Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is inviting media, members, the public, staff, and board members to celebrate the grand opening of the International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe (Giraffe Center) at 9:30 a.m. on Tues., Sept. 15, 2026.
During the event, attendees will hear remarks from CMZoo Board Chair, Mike Edmonds, and CMZoo President and CEO, Dave Ruhl. Then, the Giraffe Center will open to the public!
The Giraffe Center is a 12,000 square-foot giraffe barn and renovated and expanded giraffe yard. For the first time in CMZoo history, guests will be able to feed and observe giraffe from every angle – from above, face-to-face and feet-to-hooves.
The new giraffe habitat is all about choice for giraffe and guests. Giraffe have opportunities to interact with guests in new and exciting ways and engage in enriching activities throughout their habitat, independent of keepers and guests. The goal is to fill every giraffe’s day with positively reinforcing activities, such as exploring new spaces, munching on leaves and twigs, or taking advantage of some quiet time.
With a large herd of giraffe that has various preferences and different personalities, the habitat will be filled with meaningful choices. For example, it will have 11 feeding zones, in comparison to the three zones available in their former exhibit.
“We are so excited to welcome our community to the Giraffe Center,” Dave Ruhl, CMZoo president and CEO, said. “I can’t wait to stand back and watch my team, who have worked so hard to pull this amazing habitat together, enjoy seeing people’s jaws drop at the breathtaking setting. If you loved feeding giraffe at the Zoo before, you’re going to be blown away at the ways this team imagined to make it even better – for our giraffe and for our community.”
The giraffe yard will grow in size by 25 percent, and will have additional spaces for giraffe to explore. It includes a new feeding tower and switchbacks to encourage giraffe to navigate the hills of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for the first time. The larger, more geographically diverse yard will provide the herd with new space to explore, contributing to their overall well-being, and providing more opportunities for people to fall in love with giraffe and be inspired to protect them in the wild.
The indoor space features natural floor substrates and fresh air, provided by giraffe-size garage doors and windows – and guests can feed them from each location (including traversing a rope bridge or stairs to a feeding island in the center of the indoor barn). The barn has an ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) clear roof that will fill the interior space with natural sunlight and moonlight. This innovative material is low maintenance and fire- and hail-resistant. It is used in sports stadiums, airports, and some European zoos to create visually striking and functional spaces.
Advance timed tickets with on-site parking are required, and rideshare tickets are always available – even if timed tickets sell out. Tickets, schedules, and more information are available at cmzoo.org. Rideshare tickets are always available at cmzoo.org/rideshare.
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. The massive, innovative Giraffe Center was funded entirely by the Zoo and its generous donors.
“Our incredible community helped make this happen,” Ruhl said. “By coming to the Zoo, you invest in the Zoo’s future for all of us to enjoy and for the benefit of animals – here at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and in the wild. Every visit is conservation in action, and every visit helps us fund the best possible welfare for the animals in our care.”
Seventy-five cents from every visit and $25,000 a year fund Quarters for Conservation – a program that has raised more than six million dollars for conservation efforts around the world, and right here in Colorado.
The Giraffe Center Grand Opening is also the kickoff to a six-day celebration of the Zoo’s centennial anniversary. Throughout the Zoo from Tues., Sept. 15 through Sun., Sept. 20, guests will notice free add-on experiences to commemorate the Zoo’s centennial year, including live bands, caricature artists, chalk artists, and more.
“One hundred years ago, Spencer Penrose’s dream was not simply to create a collection of animals, but to build something lasting for the people of the Pikes Peak Region,” Ruhl said. “Because of the stewardship of leaders of the past century, the Zoo Spencer Penrose imagined a century ago will continue inspiring people to care for wildlife and wild places for the next hundred years and beyond. When people visit the Giraffe Center, they will see that we are building on that dream in breathtaking ways.”
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 2026, 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. 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.