Bean, our 4-year-old Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth, isn’t just a caramel-colored, upside-down smiling face. She’s an avid explorer and an A+ student with an enviable nap schedule. While sloths are only active for about 4 to 6 hours every day, Bean makes the most of her waking hours. She is very smart and eager to train with her keepers, often offering a behavior before keepers ask.

Trained behaviors like target training and ‘hang out,’ a cue that asks Bean to hang from her back legs and stretch down, are important for daily exercise, mental stimulus, routine health checks, and building trust with keepers. Because she picks up on things quickly, the sky is the limit for Bean’s training in the future.

When Bean isn’t in training mode, she is actively exploring her indoor and outdoor spaces, using ropes or the rafters. Bean is very curious and creative; you may notice some pink and blue spots on Bean’s fur from recent paintings she participated in for enrichment.

While sloths are adorable and look perfectly snuggle-able, the best way to love them is to observe them from a distance or up-close with respect for their personal space, under the supervision of professional keepers. You can find Bean taking a nap under her heat lamp, exploring The Loft’s highest perches, snoozing in her hammock, hanging out under her tree or training with her keepers.

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The first signs of a longtime vision to move the main road within the Zoo are starting to take shape at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The second week in July 2023, crews will bring in the heavy equipment to begin excavating the far edge of the play hill yard to make way for a brand-new road.

“We’re really excited to see this extensively planned project start to come to life,” said Dave Ruhl, vice president of operations at CMZoo. “Other than moving the carousel – which we know many of our guests and members will miss until it reopens later this year – this initial phase of construction should not impact our guests.”

For now, guests might see some extra fencing and construction going on near the center of the Zoo, but guest pathways and animal exhibits will not be impacted during this first phase, which is expected to last until fall or winter 2023. The play hill and eateries will also remain open. Looking for Carousel Sweets, the red trolley formerly next to the carousel? That amenity moved to the walkway above Australia Walkabout a couple of months ago.

“We’re working really hard to balance giving everyone an awesome summer experience at the Zoo while we get started on these needed improvements,” said Ruhl. “Growing pains are real, and we appreciate everyone’s support and enthusiasm as we take this on together.”

The historic carousel will be disassembled at the beginning of July. Guests and members who want to use all of their frequent rider punch cards should do so by July 4, 2023. After that, teams will move the carousel to its safe storage for the summer. Guests should be back in the saddle by winter 2023-2024.

“If you’ve ever managed a construction or remodeling project, you know that there are a lot of constantly changing factors,” said Ruhl. “We’re staying flexible and will make adjustments to the plan as needed. Our goal is to do this safely, quickly and with the lowest possible impact to our guests and animals.”

The new road within the Zoo, which will largely serve Zoo staff and Shrine visitors, will eventually replace a large portion of the main road adjacent to the giraffe yard. Currently, guests and vehicles share that road from African Rift Valley to Australia Walkabout. For now, the main road will continue to be used without guest interruptions while the new road is created.

The new main road will one day span from the guest parking lot below the Zoo, on the existing road behind Water’s Edge: Africa and Primate World, next to the Cozy Goat and along the far edge of the play hill yard, to meet up with the current main road. The main road below the elephant bull statue is set to become additional animal space.

These improvements are part of a huge undertaking to elevate our guests’ experiences at the Zoo. It’s in part funded by the ELEVATE Capital Campaign to update the Zoo’s admissions plaza, better manage traffic within the Zoo, and expand animal areas. Stay tuned to CMZoo’s social media channels for updates.

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Elo and Anja, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s vivacious ring-tailed lemur twins, turn two years old on Tues., July 11! They may be the youngest residents on Lemur Island, but they have leadership in their lineage, thanks to their respect-commanding mother, Allagash, and the fascinating hierarchy of lemurs.

