Last week, Bob introduced you to the newest member of our #CMZoo family, an adorable mountain lion kitten! We may never know this little guy’s full backstory, but what we do know is he was rescued by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officers after being found on a logging road outside of Spokane. Since he would be unable to survive in the wild without his mother at his age, WDFW contacted Oregon Zoo and made arrangements for a short stopover for vaccinations and a health assessment before being transported here. On the evening of June 15th, he arrived at his new home with us. We estimate he’s between six and eight weeks old, based on his weight, size and teeth.

He’s been settling in well since his arrival from Washington. His favorite activities include wrestling with his stuffed bear, chirping, sleeping and eating. He recently graduated from bottle to bowl, making quick work of gobbling up a mix of milk and raw meat. As you can see, it’s a pretty messy ordeal, but he gets the job done! Table manners aren’t that important to us, anyway.

He’s starting to become acquainted with his Rocky Mountain Wild keepers, who say he seems very eager to interact. Soon they’ll begin work on crate training so that he’ll be comfortable during his move down to Rocky Mountain Wild when the time is right. Our eventual goal is to introduce him to 1-year-old mountain lion siblings, Sitka and Adira, who also came to #CMZoo after being orphaned in Washington. As animal ambassadors, these three will have key roles in helping guests build personal connections to these incredible cats, while helping educate the public about their species. We don’t have an exact date for when the mountain lion kitten will be on exhibit, but we’ll continue to keep you updated on his progress!

Welcome to the official unveiling of our memorial bronze statue honoring our 200th giraffe calf, Penny. Bob Chastain, president and CEO of #CMZoo, and Antonia Chastain, manager of public art for the Zoo and the sculptor of this piece, are telling us about this special tribute to the giraffe calf who touched the hearts of so many during her brief life.

Tomorrow (Sunday, June 21) is #WorldGiraffeDay, and it is a fitting day for the public to be able to visit this sculpture for the very first time. To commemorate this special occasion, we are hosting a giveaway for one free giraffe encounter with our herd. To enter, send a photo of yourself or your family with the new statue to [email protected] by Thursday, July 30, 2020 to be entered into the random drawing. We will randomly choose one winner from all submitted photos and will notify the winner on July 31 via the email they used to submit the photo. Please, one photo entry per email address.

Visit cmzoo.org/wgd to make a donation by June 21 to giraffe care and conservation! We are incredibly grateful for the Kratt Family Foundation and their dedication to giraffe care in the Zoo and in the wild. This year, the Kratt Family Foundation is matching up to $25,000 for every dollar donated through the end of the day tomorrow (6/21/20)! Your donation supports the care of our giraffe here at the Zoo, the matched funds will help wild giraffe conservation in Uganda. Thank you for helping us #StandTallForGiraffe!

Penny’s Story:

“Giraffe Calf #200,” as she was known as at birth, came into the world on June 4, 2018. Her birth was broadcast live to global viewers. Her mom, Muziki, won the “Race to 200,” giving birth to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s 200th giraffe calf since our prolific breeding program started in 1954. The calf appeared to be healthy at birth, but unfortunately started having health issues on June 13. We deviated from Zoo tradition by giving her a name before our normal 30-day waiting period. Penny, as she was now known, had fans around the world falling in love with her, right along with all of us at CMZoo. But ultimately, we were losing our battle against the hidden infection that was spreading through her body. When she passed away on July 30, 2018, just shy of her two-month birthday, thousands of fans who had been rooting for her helped the Zoo staff through the difficult time with an unforgettable outpouring of support. Her legacy, and the joy she brought to so many, continue on with the production of this bronze statue.

We recognize many of you were frustrated with our e-ticketing system and the restrictions we must follow to keep the Zoo open, but hope you recognize that we are doing our best to welcome you back in these difficult times.

We hope this update from Bob brings a little perspective, and reminds you of the important work your support allows us to do. Last night around 8 p.m., we welcomed this little bundle of joy to our family.

