can be purchased at cmzoo.org.

In 2024, African penguins were officially uplisted to ‘critically endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with the number of wild breeding pairs falling below 10,000.

If current trends continue, these charismatic birds could be extinct in the wild by 2035. The wild African penguin population is dropping at a rate of nearly 8 percent per year, but thanks to support from CMZoo members and guests, these charismatic birds have a better chance of survival in the wild. Conservationists, with support from CMZoo members and guests, provide hope.

Since 2010, CMZoo members and guests have contributed more than $$200,000 to Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB saves seabirds) in support of African penguin conservation.

In 2020, the Zoo deepened its commitment by joining AZA African Penguin SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction), a collaborative program supported by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Every visit to CMZoo is conservation in action, because every visit and every membership contributes around one million dollars every 20 months to the Zoo’s Quarters for Conservation program, supporting efforts to save wildlife around the world.

Back to The Waterhole

THE SIX-YEAR-OLD SLOTH PASSED AWAY ON WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24, DUE TO HEART DISEASE – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is reflecting on the impact that Bean, a Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth who lived in The Loft, made on members, guests and staff. Bean passed away on Wed., Sept. 24 after a short illness.

Last week, Bean lost her appetite and was ‘off,’ so she went to the Zoo’s veterinary hospital for supportive treatment and bloodwork, which revealed kidney disease. By Wednesday, her kidney levels had improved due to her care team’s support, but Bean unfortunately passed away unexpectedly that evening. On Thursday, a necropsy (an animal autopsy) revealed significant heart disease, which did not present heart-specific symptoms that would lead to heart testing in such a young sloth.

Bean was born on May 14, 2019, in Monkey Pavilion, which used to sit where the Zoo’s playhills are now. A guest favorite from the start, she was the first sloth born at the Zoo in 15 years, and she was born in view of a few lucky visitors who happened to be in the right place at the right time.

In her first few months, she allowed guests and staff to feed her grapes, which she eagerly took, exposing her adorable bright pink tongue. She was extremely outgoing, appearing on several local television stations who sent crews out to meet her.

When Bean reached maturity, she moved to The Loft, where she quickly connected with guests who could look up to see her as she explored the rafters overhead. The confident and curious sloth had been known to temporarily snag a guest’s hat or two from her overhead vantage point.

“Sloths have a reputation for being slow, but Bean was pretty fast when she wanted to be,” Jackie Watson, senior animal keeper in The Loft, says. “I loved when she’d climb right in front of our ‘Welcome to The Loft’ sign, like she was our guests’ official welcome sloth. People would always ask with excitement, ‘Is that sloth real?’ and then we’d get to tell them all about her and her species.”

She had an endearing mischievous and adventurous side, but her keepers will remember her as focused, self-aware and incredibly intelligent.

“It’s my passion to connect people with animals, and Bean made my work easy,” Jackie says. “She had such a knack for it that I could sit back and watch her work her magic, with very little input needed from me. I think she had such good energy because she had good boundaries. If a group of guests wasn’t interacting with her to her preferences, she wouldn’t hesitate to just leave. I aspire to her level of genuine connection, intelligence and spunk.”

Bean’s intelligence was groundbreaking. She knew how to enter a crate voluntarily, position herself for visual health checks, and she was close to perfecting a cooperative blood draw – unheard of in sloth care as far as her care team knows.

She was also the only sloth in the Zoo’s history to perfect painting. Keepers fixed a paintbrush to a stick that Bean could hold in one hand while she hung upside down. They would hold a canvas near Bean, and she would paint on the canvas and receive her favorite snacks – hard-boiled eggs and primate biscuits — as rewards for participating. Many guests over the years enjoyed painting sessions with Bean, or purchased artwork created by Bean to support the Zoo’s animal care.

“When she first moved to The Loft, I started training her to paint so we had more opportunities to bond,” Cassie Spero, senior animal keeper in The Loft, says. “A couple of months later, she was swiping a paint brush on canvases, my hands, and often her face. We bonded so much that whenever I was training a skunk, owl, or porcupine, she would wake up, climb to wherever I was, and hang down from the ropes to interrupt my other training sessions. Bean helped shape my career, and I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know her.”