“Allagash is kind of the queen of Lemur Island,” said Courtney Rogers, senior keeper in Water’s Edge: Africa. “So, it’s not too far-fetched to say her kids would be the prince and princess. Female lemurs typically sit at the top of the hierarchy in lemur groups. Allagash and her sister Rogue have always outranked Hercules, their male mate and the twins’ father. Now that the island youngsters are getting bigger, it’s pretty clear that Anja is embracing her role as second-in-command.”

When it’s dinner time, Allagash eats first and allows only her kids to sit close enough to join her for the first-round snacks. Anja will help her mom chase the others away if they feel like they aren’t getting the best possible food options, best places to sunbathe, most interesting enrichment items or enough space to themselves. Of course, keepers make sure there’s plenty to go around to the whole group. Elo, Anja’s male twin, and their half-brother Maky, seem to mirror their dad, Hercules’ personality, and go with the flow. Rogue is more laid back than Allagash, which works for their group dynamic.

“Our group has its hierarchy well established, and they are so sweet with each other,” said Rogers. “All six of them will pile into the same hammock and wrap their tails around each other to snooze peacefully, or sit in a big line to groom each other, which is a sign of a tightly bonded group. The half-siblings, Elo, Anja and Maky, love to chase, leap and wrestle around together.”

Anja, who is the smallest lemur in the group, has a lot of heart. She is usually right at Hercules’ side when he calls the family together with a contact “howl”, and is often the first to add her vocal talent to his. Ring-tailed lemurs use over two dozen unique vocalizations, so Anja and Elo have been practicing their calls to communicate with family members. They are both very observant and have a great vantage point from high in the treetops, so they’ll let everyone know if they see anything that might be out of the ordinary. Maky, Allagash, Rogue, and Hercules come to investigate and join in, and practicing a synchronized family chorus helps their bond grow even stronger. Then, it’s back to napping, snacking and playing.

“They love turning our ideas for enrichment into even-better activities,” said Rogers. “We got them a knotted rope hammock recently and Elo, Anja, and Maky had such a great time jumping in and out that it started looking more like a vertical mesh ladder than a hammock. They quickly invented a new game, and we watched them leap to the top of the newly-imagined ladder and somersault back down over and over again. It’s always a fun surprise to see how the lemurs are going to interact with their surroundings. They have so much energy and they’re great innovators!”

The high-energy, high-climbing, beautifully bonded family will surely keep all party goers in good spirits as the whole Water’s Edge: Africa family celebrates the twins.

Mark your calendars for 10 a.m. to noon on Tues., July 11, and get advance e-tickets to join in the festivities. The birthday party will be at the hippo pool in Water’s Edge: Africa, where our partners at Children’s Hospital Colorado, will bring a very special pair of 2-year-old twins who will celebrate their own birthday!

Join us for these fun activities from 10 a.m. until noon!
— Visit our docent booth with animal biofacts to learn more about the natural world.
— Make the twins a birthday card!
— Visit Children’s Colorado’s photo booth – complete with lemur-themed photo props!
— Visit Children’s Colorado’s coloring station.
11 a.m. — Enjoy a lemur keeper talk outside Lemur Island.
11:30 a.m. — Watch special guests from Children’s Colorado give a birthday treat to our lemurs.
11:45 a.m. — Sing “Happy Birthday” to the lemurs and our special guests, who are also twins!

While all birthday party activities are included in daytime admission, advance Zoo tickets are required. You can get your tickets at cmzoo.org.

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Give these two new residents your warmest welcome and step into the Quiet Zone at the beaver pond! The beaver pond by The Lodge at Moose Lake is home to two brand-new furry and adorable friends! One-year-old American beavers, Squash and Hashbrown, recently moved in with our 15-year-old beaver, Acorn. While they are still settling in and adjusting to life at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, they are quickly becoming more confident, and have made fast friends with Acorn, who is showing them the ropes. While their keepers have high hopes for their future endeavors as ambassadors, trust is being established between the new beavers and the keeper team.

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Our 6-week-old Amur leopard cubs are doing great behind the scenes! Join Asian Highlands Lead Keeper, Basia, for an update on the two cubs’ following mom, getting more mobile, and communicating by making the cutest cub calls you’ve ever heard! Once they show keepers they’re mobile and comfortable enough to explore outside where guests can see them, we will share that update on our social media channels.