At this point, very little is known about his backstory. We will share in-depth updates on him when we have more information about why this 5-week-old mountain lion kitten needed a home.

For now, we’re grateful to have the space, technology and dedicated staff to care for him, because of the support you show us by coming to the Zoo.

Our goal is to eventually introduce him to CMZoo 1-year-old mountain lions, Adira and Sitka, in Rocky Mountain Wild, just as soon as he’s big enough to be safe in the exhibit.

Also, Bob gives an update on Penny’s memorial statue, which we’ll provide a social media sneak peek of on Saturday evening. Just in time for World Giraffe Day, on Sunday, June 21, Penny’s statue will be visible to our guests in African Rift Valley.

Thank you for all you do to help us continue this important work. We can’t wait to see you back at the Zoo!

As many of you know, even though we have been closed for the past 11+ weeks, work has not stopped at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Through our social media channels, we have shown you lots of sneak peeks at what our keepers and animals have been up to, but Bob Chastain, president and CEO of #CMZoo, has also been busy. Among the many partnerships formed during this critical time, some of those formed out of working through our variance request to reopen the Zoo have been the most important. Huge thanks go out to the Colorado Springs Mayor’s Office, including Mayor John Suthers and City Manager Jeff Greene, El Paso County Public Health and officials at all three area hospitals, and the El Paso County Commissioners. We are still waiting for the final step for reopening, but Bob’s here to tell you a little bit more about the process, introduce you to some excited and friendly warthogs, and talk about what reopening will look like, especially for our members. #ClosedButStillCaring #AbnormallyNormalatCMZoo

Join us for breakfast on the beach of Water’s Edge: Africa. Animal keeper, Al, is feeding our flock of 11 African penguins while she tells us about their personalities – and how you can identify each penguin.

Back to The Waterhole

 

Meet some of the keepers, see some of the animals and learn about some of the cool features of our newest exhibit for hippos and penguins – Water’s Edge: Africa!

Back to The Waterhole

 

There’s a magical – but little known to some – place at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo where axolotls, tarantulas, millipedes and more live! Get to know the residents at The Treehouse in My Big Backyard.

We have BIG NEWS on #WorldPenguinDay! Our first five African penguins have arrived! Since our temporary closure, we’ve continued work on Water’s Edge: Africa, our new home for hippos, penguins, warthogs, lemurs and more. We’re happy to report the new exhibit’s first residents are settling in.

In this video, meet CMZoo African penguins Pomona, Safara, Alex, Rudo and Rufaro! You’ll also see a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at their medical checks, their first dip in the indoor pool and their first time taking in the beautiful views from the mountainside. You’re also getting the first public glimpse at the penguin pools in all their leakless glory!

The issues with the hippo pools haven’t been resolved yet, but we’re continuing work on them and will keep you posted on any hippo-sized news. We can’t wait to have you all back to meet the penguins in person!

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has welcomed two domestic ferrets to The Loft! 1-year-old male, Alfred Pennyworth, and 3-year-old female, Harley Quinn, are already target training, create training, meeting guests and learning how to interact on ZOOMobile programs. Come by The Loft and meet this energetic duo next time you’re at the Zoo!

Bob Chastain, CMZoo president and CEO, is back with the latest update from Water’s Edge: Africa. We’ve refilled the void in the soil under the indoor hippo pool and waterproofed the new concrete. Soon, we’ll do another water test to measure continued water loss.

Get an up-close view of the micro cracks that we’re repairing with a filler product that has some elasticity. We hope the lining material we apply next will stop those leaks.

Also, in this video, we’re giving you a first-time sneak peek at the Water’s Edge: Africa vacation yard. This outdoor yard and pool will be used by a variety of animals and will be visible to guests on their way to Primate World.

Although we don’t yet have an opening date, we’re getting closer! We’re still aiming to begin introducing animals to the building sometime in March. We’ll keep you posted!

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