In addition to painting sessions, Bean was part of countless marriage proposals, birthdays, anniversaries and just-because special encounters inside and outside of The Loft. She loved the sunshine, and Bean’s team worked to extend her rope system outside to the front porch of The Loft so she could enjoy it frequently.

“On sunny days, we’d open up the doors and I’d hang out with her in the sunshine,” Alia Cooper, senior animal keeper in The Loft, says. “Her body would totally relax while she soaked up the sunshine, and I loved getting to tell people about her as they walked by. People would come to The Loft to see her, and she opened the door for people to stay and learn about reptiles and smaller animals that they might not otherwise visit.”

Bean made a lasting impact and will be deeply missed. Her father, Bosco (33), her half-sister, Olive (9 months) and Olive’s mom, Asyan (10), live in Scutes Family Gallery.

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 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 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 to fund animal care, conservation, Zoo operations and improvements.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is inviting guests to help name Asha’s gorilla baby while fundraising for the new Primate World! Asha, a 32-year-old critically endangered Western lowland gorilla, gave birth to an adorable baby boy on Mon., July 21, 2025. It had been nearly 13 years since a gorilla was born at CMZoo.

A $5 minimum donation is required to participate in the vote, and every donation supports a brand-new home for gorillas, orangutans and more! In addition to helping make history by naming this little one, every dollar raised will fund historic improvements to great ape habitats at CMZoo.

“We’re so excited for this little guy to finally have a name,” says Ashton Asbury, Primate World animal keeper. “It’s so great that our guests have fallen head over heels for him and now get to be part of his story while also supporting a great cause.”

Participants can donate any amount starting at $5 until Thurs., Oct. 9, 2025. The name that receives the most combined donations will win! Fans can make their donations and vote at cmzoo.org/babyname.

Primate World gorilla keepers have chosen three names for guests to pick from: Ryder, Sully and Abu.

Ryder — a nod to this baby’s particular skill at riding on his mom’s back from a younger-than-normal age

Sully — in honor of a bright-and-furry character with a heart of gold

Abu — because he’s skilled and loyal, just like a furry friend from the fictional city of Agrabah

A generous donor has agreed to match all donations up to $25,000, so every dollar can make twice the impact. CMZoo is a nonprofit. It is one of very few zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in the country that does not receive tax support. Zoo improvements depend on admissions, programs and generous donations.

“We’re so excited for our community to get involved in naming this adorable baby and in helping provide a new home for his whole family, “ Kelley Parker, senior director of development and marketing at CMZoo, says. “Every dollar donated will not only be matched dollar-for-dollar, it will also go directly toward our fundraising efforts for a spectacular new primate habitat. We love that our entire community — here in Colorado Springs and around the world — can be part of creating something incredible.”

The winning name will be announced at cmzoo.org/babyname, via an email to Zoo members and subscribers and on the Zoo’s social channels on Wed., Oct. 15.

Happy voting — and thank you for supporting Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered in the wild, and their numbers continue to decline. Gorilla fans can help preserve wild gorilla habitats by recycling small electronic devices and cell phones at CMZoo.

In addition to disease and poaching, gorillas face habitat loss due to logging for agricultural use, human settlements and mining. Many of the West African lowland forests and swamps that these animals call home are also natural deposits of coltan, a mineral used in cell phones and other electronics. Due to the ever-increasing demand for cell phones across the world, the destruction of these gorillas’ habitats for mining purposes has unfortunately increased.

Coltan is recyclable, and by donating old cell phones, we can help supply valuable coltan for future phone production. Guests can bring electronics to CMZoo admissions or Primate World, where there’s a recycling collection bin near the gorillas’ indoor dens. CMZoo will send them to Eco-Cell, an organization that recycles the phones, as well as tablets, smart watches, Bluetooth devices, GPS devices, e-readers, digital cameras, handheld gaming systems and their accessories.

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 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 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 to fund animal care, conservation, Zoo operations and improvements.

QUARTERS FOR CONSERVATION PROGRAM HELPS MEMBERS AND GUESTS CONTRIBUTE DIRECTLY TO FRONTLINE CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS WORLDWIDE – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and its members and guests are celebrating a huge milestone, having raised $6 million for wildlife and wild places, since the Zoo’s Quarters for Conservation (Q4C) program launched in 2008.

Every visitor to the Zoo receives three ‘quarter’ tokens representing the 75¢ Q4C allocation from their admission fee. They can then show support for the legacy projects they love by placing their tokens in the corresponding slots in the Q4C kiosks near admissions.