Anya is an attentive mother, showing patience and leadership to her offspring. Her team has been working to support Anya and bring healthy cubs to the world for years, and Anya’s two previous litters were stillborn. Those experiences were difficult, and they serve as important reminders of just how delicate the breeding and rearing process can be. Anya and her care team have shown perseverance through their commitment to contributing to the Amur Leopard Species Survival Plan because Amur leopards are the rarest big cats on the planet, with only around 100 individuals left in the wild. We appreciate your support, which allows us to continue this important work to save species.

The cubs have not been named yet, and two incredible donors who made generous contributions to the Zoo will get the honor! We will share the cubs’ names as soon as we have them. Because the cubs and Anya are doing so well, we have not needed to intervene, so we have not confirmed the cubs’ sexes or weights.

Keep up with the cubs and see previous updates at cmzoo.org/cubs.

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There are some new whiskers, feathers and wings for you to visit in My Big Backyard on your next CMZoo adventure. Stop by and say hello to the 2-month-old guinea fowl chick (known as a keet), honeybees, African fruit chafer beetles, 3-month-old rats and extinct-in-the-wild Simandoa cave roaches!

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Petrie’s and Layla’s charming antics, from their playful foot-slaps to their enthusiastic enrichment tossing, make it impossible not to adore them.

Our Abyssinian (Northern) ground hornbills have been spending a lot of time exploring their unique home! Their exhibit was inspired by a real-life shop near our conservation partner Tsavo Trust in Kenya, showcasing the coexistence of humans and animals in rural Africa.

Hornbills are curious and intelligent creatures, and they love to investigate everything in their sight. This can lead to human-wildlife conflicts in their native environment. Hornbills tend to break windows during breeding season because they think their reflection is a competing bird. Painting windows, putting mesh in front of windows and using unbreakable materials are some solutions to this problem. Locals are working with conservationists to catch and relocate problem birds.

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Last month, 7-year-old male African lion, Boma, moved to San Diego Zoo Safari Park after living with his brother, Aslan, for about five years. With Boma leaving for a new social group, African Rift Valley keepers are working to provide Aslan with new social opportunities here at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Four African lions currently live at CMZoo: the aging parents, Abuto and Lomela, their daughter, Elsa, and their son, Aslan. The long-term plan is for Elsa and Aslan to share space, with interbreeding preventions in place, and for Lomela and Abuto to share space. The introduction plan will be ongoing, so guests may see groups of two or three lions together as the care team works to support the changes in the pride.

Keepers say Aslan is doing well in his brother’s absence, but they have noticed some changes to his behaviors. He has started playing with enrichment more, which he didn’t do as much when he lived with Boma. His brother was more dominant, which meant Aslan didn’t always get as much time with enrichment before Boma began to resource-guard it, as leading lions instinctually do. Their leader/follower relationship also meant Aslan found confidence by following in Boma’s footsteps.

“Maybe Aslan’s new playful behavior and his tendency to be submissive will be a great fit for Elsa, who is fast and loud in every way possible,” said Kelsey Newman, keeper in African Rift Valley. “Elsa loves to pounce, play, wrestle and roar. She seems really excited to see Aslan again, but we want to take things slowly so she doesn’t overwhelm him with her enthusiasm.”

Aslan and Elsa lived together for a couple of years when they were little, and they take turns rotating in and out of spaces at the Zoo. They’re familiar with each other’s scents and sounds. But, they haven’t shared space in around five years. Big cat introductions are always risky, but so far their ‘howdies’ have been positive.

Howdies are opportunities for animals to see, smell and hear each other with a protective barrier between them. For Elsa and Aslan, they’re seeing each other from separate rooms with a 3-foot hallway between their spaces, so they’re not sharing a fence yet. To make howdies and introductions go smoother, keepers will often place a lot of really high-value enrichment items in the area. The intention is to give both parties plenty to do in addition to focusing on each other. For Elsa and Aslan, those items were wooden logs that had been de-barked by the African elephants, mud from the Red River hogs’ habitat, shavings and hay.

