— Two Moms Could Be in a Race to Produce Giraffe Calf #200 –

Colorado Springs, CO – “Romance” that was in the air a year ago on Valentine’s Day is producing some excitement at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! Baby Rae, who was born April 25, 2017 was the 199th giraffe calf born since our breeding program began in 1954. There is now a possibility that this spring will produce calf #200….AND #201!

Two of our female giraffe bred with our bull, Khalid (kuh-LEED’), this time last year – Muziki (moo-ZEE’-kee) on Valentine’s Day, and Laikipia (luh-KEE’-pee-uh) shortly thereafter. Muziki has been confirmed pregnant, and a second voluntary blood draw to confirm Laikipia’s pregnancy will be conducted at 1 p.m. Friday. Media are welcome to cover the blood draw. We will be able to confidently announce the results of the second hormone test a few days following the next successful blood draw. If Friday’s attempt is unsuccessful, we will try again soon. We will share the results with the media and on social media as soon as we know. An initial blood draw from Laikipia in June 2017 showed tentative results that she was likely pregnant.

Muziki’s due date would be around April 30, 2018. If Laikipia is confirmed pregnant, she would be due around the same time.

Since the next giraffe calf born here at the Zoo will be our 200th successful giraffe birth in our history, it will be a race to see which mom will give us baby #200!

Giraffe gestation isn’t an exact science. It typically ranges between 14.5 and 15 months, but can be as little as 13 months. Because of these variations, either mom could give birth first. There are plans in the works to put a live-streaming “birth cam” inside the building as the due dates get closer, so giraffe fans will be able to monitor the “Race to 200” in real time. We also have plans to make mom (or moms) easily identifiable with markings that are easy for our guests to see. Stay tuned to our e-newsletter and social media for more giraffe baby news to come!

About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society was founded in 1926. Today, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America’s ONLY mountain zoo, offers comprehensive education programs, exciting conservation efforts and truly fantastic animal experiences. It is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s hope that guests fall in love with animals and nature, and take action to protect them. Of the 233 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of just ten operating without tax support. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo depends on admissions, membership dues and donations for funding.

Colorado Springs, CO – Our four female Canada lynx kittens have been named and will officially move into their Rocky Mountain Wild exhibit tomorrow, Wednesday, July 19.

The kittens and mom, Migina, will join dad, Kajika, both 10 years old. The kittens have been with their mother in an off-exhibit area since their birth on May 6. They have “howdied” with Kajika multiple times, which is a process where they can see and smell each other with a mesh barrier in between them. Both the kittens and Kajika were very curious about each other and vocalized back and forth for some time. They also sniffed each other’s paws and rubbed up against the mesh. Our keepers say these are all good signs that signal the lynx family is ready to be together in their public exhibit.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo employees voted for names based on famous Colorado ghost towns, as lynx are often called “ghost cats” due to their elusive, nearly-noiseless nature thanks to heavily-padded paws and light frames. An announcement of the names will be made on our Facebook page tomorrow afternoon.

About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society was founded in 1926. Today, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America’s ONLY mountain zoo, offers comprehensive education programs, exciting conservation efforts and truly fantastic animal experiences. It is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s hope that guests fall in love with animals and nature, and take action to protect them. Of the 229 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of just nine operating without tax support. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo depends on admissions, membership dues and donations for funding.

– Calf is the 199th born at the Zoo —

Colorado Springs, CO – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is proud to announce the 199th successful giraffe birth in its history – the healthy calf was born overnight last night. The calf is the second offspring for mom, Msitu (pronounced miss-ee-TOO), and the third to be sired by dad, Khalid (pronounced cull-EED). The calf joins our existing herd of 16 giraffe.

The giraffe building will be closed today to allow mom and baby some quiet time to bond and nurse. The rest of our herd will be available for viewing and feeding in the outside yard, weather permitting. Assuming that mom and baby are nursing consistently, the public will be allowed some limited viewing opportunities starting tomorrow.

“Msitu was a great mom to her first calf, Emy, so she knew exactly what to do when this baby was born,” said Amy Schilz, animal care manager. “Since mom and baby appear to be healthy, our vet team has not needed to intervene. It’s best to let nature take its course.”

The sex, weight and height of the calf is not known yet because everything is going so well. When they’re born, giraffe calves are typically five to six feet tall and 150 to 200 pounds. This calf appears to be within those healthy parameters. The gestation time for giraffe is a long 15 to 16 months.

Because Msitu was also born at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, she has grown up in the culture of voluntary husbandry training that the Zoo is known for in the industry. This means that she voluntarily participates in her own health care, which fosters a strong trust relationship between keeper and animal.

Through this training, the Zoo was able to voluntarily draw blood, confirming Msitu’s ovulation at the time of breeding, and ultimately, confirmed the pregnancy early on. The Zoo was able to get ultrasound images of the calf during the pregnancy with Msitu’s cooperation, and they were even able to bank some of Msitu’s plasma, in case the calf had needed it after birth.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is not only a leader in the training and health of giraffe in human care, but they are also making a huge difference in conservation of giraffe in the wild. The status of giraffe was recently changed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) from “least concern” to “vulnerable,” acknowledging the fact that their population in the wild has plummeted by 40 percent in the last 30 years.

Last year, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s guests and members used their Quarters for Conservation (Q4C) admission contributions to send $26,000 to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) and its efforts to help the Rothschild’s giraffe in Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda.

Following Cheyenne Mountain Zoo tradition, the calf will be named after he or she is 30 days old.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is home to the world’s most prolific captive reticulated giraffe herd, with 199 births at the Zoo since 1954. Guests can get up close and hand-feed them on special indoor and outdoor elevated platforms anytime during the day, 365 days a year.

Photos/Video of giraffe calf: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dhq6y743ei0k0n3/AABCojDGp78cAwnuYTMZliLua?dl=0

About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society was founded in 1926. Today, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America’s ONLY mountain zoo, offers comprehensive education programs, exciting conservation efforts and truly fantastic animal experiences. It is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s hope that guests fall in love with animals and nature, and take action to protect them. Of the 230 zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of just nine operating without tax support. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo depends on admissions, membership dues and donations for funding.

Search