Last month, members cast their votes to help the Zoo decide how to spend $75,000 of member conservation funds among five conservation projects vying for support. The three projects with the most votes will receive the full funding they requested. The number of votes received for the remaining two projects will help CMZoo decide how to distribute the remaining funds.

“This annual vote is another reminder that a membership to CMZoo helps save wildlife and wild places, and we’re grateful that our members have allowed us to do this for six years now,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, vice president of mission and programs at CMZoo. “In addition to supporting our legacy projects through Quarters for Conservation, the membership funds allow us to consider new projects and to act quickly in conservation crises, like we did last year when we sent $20,000 to Australia bush fire recovery efforts. It’s inspiring to see our members so passionate about conservation.”

Every membership and every visit to the Zoo is conservation in action. Since 2015, including this year’s contributions, the Member Conservation Vote has provided $525,000 of membership revenue to support field conservation worldwide. Each year, a total of $100,000 of membership revenue is contributed to conservation in two ways:

  • $25,000 to the Quarters for Conservation program, which in total contributes half a million dollars on average annually to CMZoo’s legacy conservation partners.
  • $75,000 to projects voted for by CMZoo members through this annual vote.

This year’s conservation project recipients, in order of votes received, are:

  1. Reforest a wildlife corridor and help save ORANGUTANS in Borneo – FULLY FUNDED ($20,000)
    In support of two established organizations working to save species in Southeast Asia, this grant will help the HUTAN organization provide tools and funds to local women reforesting the Genting Wildlife Corridor. It will also help the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) repair orangutan rehabilitation islands damaged by a devastating flood. The HUTAN corridor is an important animal ‘wildway’ that will connect virgin rainforest with a wildlife sanctuary and is needed by hundreds of species in the area, like orangutans and Asian forest elephants. The BOSF grant provides emergency funds to reopen islands used for orangutan housing and forest school prior to release.
  2. Track AMERICAN BLACK BEAR movements in Colorado – FULLY FUNDED ($14,500)
    In a new partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, this grant will fund the placement of GPS collars on black bear juveniles to collect information about their movements and habitat use after rehabilitation and reintroduction. This valuable data will support ongoing efforts to reduce human-bear wildlife conflicts in the Pikes Peak Region. One of the main drivers of human-bear conflicts is unsecured trash, which serves as a strong attractant for bears. Unfortunately, female bears with cubs can be drawn to unsecured trash and human-wildlife conflicts can then lead to orphaned bear juveniles. Colorado Parks and Wildlife rescues and rehabilitates these young bears, and releases them once they are old enough to live successfully in the wild. As human developments sprawl into historical bear habitat, this data could guide solutions to keep bears safe and behaving like wild bears.

  3. Protect LIONS, CHEETAHS and WILD DOGS from diseases – FULLY FUNDED ($23,600)
    Through a long-time partnership with Ewaso Lions, this organization aims to protect lions and other large carnivores by vaccinating pet dogs in northern Kenya. This funding will support a pet vaccination program by providing local communities with trained personnel, vehicles, veterinary equipment, and materials to make collars that will identify vaccinated dogs. These vaccines can prevent life-threatening diseases like rabies and distemper from being spread from pet dogs to wild carnivores.
  4. Support more agroforestry to protect OKAPI habitat – PARTIALLY FUNDED ($13,225)
    In a continued partnership with the Okapi Conservation Project (OCP), this grant will provide farmers with tools, seeds, natural fertilizers and education in sustainable agriculture practices. Funds will also support reforestation in the region. Found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, okapi are threatened by slash-and-burn agriculture and poaching. This program empowers local communities to produce food sustainably, safeguard water resources, and generate income, while reducing their economic dependence on mining and poaching, thus protecting okapi in the long run. Over the last year, OCP has distributed over 65,000 kg of seedlings and over 62,000 kg of food seeds to more than 900 farmers in the region. Even more exciting, they have been visited by a wild okapi, which is extremely rare.
  5. Continue the banding, monitoring, and protection of CROWNED CRANES – PARTIALLY FUNDED ($3,675)
    This grant will fund the banding of 100 East African crowned crane chicks and support data collection to guide future conservation efforts for this species. This project will also establish a Crane Custodian Program, training local community members to advocate for and assist with crane data collection – a crucial component of crane conservation, especially during COVID-related travel restrictions. Found in Kenya, the East African crowned crane has seen a dramatic decrease in population over the last four years. In a continued partnership, the International Crane Foundation and the Leiden Conservation Foundation are collaborating to learn more about this species in order to stabilize its population.