Before launching Q4C in 2008, CMZoo was supporting conservation, but at a fraction of what is possible now. As more people visit the Zoo each year, the Zoo can contribute more money to conservation. In the past few years, CMZoo has collected approximately one million dollars every 20 months through Q4C. The Zoo’s membership, special events, admissions and EdVenture programs also contribute to conservation. CMZoo’s current Q4C beneficiary species include giraffe, Panama frogs, orangutans, black-footed ferrets, African elephants and black rhinos, Wyoming toads and Amur tigers.

About Our Current Q4C Legacy Projects

Q4C beneficiary species truly run the gamut, from 18-foot-tall giraffe in Africa to tiny toads in Wyoming.

Q4C supports Giraffe Conservation Foundation and their efforts to study, protect and grow wild giraffe populations. While CMZoo staff help raise awareness of giraffes’ silent extinction by inspiring guests at the Zoo, Q4C funds on-the-ground giraffe conservation efforts. CMZoo and the Kratt Family Fund (KFF) support efforts such as giraffe translocations to safer habitats, population monitoring and surveying, removal of illegal snare wires and veterinary treatment for giraffe and other wildlife injured by snares. They also provide veterinary support with vehicles and supplies. In addition, CMZoo’s contributions fund critical medications to treat injured animals, giving them a second chance at life.

Q4C also funds CMZoo’s on-site breeding programs for black-footed ferrets and Wyoming toads. These endangered prairie species were declared extinct in the wild in the 1980s and early 1990s, and are only around today because of decades of recovery efforts from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, zoos and partner organizations.

Wyoming toads are like so many amphibian species in decline all over the world, including Panamanian frogs, which also receive support thanks to Q4C funds and CMZoo staff support in the field. CMZoo staff members assist the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project by sharing ideas and information from Wyoming toad breed-and-release efforts, and travel to Panama to help research strategies to reintroduce these endangered amphibians into their natural habitats.

CMZoo’s work to save habitats for orangutans through advocacy for sustainable palm oil production is also largely supported by Q4C. Thanks to that financial support, CMZoo’s sustainable palm oil team consults staff at other conservation organizations on starting their own palm oil programs. The CMZoo sustainable palm oil team continues to focus on international work through the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). The team was instrumental in the creation of WAZA’s PalmOil Scan – a global free sustainable palm oil shopping smartphone app, which allows shoppers to scan the barcodes of items to learn whether producers have committed to using sustainable palm oil – and to choose to support companies that have committed to sourcing sustainable palm oil.

Through Q4C, CMZoo also supports Tsavo Trust – a conservation organization in Kenya that works to protect the last of the big tuskers, which are African elephants with tusks weighing more than 100 pounds, and Eastern black rhinos. CMZoo’s funds helped Tsavo Trust build out their headquarters and provide a clean water source for the local community, who are partners in conservation efforts. It also paid for vital infrastructure for aerial and ground vehicles that rangers use for surveillance that protects rhinos and elephants from illegal hunting, in addition to collecting data on how these endangered giants utilize the habitat.

The seventh Q4C legacy partner is Wildlife Conservation Society, whose dedicated staff work to protect and define secure habitats for wild Amur tigers in Eastern Russia. Amur tigers, previously known as Siberian tigers, are critically endangered. Their numbers in the wild continue to be treacherously low at around 500. CMZoo supports efforts to prevent human-wildlife conflicts as well as anti-poaching efforts and funding for field conservationists to study this species in the wild.

For more information about these projects and Quarters for Conservation, visit cmzoo.org/conservation.

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 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 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 to fund animal care, conservation, Zoo operations and improvements.

MON., SEPT. 8 THROUGH SUN., SEPT. 14, MILITARY FAMILIES CAN ENJOY 50% OFF DAYTIME ADMISSION; SEPT. 11, COMMUNITY INVITED TO SILENT NIGHT AT THE ZOO – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s annual Military Appreciation Week is in full swing, and continues through Sun., Sept. 14, 2025. All active-duty, veteran and retired military members and their dependents who live in the same household can receive 50% off the base Zoo admission cost for the day and time they choose to attend. Timed-entry e-tickets are required and available at cmzoo.org/military.