“When we invited Aslan and Elsa into their separate howdy rooms, they immediately ran to where they could see each other,” said Newman. “They usually love those smelly enrichment items, but they totally ignored them. Elsa was more intense about it and Aslan took the submissive role, which we expected. It’s still early days, but we’re happy with how it’s going so far.”

After a little while together, Aslan went outside in his side yard and took a nap. He was heard making what keepers call ‘baby noises’ or little chirps and chuffs to his sister. Elsa returned to her parents, where she playfully head-bumped Lomela then rolled over to pull on her dad, Abuto’s, mane.

Before taking next steps, keepers want to see calmer behaviors between the two lions. Experience tells them that the more the two see each other, the less they’ll react to each other. Once energy levels are appropriate, the siblings will continue howdies with a fence between them, and move on from there.

“We know these lions,” said Newman. “They know their habitats, and they know how to communicate with their keepers, so we can respond quickly if we see signs of discomfort. They’re aware of and familiar with each other. We feel confident in the decisions we’re making, and we’ll continue listening to the lions to set them up for the best chance at this ideal social setup for the whole group.”

While howdies and introductions continue, guests might notice post-excitement behaviors, like pacing or panting. Keepers are monitoring the lions extra closely to ensure they’re comfortable and confident as they rekindle their close sibling relationship.

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Mila, a female Amur tiger, turned two years old behind the scenes on May 1, 2023, and Asian Highlands keepers had more than one reason to celebrate. Her second birthday seemed to be a turning point for the tentative tiger, who arrived at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in March 2023.

“It feels like we’re finally getting to know Mila, and wow, she’s fierce, and she’s smart,” said Basia Dann, lead keeper in Asian Highlands. “She catches on really quickly. Once you’ve gained her trust, she’s excited to see you and will come over to hang out near you. I’ll go back there with her food bin, and she’ll lie down, put her ears forward and look up at me with her big beautiful eyes. She’s patient while I get a meatball on the tongs and feed her through the fence, and not all tigers are so gracious. She also does an adorable little prance trot between us when we’re training. She’s great.”

Mila was born at Toronto Zoo (TZ) and lived with her mother, Mazy, until earlier this year, when TZ said Mila and Mazy started showing signs they wanted their own space. Around that age, Amur tigers in the wild set off on their own and live mostly solitary lives. CMZoo accepted a future breeding recommendation for Mila and worked with the Amur Tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP) to make a home for her on the mountain.

When Mila first arrived at CMZoo, she did not want anyone to approach her space, which made building a trusting relationship challenging. Luckily for Mila, she has a compassionate, tenacious, patient and talented team of keepers on her side. CMZoo’s dedicated tiger team met with animal behavior experts within and outside of the Zoo to help Mila settle in. Mila’s team met multiple times per week to review her progress and discuss any new lessons learned to constantly update her care plan with her best opportunities for success.

“The first month was a big transition for Mila,” said Dann. “Animals are individuals with unique backgrounds, experiences and tendencies, so we expect them to acclimate to new environments differently. We spent the first few weeks letting her know that she has choices, she is in control of her environment, and she can be confident knowing that we’re not going to rush her into anything before she shows us she’s ready.”

The Asian Highlands team at CMZoo has 48 combined years of experience working closely with a number of tigers over the years. They’ve welcomed tigers from other zoos on moves recommended by the Amur Tiger SSP, like Mila, and they’ve prepared tigers to move to other facilities on those same sorts of recommendations. They leaned on that experience to help Mila settle in.

“It’s an art and a science,” said Dann. “We had a plan in place before Mila arrived, based on what has worked well for other tigers and our knowledge of the species’ tendencies and needs, but we’re also dedicated to listening to our animals and making changes to our plans to best support them as individuals.”