“We’re excited to continue supporting our members’ wishes to fund frontline conservation projects with membership revenue through this annual conservation vote,” said Emma Repp-Maxwell, CMZoo membership manager. “It was interesting to see that the two brand-new projects, orangutans and black bears, placed first and second. We’ll provide updates as these projects launch or continue, depending on the project, throughout the year, so stay tuned!”

For more information about how to become a CMZoo member, and the many benefits that memberships provide, visit cmzoo.org/membership.

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It’s World Penguin Day, so let’s hang out with CMZoo’s African penguins in Water’s Edge: Africa! Join our keepers at the edge of the guest sidewalk, where our 16 African penguins can come right up to their penguin-sized fence to say hello to our guests any time they want on warm-weather days.

Did you know that by supporting CMZoo, you’re supporting frontline penguin conservation efforts in South Africa? Because of your support, our conservation partner, SANCCOB rescued, rehabilitated and released 124 chicks to the wild in 2020, and the work continues. SANCCOB penguin rangers live on-site with wild penguin populations, which allows them to quickly save abandoned chicks and help injured adults recover, then rejoin their wild flocks.

In this video, we say hello to Rico and Rufaro, and learn about their process going through a catastrophic molt. Penguins experience a catastrophic molt – when they lose all of their feathers at once, then regrow them – about once a year. You can also learn about the personalities of some of the individuals in our flock, like outgoing Napoleon and Captain, as our keepers sit down with them for breakfast.

Every membership and every visit to the Zoo is conservation in action. Since 2015, including this year’s contributions, the Member Conservation Vote has provided $525,000 of membership revenue to support field conservation worldwide. Each year, a total of $100,000 of membership revenue is contributed to conservation in two ways:

  • $25,000 to the Quarters for Conservation program, which in total contributes half a million dollars on average annually to CMZoo’s legacy conservation partners.
  • $75,000 to projects voted for by CMZoo members through this annual vote.

“Over the years, members have funded projects that support organizations working to protect vulnerable species in places like Ecuador, Kenya, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia right in our backyard,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, vice president of mission and programs at CMZoo. “These grants make a huge impact for the small-but-mighty projects that are making a difference for wildlife, wild places, and the people who border their habitats. We wouldn’t be able to support them without our members.”

Through Sunday, March 28, 2021, members will cast their votes to help the Zoo decide how to spend $75,000 of member conservation funds among five conservation projects vying for support. The three projects with the most votes will receive the full funding they requested. The number of votes received for the remaining three projects will help CMZoo decide how to distribute the remaining funds.

The five conservation projects up for our members’ consideration are:

Protect LIONS, CHEETAHS and WILD DOGS from diseases
Through a long-time partnership with Ewaso Lions, this organization aims to protect lions and other large carnivores by vaccinating pet dogs in northern Kenya. This funding will support a pet vaccination program by providing local communities with trained personnel, vehicles, veterinary equipment, and materials to make collars that will identify vaccinated dogs. These vaccines can prevent life-threatening diseases like rabies and distemper from being spread from pet dogs to wild carnivores.

Continue the banding, monitoring, and protection of CROWNED CRANES
This grant will fund the banding of 100 East African crowned crane chicks and support data collection to guide future conservation efforts for this species. This project will also establish a Crane Custodian Program, training local community members to advocate for and assist with crane data collection – a crucial component of crane conservation, especially during COVID-related travel restrictions. Found in Kenya, the East African crowned crane has seen a dramatic decrease in population over the last four years. In a continued partnership, the International Crane Foundation and the Leiden Conservation Foundation are collaborating to learn more about this species in order to stabilize its population.

Support more agroforestry to protect OKAPI habitat
In a continued partnership with the Okapi Conservation Project (OCP), this grant will provide farmers with tools, seeds, natural fertilizers and education in sustainable agriculture practices. Funds will also support reforestation in the region. Found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, okapi are threatened by slash-and-burn agriculture and poaching. This program empowers local communities to produce food sustainably, safeguard water resources, and generate income, while reducing their economic dependence on mining and poaching, thus protecting okapi in the long run. Over the last year, OCP has distributed over 65,000 kg of seedlings and over 62,000 kg of food seeds to more than 900 farmers in the region. Even more exciting, they have been visited by a wild okapi, which is extremely rare.