At Silent Night, on Thurs., Sept. 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the Zoo hosts an evening of peaceful mindfulness in nature. Because this event is during Military Appreciation Week, all active-duty, veteran and retired military personnel and their dependents living in the same household will get 50% off admission to this evening event, too.

Silent Night is just what the name implies: a silent experience at the Zoo, with only the natural sounds of the mountain. Attendees will be asked to silence phones and other noisy devices, and to keep all communication to a whisper. The goal is to create a peaceful environment in natural surroundings, with as little background noise as possible.

Animals will be visible, just like other after-hours events, but there will be no loud speaker announcements, keeper talks, carousel rides, or conversations above a whisper. The Zoo has designated ‘noise-friendly’ buildings available for anyone who needs to take an important phone call, or regroup. The rest of the Zoo will be quiet, and the Zoo will provide small notepads and pens for written communication during the event.

FAST FACTS

Silent Night at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Thursday, Sept. 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Advance tickets are required for members and non-members.

Zoo members receive a $3 discount

Active-duty, retired and veteran military personnel receive a 50% discount

• 5:30 p.m. – Event opens

• 5:30-7:30 p.m. – Animal exhibits open (Primate World will be closed.)

• 5:30-7:30 p.m. – Grizzly Grill open with a limited menu

• 6-7:15 p.m. – Mindful yoga and meditation in Lodge at Moose Lake

• 7:30 p.m. – Event ends

More information and tickets at www.cmzoo.org/silentnight.

FAST FACTS

Military Appreciation Week at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Monday, Sept.8 through Sunday, Sept. 14, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Discount of 50% off base daytime Zoo admission.

Advance tickets are required for members and non-members.

Discount is available to active-duty, veteran or retired military and their immediate family in the same household.

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, Les Schwab Tire Center, Renewal by Andersen and your Colorado Springs Toyota dealers.

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 2024, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was voted #5 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 nearly $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.

Meet Keoki, an 8-year-old female lar gibbon! Keoki (pronounced key-OH-key) recently arrived from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium and is settling into her new home. Already visible to guests in Primate World, her captivating eyes, tiny nose and adorable hairdo are quickly melting hearts.

Keoki is starting to bond with her care team and has already shown interest in training — especially if cherries are on the menu! She will gently take pitted cherries from her care team and make soft cooing sounds while she eats them. One of her favorite spots in her new home is a hammock high up in her habitat, which her care team now calls her ‘throne.’ From there, she likes to watch guests down below.

Inside scoop: A male lar gibbon will soon be joining Keoki in Primate World! Stay tuned for updates.

The arrival of Keoki and the male gibbon support the Gibbon Species Survival Plan, helping to manage a diverse and healthy population in human care while inspiring gibbon preservation for their wild counterparts. Lar gibbons usually live in small family groups made up of a bonded pair and their offspring.

Lar gibbons, also known as white-handed gibbons, are endangered primates native to the tropical forests of Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand. Similar to orangutans, lar gibbons are impacted by unsustainable palm oil production, which has led to deforestation and the loss of their natural habitat. When produced sustainably, palm oil is the most productive edible oil available. Oil palms – the trees that palm oil comes from – produce four to ten times more oil than alternatives like soy, olive, canola and coconut. Switching to these alternatives would cause even more deforestation in tropical areas.

Luckily, you can help save their rainforests from the comfort of your own smartphone. Download the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) free mobile smartphone app, PalmOil Scan, from the Apple App Store or Google Play today. Next time you go shopping, just open your app, scan a product’s barcode, and see how that company ranks. If they haven’t committed to sustainable palm oil, consider instead supporting a similar company that has. This app was developed under the World Association of Zoos & Aquariums (WAZA) and is managed for North America by Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. PalmOil Scan is available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

Download the app today and learn more at cmzoo.org/palmoil.

CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL COLORADO AND CMZOO PARTNER TO CELEBRATE CHILDREN”S COLORADO SPECIAL GUEST AND SLOTH MOM, AYSAN – Although the Colorado Springs community has widely celebrated baby sloth Olive’s birthday and development since she was born in December 2024, it’s time to celebrate her mom, Aysan (pronounced ICE-on)! In partnership with Children’s Hospital Colorado, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is throwing a birthday party for Aysan on Fri., July 25, 2025 – and you’re invited!

