Help us wish Ouray a happy 32nd birthday! The Fourth of July isn’t just America’s birthday—it’s also Ouray the bald eagle’s designated hatchday!

Ouray is a bald eagle, but she’s also a ‘golden eagle’ because she’s well into her golden years. The median life expectancy of a bald eagle in human care is 16 years, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums! We don’t know Ouray’s exact age or hatchday because she came to us after being injured in the wild. Bald eagles are federally protected and illegal to own for falconry purposes in the United States. However, some organizations, like CMZoo, have special permits to care for bald eagles that cannot be released back into the wild, like Ouray. Ouray came to CMZoo in March 2006, from our friends at Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, who took her in after a wing injury left her unable to fly in 2002.

For 18 years, her signature calls have been like a soundtrack for CMZoo guests and staff. You can visit Ouray in Rocky Mountain Wild. Stay a while to see if she’ll grace you with a call during your next trip to CMZoo!

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We have exciting baby news!

Two of our skunks recently had kits! Isabel and Padfoot are each raising a litter of seven baby skunks. That’s fourteen tiny bundles of cuteness keeping their paws full. The two litters arrived exactly two weeks apart. The babies are often busy nursing, sleeping and curiously nuzzling one another. Isabel, Padfoot, and all the little ones appear to be doing well. It won’t be long before these kits are full of energy and exploring their home in The Loft. Until then, the best time to see them is during our skunk training demonstrations in The Loft. The demonstrations take place on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

These skunks will head to other AZA zoos when they’re mature and independent in the coming months. At their new homes, they’ll represent their wild counterparts and help even more people learn to love and appreciate skunks.

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Our penguin chick isn’t so tiny anymore! Hatched on April 8, this little one is already nearing the two-month mark, and growing fast! It still lives in the nest box with Captain and Pearl, and it already weighs about 5 pounds, nearly the size of an adult African penguin. Keepers check on the chick daily and do regular weigh-ins to track its progress. The chick is very alert and loves to chirp loudly to make sure Captain, Pearl and everyone else in the penguin building knows when it’s time for a snack. Stay tuned for more penguin chick updates on social media!

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Three sets of fuzzy ears and wide, curious eyes recently joined the CMZoo family! These tiny ring-tailed lemur babies are already turning heads with their inquisitive expressions and snuggles on Allagash.

While they’re still nursing, they’re also beginning to explore some solid foods. The pups cling tightly to Allagash but are starting to show signs of independence. Allagash’s adult daughter, Anja, seems especially curious about the little ones and has even started helping with grooming duties.

According to the Lemur Conservation Foundation, lemurs are among the most threatened groups of mammals. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that more than 95 percent of lemurs face extinction in the next 20 years. Ring-tailed lemurs are endangered, according to the IUCN. Hercules has had breeding recommendations with Allagash and Rogue as part of the ring-tailed lemur Species Survival Plan, managed cooperatively by members of Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited facilities, like CMZoo.

Guests can see the babies right away, on Lemur Island in the hippo area, in Water’s Edge Africa!

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Waddle we do with all this cuteness? A tiny, fluffy African penguin chick made its grand debut at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in early April! This little one is growing up big and strong. At just 22 days old, the chick weighs 983 grams!

Its care team monitors and weighs it every few days. This little one is an important ambassador for African penguins.

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.

Since 2010, CMZoo guests and members have contributed more than $159,675 to Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) in support of African penguin conservation. In 2020, the Zoo deepened its commitment by joining AZA SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) African Penguin, a collaborative program supported by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Every visit to CMZoo is conservation in action. Guests visiting CMZoo can see African penguins up close, including this new chick, knowing their visit helps support a future for this species in the wild.

Keep an eye (and ear) out for the chick in the penguin building in Water’s Edge Africa. While it’s usually snuggled in the nest, you might see it wriggle out, or hear it peeping.

Stay tuned for updates!

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At 9 years old, our golden dairy girls – Cotija, Asiago, Queso, Mozzarella, Colby, Muenster, Ricotta and Brie – are enjoying their golden years to the fullest! These goats spend their days sunbathing, training, climbing, playing, going on walkabouts and meeting guests. Visitors can feed the goats for $1 per feeding, depending on weather, or interact with them through goat encounters, where they can pet and brush the goats.

If you’ve tasted goat cheese, it was probably made from milk from a goat like one of ours! Nubian and Nubian-Saanen goats are among the most common dairy goat breeds found on farms worldwide. Our goats originally came from a local cheese farm, inspiring their cheesy names.

Stop by and share some moments with these gouda girls!

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Have you ever wondered how CMZoo’s magical moose became part of the family? Four-year-old Alaska moose, Atka, came to the Zoo in 2020 after his mother was unfortunately involved in a fatal human-wildlife conflict. At six days old, Alaska Zoo began caring for him, then he came to CMZoo at eight weeks old. Having been bottle fed by his care teams, Atka was unfortunately not a candidate for wild re-entry.

Since then, Atka has captured the hearts of millions as an inspiring story of determination. He has also blazed a trail for moose care, as one of the only moose in Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited human care in the U.S.

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Emmett and Digger, two 20-year-old grizzly bears, have called Cheyenne Mountain Zoo home since 2007. Sometimes people wonder how they got here. Although they’re the same age, they’re not related, but they share similar backstories, and have been together since 2006.

In the wild, they were labeled as nuisance bears after several negative interactions with humans prior to being removed from the wild. Often, nuisance bears aren’t as lucky as these two, and once they receive several ‘strikes,’ they are often killed or relocated. Emmett and Digger were given a second chance, and a safe and enriching life, at CMZoo.

Now, Emmett and Digger spend their days exploring, training, playing and showing guests just how incredible grizzlies are – far from the temptations that got them into trouble in the wild. While grizzly bears don’t live in Colorado, black bears roam many urban and wild spaces here. With impressive senses of smell and problem-solving abilities, they need our help to stay wild. Do your part by securing trash, bringing in bird feeders at night and storing food in bear-safe locations, both at home and out in nature. It’s up to us to help bears resist the temptation of an easy meal in an unsafe situation.

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A group of ferrets is called a business! Our business is made up of Alfred, Tsunami, Cyclone, Avalanche and Blizzard! These playful, social animals thrive in small groups. A mix of ages helps the group maintain strong bonds as it evolves. Alfred, at 6, and Tsunami, almost 5, are the oldest, while Cyclone, Blizzard, and Avalanche are 3-year-old females. Though there’s no real hierarchy, Cyclone and Avalanche often lead playtime. Unlike their solitary black-footed ferret cousins, domestic ferrets have been bred for social traits, making them more interactive with humans and each other. Stop by The Loft at CMZoo to see them playing, snuggling and training together!

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Get to know the newest little star in Scutes Family Gallery! Born on December 18, Aysan’s baby sloth is already capturing hearts. This sweet baby has been spending quality time bonding with mom in Scutes Family Gallery, where guests can now catch a glimpse of the cuddly duo as they share precious moments together.

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