Reforest a wildlife corridor and help save ORANGUTANS in Borneo
In support of two established organizations working to save species in Southeast Asia, this grant will help the HUTAN organization provide tools and funds to local women reforesting the Genting Wildlife Corridor. It will also help the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) repair orangutan rehabilitation islands damaged by a devastating flood. The HUTAN corridor is an important animal “wildway” that will connect virgin rainforest with a wildlife sanctuary and is needed by hundreds of species in the area, like orangutans and Asian forest elephants. The BOSF grant provides emergency funds to reopen islands used for orangutan housing and forest school prior to release.

Track AMERICAN BLACK BEAR movements in Colorado
In a new partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, this grant would fund placing GPS collars on black bear juveniles to collect information about their movements and habitat use after rehabilitation and reintroduction. This valuable data will support ongoing efforts to reduce human-bear wildlife conflicts in the Pikes Peak Region. One of the main drivers of human-bear conflicts is unsecured trash, which serves as a strong attractant for bears. Unfortunately, female bears with cubs can be drawn to unsecured trash and human-wildlife conflicts can then lead to orphaned bear juveniles. Colorado Parks and Wildlife rescues and rehabilitates these young bears, and releases them once they are old enough to live successfully in the wild. As human developments sprawl into historical bear habitat, this data could guide solutions to keep bears safe and behaving like wild bears.

“Our members are passionate about conservation and have formed connections over the years with familiar projects, like the Okapi Conservation Project’s agroforestry program, and Ewaso Lions’ ongoing lion conservation,” said Emma Repp-Maxwell, CMZoo membership manager. “It’s also inspiring to get behind fledgling projects, like the banding of crowned cranes, which we launched last year and will continue to support in some capacity this year. Two brand-new projects – black bear tracking in Colorado and supporting a wildlife corridor in Borneo – are new projects to consider this year. It’s up to our members to help us decide which projects receive full funding.”

We’ll announce the 2021 rankings next month, so stay tuned.

Last year, members voted to fund projects from the Australia bush fires to continued conservation efforts in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. To learn about the progress made because of the 2020 Member Conservation Vote, read on.

Zoos Victoria: Emergency Funding ($20,000)
Before launching the member vote last year, we asked members to approve emergency funding in response to the devastating Australia bush fires. Members’ early votes helped support the long-term care of animals impacted by this disaster.
Learn more: https://www.cmzoo.org/news/archive/cheyenne-mountain-zoo-members-donate-20000-to-australia-bushfire-recovery/

African Lions: Fully Funded ($5,600)
Member votes supported the planning for wildlife corridors in northern Kenya. As more highways, railways, cities and pipelines are built in the heart of lion country, this project supported the partnerships and infrastructure needed to keep wildlife safe.

Crowned Cranes: Fully Funded ($11,000)
Member votes helped launched the first efforts to band and monitor wild crowned crane chicks in East Africa. Despite COVID-19, around 20 crane chicks were banded. With such limited information on the behaviors of cranes, this project will help gather important information for future conservation efforts.
Learn more: https://www.cmzoo.org/news/archive/cmzoo-member-supported-east-african-crowned-crane-conservation-project-makes-progress/

Mountain Tapir: Partially Funded ($20,000)
Member votes supported the continued GPS collaring and monitoring of 5 additional tapirs in Ecuador. This project has already seen the radio collaring and successful monitoring of 10 wild mountain tapirs. The information collected helps conservation efforts.
Learn more: https://www.cmzoo.org/news/archive/cmzoo-tapir-expedition-team-returns-from-ecuador/

Okapi: Fully Funded ($11,000)
Member votes helped the Okapi Conservation Project continue an already successful agroforestry project, aimed at encouraging sustainable farming practices, habitat protection and reforestation. By teaching local communities better practices, they are able to protect their livelihoods and wild okapi nearby.
Learn more: https://www.cmzoo.org/news/archive/work-to-protect-wild-okapi-continues-thanks-to-cmzoo-members/

For more information about how to become a CMZoo member, and the many benefits that memberships provides, visit cmzoo.org/membership.

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Cofan, our 17-year-old male mountain tapir, is recovering from having a kidney removed in mid-February. In December 2020, his keepers noticed he was starting to act unusually and that his symptoms were progressing quickly. He was uncoordinated, was not shifting to his outdoor yard, and was eating less and losing weight.

“Cofan is normally eager to participate in training and has a healthy appetite,” said Michelle Salido, lead tapir keeper at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. “When we noticed he wasn’t himself, we started working to find out why, and ultimately discovered our guy was dealing with kidney stones that had damaged his kidney to a point that he’d be better off long-term without it.”