All the activities are free, and advance Zoo tickets are required for members and the general public. They’re available at cmzoo.org. If timed advance tickets are sold out, get rideshare tickets at cmzoo.org/rideshare. They’re always available and they’re $5 cheaper than peak-time tickets (they’re still free for Zoo members)!

Aysan’s 10th Birthday Party
Fri., July 25
10 a.m. to noon
Scutes Family Gallery (inside and outside!)
Advance daytime admission to the Zoo is required and limited.

10 a.m. to noon
-Learn about sloths from the amazing team of docents at booths near the sloths.
-Make a birthday card for Aysan!
-Visit the Children’s Colorado photo booth – complete with animal photo props!
-Participate in healthy activities, led by our partners at Children’s Colorado.

10:30 a.m.
Get to know the sloth family during a special sloth keeper talk.

11 a.m.
– Help sing happy birthday to Aysan, and watch a special guest from Children’s Colorado meet Aysan up-close.

“Aysan has been an incredible first-time mom to Olive for the past six months, and we’re excited to welcome everyone to the Zoo to celebrate her double-digit birthday,” Amber Callen-Ward, lead keeper in Scutes Family Gallery, says. “Olive is growing up big and strong, thanks to Aysan’s patient and nurturing mothering style. Aysan even lets Olive eat food right from her mouth.”

Aysan moved to CMZoo to support a breeding recommendation by the Hoffmann’s Two-Toed Sloth Species Survival Plan. She was introduced to Bosco, the Zoo’s long-time male sloth, in June 2023.

With Olive’s birth in December 2024, Bosco, a 33-year-old male Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth, became a second-time dad. His first daughter, 6-year-old Bean, lives in The Loft at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Sloth babies will cling to their mothers for the first several months of their lives, separating only for a few moments to explore the branches around them. Despite getting closer and closer in size, sloth moms are impressive climbers, even with a baby on board.

The birthday party is open to all members and guests with advance tickets to the Zoo, which are available at cmzoo.org. Summer daytime admission sells out fast, so don’t wait long to make your timed ticket reservation! If timed advance tickets are sold out, get rideshare tickets at cmzoo.org/rideshare. They’re always available and they’re $5 cheaper than peak-time tickets (they’re still free for Zoo 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 2024, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was voted #5 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 nearly $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.

There were hushed moments of pure joy at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo this morning, as a small group of Primate World keepers and staff gathered to adore the Zoo’s newest addition: a brand-new gorilla baby bundle of joy born in the early hours of Mon., July 21, 2025.

Asha, a 32-year-old critically endangered Western lowland gorilla, and her new baby seem to be doing well. The baby has hit the milestones that indicate it is strong, including nursing and clinging to its mom.

“Asha is sitting and lying down with the baby and gently patting its back, which is really adorable,” Ashton Asbury, Primate World animal keeper, says. “The baby hangs onto Asha while she’s moving around and she supports it with one hand. They’re bonding really well, and we have seen her licking the baby’s head and grooming it.”

First-time dad, Goma, is showing interest in the baby, too.

“He seems to want to stick close to her and the baby,” Ashton says. “I heard him making happy gorilla grumbles at them, and Asha is doing a good job of showing him the baby while keeping a comfortable distance.”

It has been nearly 13 years since a gorilla was born at CMZoo. This little one is Asha’s third baby and the first for silverback dad, Goma. Asha was born at CMZoo on Oct. 5, 1992. Thirty-four-year-old Goma moved to CMZoo, in 2016, on a breeding recommendation from the Western Lowland Gorilla Species Survival Plan, supported by Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited organizations, including CMZoo.

Primate World is open to the public and will continue to be as long as Asha and the troop continue to do well. Asha’s care team will continue to monitor her and the baby – and the troop’s overall dynamic – and make adjustments as needed.

The sex and weight of the gorilla baby are not known yet. As long as keepers observe that baby and mom are doing well, they will continue to let Asha take the lead on providing care. The baby will likely cling to Asha for the first several weeks, but will start getting to know its dad, Goma, and ‘aunt’ Kwisha (who is unrelated genetically, but grew up with Asha and had a relationship with both of her offspring), as long as Asha is comfortable.