From the moment she arrived, her care team respected Mila when she showed them she wasn’t comfortable with visitors, by growling or jumping. To communicate that they understood what she wanted and respected it, they would leave her space immediately, and try again later. Their intention was to let Mila know that she did not need to have big responses to be heard.

“Our experience told us that she would start to settle down when she recognized that she was in control of the situation, and she did,” said Dann. “We wanted her to learn that we get it. Sometimes you’re going to have big feelings, and we’re always going to respect that. If you want us to go away, we will, and you can tell us in a way that helps you feel calm.”

Mila got it, too. Incrementally, she started reducing her reactions, learning that her keepers were tuned into her. Even a slight lip curl would be seen and respected as a notice for keepers to give her some space. By around her second birthday, she had built such trust in her team that she didn’t feel the need to request space as often. Dann says her proudest moment was one day when keepers went to deliver Mila’s dinner.

“It’s like something really clicked for her that day,” said Dann. “She must have heard us coming, because we went into the building, and she had come out of her den and was waiting for us by the device we use to safely deliver food. She was just sitting there calmly, looking at us with her big adorable eyes, not making a sound at all, and waiting patiently. It was a big moment.”

Since then, Mila is making massive progress, and keepers couldn’t be more proud of her. She enjoys exploring outdoors in a side yard, investigating enrichment, and even training. She previously learned an up-and-down behavior at TZ, where she stands on her back legs and reaches up on the fence between her and her keepers, so they can get a good look at her body condition and paws. Recently, she has learned how to translate that behavior to her new space and team at CMZoo. She’s also learning how to shift into different spaces when asked, and she’s even taking rewards directly from keepers, who use tongs to deliver yummy snacks.

“She’s starting to get excited about enrichment we offer her,” said Dann. “She’s comfortable enough to be vulnerable around us, and she knows she is safe to direct her attention to cardboard boxes instead of keeping an eye on us when we’re in the building. We’ve seen her getting playful, and having a spring in her step. When she encounters something new, she does this little head tilt like she’s trying to get a better look at it.”

Next up for Mila: a new swimming pool. Keepers plan to introduce her to new opportunities for enrichment and training as she continues to progress. There’s no timeline for when she’ll be ready to explore the main yard, where guests will be able to see her. But, keepers are excited at the new pace she’s setting for achieving milestones. For now, she’s spending lots of time in her private yard, watching guests on the Sky Ride, soaking up the sunshine, rolling around in the mud and spying on her stripy neighbor, CMZoo’s 8-year-old male Amur tiger, Chewy.

“She can see him through a window in the side yard wall, and she’s very curious,” said Dann. “She has heard him chuff when they’re in separate spaces in the same building, too. She’s so cute. Her head tilts slightly to the side and her ears go forward, like ‘Who’s that?’. She hasn’t talked back yet.”

Howdies – which are opportunities for animals to see each other through a protective barrier as a first step toward introductions – with Chewy won’t likely happen for years because she’s still so young and there’s no immediate need. For now, Mila has plenty of other things to learn and to teach her team about herself.

“She’s going to keep us on our toes, that’s for sure,” said Dann. “I have so much respect for her. Look at what she has accomplished over the past few weeks, and imagine what she’ll do next, now that she knows she’s going to have a life of control, choices, care and hopefully lots of fun with us.”

CMZoo will continue to share updates on Mila as she makes progress, and will let fans know when they can see her in the main yard, when the time is right.

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We are excited to announce the rankings of our annual Member Conservation Vote! When you become a member at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, you get to vote on which conservation projects we support. $75,000 of membership revenue is sent to support employee-championed field conservation partners around the world. Thanks to CMZoo members, five conservation efforts will receive funding.

The Migratory Bird Project, the African Lion Project, the African Penguin Project and the Spotted Owl Project will receive full funding and the Pancake Tortoise Project will receive partial funding. Thanks to CMZoo members for helping protect wildlife and wild places!

If you are interested in becoming a member so you can vote in our future Member Conservation Vote, learn more at cmzoo.org/membership.

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