There are only seven mountain tapir in human care in the United States, two of which live at CMZoo. Because mountain tapir are so rare, keepers rely on their experience with Cofan and Carlotta, our 26-year-old female mountain tapir who lives with Cofan, to diagnose any issues. Tapir’s closest relatives are horses and rhinos, so sometimes knowledge of these other species can help the team care for them.

“On the inside, tapir are basically miniature horses,” said Salido. “Because their anatomy is so similar, we knew we could work with equine specialists to help him.”

Cofan’s relationship with his keepers and previous husbandry training helped the team diagnose and treat his condition. Cofan voluntarily participated in diagnostics, including x-rays, blood work and ultrasounds. With his keepers’ love and endless chin scratches as rewards, Cofan didn’t need to be sedated for any of the tests that helped diagnose his kidney disease.

“Our ultrasounds showed that he had some kind of kidney abnormality that we needed to further investigate,” said Dr. Jon Romano, head veterinarian at CMZoo. “We reached out to Colorado State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital and put together a team of specialists that ultimately helped save Cofan’s life. This is the first time this surgery has ever been done for this species, and that was only possible for Cofan because of the collaborative relationship we’ve built with CSU over the years.”

Dr. Matt Johnston, CSU veterinarian and Associate Professor of Avian, Exotic, and Zoological Medicine, was part of an 11-person CSU team of equine specialists, radiologists, anesthesiologists and surgeons that quickly made the trip to help Cofan.

CMZoo and CSU teams identified the kidney stones that were causing the enlargement and damage to Cofan’s left kidney, and went right into surgery.

“We tend to think of tapirs as being similar to horses, and our equine team was able to contribute important expertise to Cofan’s case,” Dr. Johnston. “The pulling together of this type of team happened because of the long-standing working relationship with CSU, which has been mutually beneficial for both CSU and CMZoo.“

As an ambassador for his critically endangered species, Cofan’s charming nature helps people fall in love with tapir, and learn how to help protect his wild counterparts, of which fewer than 2,500 remain in their native habitat. This veterinary case will also help future tapir in human care and possibly in the wild.

“Aside from being so easy to fall in love with, Cofan is continuing to help his species by helping us learn more about how to care for mountain tapir,” said Salido. “What we learn from this case will be shared with other tapir keepers and organizations that monitor wild tapir, with the hope that other tapir can avoid or overcome similar issues.”

Cofan isn’t out of the woods yet. But, his care team is right by his side as they have been all along, and they’re cautiously optimistic. Cofan has been urinating regularly and eating better than he was before surgery – both good signs he’s on the mend.

Cofan’s care team is adjusting his diet to help him hopefully avoid developing stones in his remaining kidney, which should be able to sustain him well by itself, as long as it stays healthy. For the time being, he’s receiving subcutaneous fluids voluntarily as needed, so he’s nice and hydrated as he heals. Again, chin scratches and love are the rewards Cofan needs to receive these treatments voluntarily without sedation.

“He’s doing so great, considering he’s been through major surgery and is still recovering from feeling unwell before the surgery,” said Salido. “We’re taking turns sitting with him while he gets treatments, which take about two hours. Not only does he get the fluids and medications he needs, but it means we get to sit with him and give him lots of love and scratches for hours on end, which I think all of us, including Cofan, are really grateful for.”

Mountain tapir, from the Andes Mountains in Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru, are one of four species of tapir. Due to habitat loss, mountain tapirs are critically endangered. CMZoo staff, thanks to support from Zoo members in our annual Member Conservation Grant Vote, work diligently to save mountain tapir and their habitats south of the equator. In previous years, those grants have funded field research that is led by the Andean Bear Foundation, with support from Smithsonian, LA Zoo, and other partners. As part of these grants, Salido and other CMZoo staff members have traveled to Ecuador to track and attach GPS collars to wild mountain tapirs, and assist with health monitoring and mountain tapir education programs in the region.

The tracking research is critical, given the limited number of tapirs left in the wild and the lack of available data about them. The team’s goal is to present complete data to organizations that can place land protections in the areas where tapirs most frequently roam.

Keepers and CMZoo vet staff are keeping close eyes on Cofan and monitoring his progress as he heals.

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Found in the heart of one of the most biologically diverse areas in all of Africa, okapi have only been widely documented in science since 1901. Threatened by habitat destruction, mining, poaching and civil unrest, there may be as few as 10,000 left in the wild. Okapi are only found in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they are a national and cultural symbol and have been protected since 1933.