Asha is an experienced mother. She has welcomed two previous babies to the world during her time at CMZoo, both of whom now live in troops at other zoos. Although the goal is to let Asha take the lead on newborn care, her supportive team is ready to help if the need arises. As a first-time dad, Goma has been participating in training with his care team that aims to improve his comfort around the baby.

Following Cheyenne Mountain Zoo tradition, the baby will be named after he or she is at least 30 days old. CMZoo will provide updates on social media channels and in newsletter updates.

Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered in the wild, and their numbers continue to decline. Gorilla fans can help preserve wild gorilla habitats by recycling small electronic devices and cell phones at CMZoo.

In addition to disease and poaching, gorillas face habitat loss due to logging for agricultural use, human settlements and mining. Many of the West African lowland forests and swamps that these animals call home are also natural deposits of coltan, a mineral used in cell phones and other electronics. Due to the ever-increasing demand for cell phones across the world, the destruction of these gorillas’ habitats for mining purposes has unfortunately increased.

Coltan is recyclable, and by donating old cell phones, we can help supply valuable coltan for future phone production. Guests can bring electronics to CMZoo admissions or Primate World, where there’s a recycling collection bin near the gorillas’ indoor dens. CMZoo will send them to Eco-Cell, an organization that recycles the phones, as well as tablets, smart watches, Bluetooth devices, GPS devices, e-readers, digital cameras, handheld gaming systems and their accessories.

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.

ATTENDEES CAN ENJOY SIX LOAL MUSICIANS, UNLIMITED SMALL PLATES, ANIMALS AND INCREDIBLE MOUNTAINSIDE VIEWS – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo will kick off its three-date 21-and-up summer event series, Tails, Tunes & Tastes, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Thurs., July 31. Up on the mountain, the evenings are cool, and this event lineup is even cooler.

There’s nowhere else you can hand-feed a giraffe, have a drink, try a unique food menu, enjoy live music and watch the sunset from the mountainside. This truly unique event is perfect for a girls’ night out, summer work get-together, unique birthday celebration or date night.

The Zoo’s in-house catering team, Taste, provides the small plates. Executive Chef Craig Mears has created a mouthwatering menu for July. Small plates will include Korean beef bao bun, chickpea curry with spiced gremolata, Thai papaya salad, short rib croquette, plantain churros with spiced chocolate sauce, Bambolini doughnut, roasted oyster Rockefeller with cheesy pesto and sundried tomato, and more.

Tickets are $64.75 per person. (Tickets increase $10 on July 31.) Each ticket includes unlimited small plates, so attendees will enjoy delicious bites throughout the night, in addition to two included drinks plus access to cash bars, six local musical acts, and visits to most animal areas. Capacity is limited, so attendees can feel like they have the Zoo to themselves in some locations, while enjoying a livelier atmosphere near live music. Advance tickets are required and available now at cmzoo.org/tails. This event is for adults only, 21-and-up.

Attendees will have a wild night on the mountain for a worthy cause. 75¢ from every Tails, Tunes & Tastes ticket goes to CMZoo’s Quarters for Conservation program, which has raised nearly $6 million for frontline conservation efforts around the world since 2008.

What can you do at Tails, Tunes & Tastes?

• Observe scheduled animal demonstrations and keeper talks.
• Your ticket includes two drink tickets for use at any bar throughout the event. Cash bars are also available.
• Enjoy unlimited chef-created small plates from our custom Tails, Tunes & Tastes menu at our eateries.
• Enjoy local musicians performing throughout the Zoo.
• Visit your favorite animals.
• Watch the sunset from the mountainside.
• Feed the giraffe herd ($3 per lettuce bundle or $5 for two).
• Ride the Sky Ride (weather dependent; $4 for Zoo members, $5 for non-members).

July’s Tails, Tunes & Tastes musical lineup:
• Angel of Harp – Pop/Classical/Celtic
• Danny Trammel – Rock/Country
• Guys on Boxes – Americana/Roots/Bluegrass
• Hot Boots Duo – Country/Pop/Rock/Jazz
• Jason Lee Band – Rock
• Sabrina Rose Duvall – Pop/Rock/Folk

Summer 2025 Tails, Tunes & Tastes dates:

– 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Thurs., July 31

– 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Thurs., Aug. 28

– 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Thurs., Sept. 25

Tails, Tunes & Tastes is presented with support your Colorado Springs Toyota dealers. Thank you, event sponsor!

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 nearly $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.