Okapi are often known as ‘unicorns of the forest,’ because of their unique markings and shy behaviors. If you’ve ever met 8-year-old male CMZoo okapi, Bahati, chances are you have fallen in love with him and his incredible species. Okapi are most closely related to giraffe, and – contrary to what their appearance might lead you to believe – are not a mix between a zebra and a donkey.

In 2020, CMZoo members voted, in the annual Member Conservation Vote, to support the Okapi Conservation Project’s (OCP) community outreach program to promote local education and to encourage co-existence between okapis, their habitat and local villages, with OCP’s agroforestry program.

“The agroforestry program helps residents near rainforests establish sustainable farming practices and reduce dependence on forest resources,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, CMZoo vice president of mission and programs. “By protecting the rainforests from slash-and-burn agriculture, OCP is protecting the okapi who need the rainforest to survive.”

OCP also introduced alternative crops and shared more efficient farming methods and technologies with local farmers. Over the last year, OCP has distributed over 65,000 kg of seedlings and over 62,000 kg of food seeds to more than 900 farmers in the region. As the program continues to grow, they are also taking the initiative to empower local women by supplying seedlings and support to over 400 female farmers.

“I love learning about the ways our frontline conservation partners, like OCP, find mutually beneficial projects for the success of the species they advocate for, and for the people who live near them,” said Dr. Dadone. “They’re so creative, and the positive ripple effect is amazing. Not only is there a safer habitat for okapi, thanks to OCP’s agroforestry program, but local families have more food security.”

In addition to the success of local farmers, one farmer has reported he has a new well-received regular visitor – a wild male okapi. Thanks to the farmer, OCP has been able to track the okapi by getting regular updates and with nearby camera traps.

OCP says they are reimbursing the farmer for any loss of crops he is experiencing from the okapi, who enjoys nibbling on the farmer’s bean stalks. But, the farmer seems to be more focused on the excitement of providing a home for the country’s national animal. The wild okapi, who has been named Nembongo after the area where he is frequently seen, could become an ambassador for his species with local communities.

Since 2015, the Member Conservation Vote has provided $450,000 of membership revenue to support field conservation worldwide. Each year, a total of $100,000 of membership revenue is contributed to conservation in two ways:

  • $25,000 to the Quarters for Conservation program, which in total contributes half a million dollars annually to CMZoo’s legacy conservation partners. Since 2008, Q4C has allowed us to send more than $3 million to the frontlines of conservation.
  • $75,000 to projects voted for by CMZoo members through this annual vote.

The 2021 Member Conservation Vote will open on Friday, March 19. Members will receive a members-only email with a link to cast their votes for the conservation projects that they want CMZoo to support the most. Votes must be cast by Monday, March 29. Look out for descriptions of the conservation projects members will choose among, in next month’s Waterhole and in the March 19 email to members.

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Next month, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo will move forward with revised plans to contribute to the Amur tiger Species Survival Plan. Since 9-year-old female Amur tiger, Savelii, arrived at CMZoo in November 2019 on a breeding recommendation, she has been settling in, getting to know her keepers, training for important husbandry behaviors, and participating in ‘howdies’ with Chewy, our 5-year-old male Amur tiger.

Howdies are opportunities for animals to see, smell and hear each other with a protective barrier in between them. If animals consistently show positive signs of interest in each other, the next step is to introduce them without a barrier for incrementally increasing periods of time. But, just because they’re genetically compatible doesn’t always mean they are compatible as individuals.

“We haven’t seen behaviors between Chewy and Savelii that encourage us to introduce them without barriers,” said Rebecca Zwicker, Asian Highlands animal care manager. “Big cat breeding can be risky, in the wild and in human care – even when animals have spent positive time together without barriers. We’ve decided to take advantage of the technology available to us so we can hopefully contribute to the tiger SSP without putting Chewy and Savelii into a potentially dangerous scenario together.”

In the coming weeks, CMZoo will welcome a team of reproductive specialists to help with collecting semen from Chewy and artificially inseminating Savelii. Historically, artificial insemination in tigers has been unsuccessful a majority of the time, but with new methods in place, the team has high hopes.

The team will inseminate Savelii in two different ways: traditionally, through transcervical insemination, and with a newer method by which the sperm is placed directly into Savelii’s oviducts. The hopefully fertilized eggs would then move into Savelii’s uterus, where cubs would develop over a three-and-a-half-month gestation period.

“The best chance for this to be successful is by using recently collected sperm, which is why we’re collecting from Chewy that same day,” said Dr. Jon Romano, head veterinarian at CMZoo. “We want to do everything we can to help bring Savelii’s valuable genetics into the population, so we’re potentially using a combination of three different samples: a frozen sample previously collected from Chewy, the sperm we collect from Chewy that day, and an additional frozen sample from other tigers genetically compatible with Savelii.”

Female tigers are induced ovulators, which means the act of mating has previously been the only way for the female to release an egg for fertilization. But, breakthroughs in reproductive science have shown that with the assistance of hormone therapy, artificial insemination has a higher margin of success than it used to.

Savelii has been taking hormones to modify her cycling. In the days before her procedure, she’ll participate in her own health care to get a series of voluntary injections that will stimulate her to ovulate.

The newer oviduct procedure is laparoscopic, meaning it involves small incisions which reduce recovery time and chances of infection, as opposed to more invasive surgeries. Still, any time an animal goes under anesthesia and has incisions, there are risks involved, so Savelii will stay inside her den for at least a week after her procedure. This time in her modified dens will allow keepers to closely monitor Savelii’s incision sites while she heals.

Savelii’s care team has been collecting baseline fecal samples that will help confirm whether or not Savelii is pregnant in the weeks following the procedure. In addition to comparing her baseline hormone levels in fecal samples to new fecal samples collected over the next several weeks, they’ll monitor behaviors, like nesting or mammary changes, which are common in tigers in the days leading up to birth.

“We don’t want to anesthetize Savelii if we don’t absolutely have to, so we’re relying on her rockstar training status to help us monitor in other ways, like voluntary x-rays, blood draws and checking for weight gain,” said Zwicker.

Ultrasounds on tigers are dangerous because of the contact staff would have to make with the tiger to get quality imaging, so there are no plans to attempt that.

There’s no exact timeline, but the team estimates if Savelii is pregnant, they would know by about two months into the three-and-a-half-month gestation. According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Amur tigers have three cubs, on average. They have been known to have up to seven cubs, but sadly, not all of the cubs usually survive from larger litters. The mortality rate of tiger cubs is high, with only about half of them surviving to maturity.

Male tigers don’t typically play a role in the birth or in raising cubs, so Chewy and Savelii will continue to rotate access to their multiple indoor and outdoor spaces. If Savelii does have cubs, she and the youngsters will likely be in a space that doesn’t present the clumsy little ones with complicated obstacles, like the waterfall and pool in the main yard, until they get their bearings. Cubs are born with their eyes closed, so they are completely dependent on their mothers. They typically open their eyes between six and twelve days after birth.

Amur tigers, previously known as Siberian tigers, are endangered, with fewer than 500 individuals in the wild. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Amur tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP) contributes to the success of an assurance population of animal ambassadors in human care that advocate for their wild relatives, and inspire people to support important conservation efforts. Some SSPs also contribute to wild populations, or could in the future.

“We’re excited about the opportunity we have to contribute to the survival of this incredible species,” said Zwicker. “These two are amazing animal ambassadors for their wild counterparts, with such outgoing personalities. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that all goes well in March, and we’ll be able to share little Saveliis and Chewys with the world soon.”

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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s conservation partners are still hard at work on the front lines, despite the pandemic that has slowed much of the world. The Zoo and our supporters continue to send funding to important efforts around the world, including Operation Twiga, a giraffe conservation project in Uganda, and Tsavo Trust, an elephant and rhino conservation organization in Kenya.

Operation Twiga began in 2016 to establish new populations of giraffe in safe habitats by translocating healthy, breeding giraffe from existing populations to form new herds in safer habitats.

“It takes a village to save giraffe,” said Stephanie Fennessy, Giraffe Conservation Foundation director. “Operation Twiga V is another conservation success realized by the Uganda Wildlife Authority in partnership with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and financially supported by CMZoo, the Kratt family and many other donors.”

Thanks to CMZoo’s Quarters for Conservation program, whereby 75¢ from every admission to the Zoo is contributed to conservation, our guests are once again making an impact for wildlife and wild places. Although COVID-19 prevented CMZoo staff from attending the Operation Twiga V translocation, as they have in previous years, teams on the ground in Uganda continued this important work, with Operation Twiga V – the sixth giraffe conservation translocation.

Operation Twiga V (2020) was a continuation of Operation Twiga IV (2019). Both translocations contributed to populations in Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, an historic habitat in Uganda where giraffe hadn’t existed for more than 20 years.

“We’re so grateful for our guests’ continued support of the Zoo, which allows us to continue supporting these important conservation efforts,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, vice president of mission and programs at CMZoo. “Last year, CMZoo assisted on-site with Operation Twiga IV, in Uganda, but because of COVID-19, we couldn’t attend this time. That’s another reason why it’s so valuable to continue partnering with front line organizations. They can keep the work going, and we can keep supporting them while we can’t be there with them.”

For more information about Operation Twiga V, please read this article from Giraffe Conservation Foundation.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Quarters for Conservation program also allowed us to send more support to Tsavo Trust – a field-based non-profit organization in Africa that uses aerial surveillance and on-the-ground field efforts to protect wildlife in Tsavo National Park, the largest national park in Kenya.
Richard Moller with community member of new water borehole
The organization was founded to help protect the last of the “big tuskers,” which are likely the last viable genetic pool of African elephants with tusks weighing more than 100 pounds each. The park is also home to a number of black rhino sanctuaries established by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KSW) and supported by the Zoological Society of London. The black rhino is critically endangered, due primarily to illegal poaching for their horns.

In partnership with the Kratt Family Foundation, CMZoo and its guests funded two clean water stations, known as boreholes, in communities near Tsavo National Park. The effort is a project under Tsavo Trust’s Community Conservancy Program. The program aims to improve local wildlife relations with local community members, by creating secure buffers bordering protected areas of Tsavo National Park. Tsave Trust also reaches out to nearby communities who have, “faced serious hardships, such as lack of water, food insecurity, and constant human-wildlife conflicts, resulting in a negative perception towards wildlife,” according to Tsavo Trust’s most recent conservation update to CMZoo.

The availability of clean drinking water improves the quality of life for members of these important nearby communities, and helps foster goodwill between Tsavo Trust and their neighbors, who can help save wildlife. Tsavo Trust representatives say the community members have been made aware that “the water has come from the elephants.”

Since 2008, CMZoo’s Quarters for Conservation program has helped guests send more than $3 million to conservation efforts around the world, and right here in Colorado. Every visit to CMZoo is conservation is action.

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An important conservation effort to save crowned cranes in East Africa is making progress, thanks to the support of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo members. The East African crowned crane has seen a dramatic decrease in population, losing 4,500 individuals over the last four years. If the decline continues at this pace, East African crowned cranes could be extinct in the next decade. The International Crane Foundation (ICF), Endangered Wildlife Trust and Leiden Conservation Foundation, with the support of CMZoo, are collaborating to learn more about this species.

Earlier this year, CMZoo members voted to send $11,000 to fund the banding of young cranes. The project is championed at the Zoo by Philip Waugh, lead keeper in Water’s Edge: Africa and longtime keeper in African Rift Valley, where he worked closely with CMZoo’s two East African crowned cranes, Inzi and Tagi.

Waugh went to ICF in Wisconsin to research this project and to learn how we could best support cranes. He was so inspired by their work that he built a proposal and submitted it for the 2020 Member Conservation Vote.

“They’ve been wanting to start this fieldwork for more than a decade, so when they learned our members could potentially support it, they were excited and so were we,” said Waugh. “It’s inspiring to see how they have prioritized this project. It goes to show that just by being a member at CMZoo, you can make big impacts for conservation around the world. Our members have allowed an organization with a presence on multiple continents to focus a lot of energy on this one project.”

East African crowned cranes, sometimes called grey crowned cranes, are found in many countries in Africa. In each native country, there can be varying causes for their decline, including unhealthy waterways, injuries from power lines, habitat loss from agricultural expansion, harvesting of chicks and eggs, and more.

One obstacle in the way of helping cranes is how little is known about the species. Through this banding project, we will learn a lot about which waterways the cranes depend on, how many offspring each crane typically contributes to a population, which trees they prefer to roost in, what types of diet and nesting material they require and their migration patterns.

“We don’t know if it’s a diminishing resource issue, human conflict, pollution, or a combination of those,” said Waugh. “This study will help us discover how we can help them before it’s too late.”

During field work, conservationists place colored bands on the chicks’ legs while they’re still in the nest. The color-coded bands allow monitors to identify the chicks’ individual identities, their country of origin and where they were banded. Since beginning field work in June 2020, ICF and Endangered Wildlife Trust have banded 48 chicks. The team is also monitoring 16 nests, most of which have incubating eggs.

In their recent report, ICF, in partnership with Endangered Wildlife Trust, said they have been encouraged by local community support of the banding project. Community members have been helping conservationists by reporting sightings of the birds. They attribute this positive community response to increased community engagement.

“Through the generous support of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, we have, for the first time in our more than twenty-year project, been able to color-band grey crowned cranes in East Africa, the species’ stronghold,” said Dr. Joseph Mwangi, Kenya country coordinator of the African Crane Conservation Program. “This is a critical step to better understanding movement and dispersal of grey crowned cranes for effective conservation of the species and its habitat.”

Since 2015, the Member Conservation Vote has provided $450,000 of the Zoo’s membership revenue to support field conservation worldwide. Each year, a total of $100,000 of membership revenue is contributed to conservation in two ways:

  • $25,000 to the Quarters for Conservation program, which contributes $500,000 annually to CMZoo’s legacy conservation partners.
  • $75,000 to projects voted for by CMZoo members through the annual vote.

We will keep you updated as this exciting project continues.

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Winter is a season of opportunity for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Pallas’ cats, 3-year-old female, Nancy, and 3-year-old male, Bo. The two Asian Highlands residents are often referred to as the original grumpy cats because of their intense stares, furrowed brows and downturned mouths. Their unique ears sit on the sides of their fluffy round faces, which could also give the impression they’re holding their ears back – a behavior sometimes associated with irritation with other cats. But, their appearances don’t actually mean they are grumpy!

Nancy weighs just seven pounds and Bo tips the scales at 10 pounds. Don’t let their small size and adorable fluffiness fool you. The petite Pallas’ cat commands respect. They’re mesopredators, which means they prey on smaller mammals and are preyed upon by larger predators. That middle-of-the-food-chain status requires them to be skilled hunters and defenders.

Pallas’ cats are native to central Asia’s cooler climates at elevations up to about 15,000 feet above sea level. They share these habitats with snow leopards, the swift and powerful apex predator of the Himalayas. Pallas’ cats are classified as ‘near threatened’ and snow leopards are classified as ‘vulnerable’ on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List. Because they share habitat with snow leopards, which are threatened in part due to habitat loss, Pallas’ cats are also at risk for declining populations.

“Part of the Pallas’ cats’ defense is how elusive they are,” said Basia Dann, Asian Highlands keeper. “Their innate wariness makes them difficult to study in the wild, which can hinder conservation opportunities.”

Pallas’ cats in human care could one day contribute to a dwindling species in the wild. CMZoo supports Species Survival Plans (SSPs) managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which focus on species whose populations are either decreasing in the wild or whose assurance populations in human care need genetic diversity and growth, like Pallas’ cats. Based on SSP breeding recommendations for matching the most genetically diverse animals, and based on the animals’ interactions with each other, animal care teams work to provide environments that give CMZoo animal ambassadors the choice to breed and contribute to the future of their species.

CMZoo’s Asian Highlands team hopes to contribute to Pallas’ cats’ assurance population by supporting Bo and Nancy’s breeding recommendation. Bo came to CMZoo with his brother, Tate, in December 2017. Nancy joined Bo on a breeding recommendation in March 2018, when Tate moved to another AZA-accredited organization. Bo and Nancy were introduced about a month after she arrived. They were immediately comfortable together and have been seen breeding in the past. But, successful Pallas’ cat breeding requires a lot more than congeniality.

Changing seasons impact us all. For Pallas’ cats, they set in motion a whirlwind of important annual hormonal changes.

“Their opportunity to breed successfully typically takes place from December to March,” said Dann. “Female Pallas’ cats are usually only fertile for a maximum of 46 hours per year, which is really short compared to other cats and animals. We work with them all year long to give them the best chances at breeding when the very limited time is right.”

Leading up to winter solstice, when days slowly begin to get longer, Asian Highlands keepers work to make Bo and Nancy’s environment as natural and undisturbed as possible. Estrus, the short period of time that the female is receptive to male breeding, is typically triggered by lengthening days. If breeding occurs but isn’t successful, female Pallas’ cats have been known to go into estrus once more in the same season. But it would be a month later, only if still within the December-to-March timeline.

Voluntary husbandry training is a year-round focus for the keepers and cats. Keepers are continually thinking about what’s next. Part of the reason for building a trusting relationship with Nancy is in preparation for kittens. If the pair is successful, kittens could be here as soon as March. With that short timeline in mind, keepers need Nancy to trust them before she’s pregnant, in case she or any kittens need medical intervention. Pallas’ cat gestation is only 66 to 76 days, so potential kittens would likely be born before Nancy even shows signs she’s pregnant.

Pallas’ cats typically have two to five kittens per litter. This would be Nancy’s and Bo’s first adventure with parenting. Other than breeding, Pallas’ cats are typically solitary in the wild, and fathers don’t usually play a role in raising kittens.

Be sure to stop by Asian Highlands next time you’re at the Zoo to visit Bo and Nancy!

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