Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Cheyenne Mountain Zoo News

The zoo is going to as a series of questions regarding the short and long-term development of the zoo. They are looking to the community for ideas.

The first question is in regards to the area Monkey Pavilion sits on. They are looking for short term ideas that can be installed this summer after the building is demolished and long term ideas that can be done in 2-3 years. If you have any ideas they’d also like photos of experiences that could be done. You can email those and a short description to [email protected]. Bob Chastain (president/CEO) will personally review each submission on Jan 14, 2021.

I know you all have big ideas for many zoos and here’s an opportunity to be heard and maybe influence an AZA zoo in a direction you want to see. Pretty unique IMO.

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To put it simply, that is a truly awesome idea! Giving visitors a voice into what the zoo does next is excellent and I really hope this model is taken up by other zoos in the future.

 

Been a slow year newswise for the zoo so far but here are a few stories from this month's Waterhole:

Cofan, male Mountain Tapir recently had a kidney removed due to kidney stones:
Cofan, Male Mountain Tapir, Recovering from Kidney Removal Surgery - CMZoo

Two hedgehogs and a degu recently made their debuts in the Loft:
New Faces in The Loft - CMZoo
Meet Diego, The Newest Resident at The Loft - CMZoo

The zoo is going to try a new AI treatment for female Amur Tiger Savelii:
A New Breeding Opportunity for Chewy and Savelii, CMZoo Amur Tigers - CMZoo

 

Amur Tiger Savelli was lost during her AI procedure.
Helping to Save a Species - CMZoo

 

Very sad for this to happen. The CEO did an excellent job though of discussing it transparently and with emotion in the post. Also I learned a lot from the post. I knew tiger breeding had been slowing in recent years but didn't realize that only 6 tigers were born last year for example

 

Ring-tailed Lemur and Red River Hoglet born recently.
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Information on the zoo's "Elevate" capital campaign. $12 million goal that will address a few aspects of the zoo that will help the zoo continue to be a world-class facility for another 100 years (100 year anniversary occurs in 2026). Proposed changes include:
Developing a self-sustaining lettuce supply for the giraffe feeding.
Moving the road that runs through the zoo to decrease the amount of time guests are in the same space as traffic. Currently the road runs right along the entrance. This is likely to change.
Upgrading the guest spaces and buildings around the entrance and road around the parking lots.
Demolish Monkey Pavilion (already done)
Prepare design, groundwork, permits, utilities, etc. for future new gorilla and orangutan exhibits (actual construction will happen with phase 2).
Updating and adding new animal spaces. Specific examples include updating African Rift Valley with mixed species exhibits, increasing the size of the giraffe bull yard, etc., adding a small exhibit to the front area of Water's Edge: Africa, updating the grizzly bear exhibit to house more rescue bears, adding a ground hornbill exhibit, adding a new amphibian display somewhere in the zoo, and upgrading quarantine space.
Adding a new hay barn and upgraded commissary.
Elevate Capital Campaign - CMZoo

 

Its nice to see a zoo launch such a practical campaign. Nothing to fancy but a lot of smaller projects and necessary investments in infrastructure. I see they got most fundraising complete already as is usually the case once these campaigns are brought to the public. The future ape complex sounds intriguing though. One can only hope for better indoor quarters given the climate.

 

Here I was thinking Cheyenne Mountain couldn’t get any better!

 

Twin Ring-tailed Lemurs have been born.
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25 Years of Saving a Species: CMZoo Conservation Team Releases Wyoming Toads and Tadpoles into the Wild

June is an exciting time in the Laramie Basin of Wyoming. Every year, our dedicated team of conservationists travels at the crack of dawn to this special place to release toads they’ve been raising for a year, and tadpoles recently hatched at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Earlier this month, they released 220 ‘headstart’ toads and this week released 5,638 tadpoles into the basin’s waters, celebrating 25 years of saving this species once thought to be extinct.

25 Years of Saving a Species: CMZoo Conservation Team Releases Wyoming Toads and Tadpoles into the Wild - CMZoo

 

A hippo calf has been born.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo welcomes newborn hippo

 

This is very exciting and it's the third hippo calf born this month!!

Hopefully, the other female Kasai has a calf sometime soon as well. I don't think any US zoo in the recent past has bred two hippo calves within the same year and it would be really cool if CMZ is sucessful in doing that.

 

It's a boy!

 

Baby hippo has been given the name, Omo.
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A male wallaby has emerged from the pouch:

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo announces baby wallaby name

 

Very sad news. Cheyenne's old female Mountain Tapir has died at the age of 27. According to the article, there are now six Mountain Tapirs left in the States with one male at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and five individuals at LA: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo mourns loss of 27-year-old rare Mountain Tapir

 

(((( NO )))) Totally sad. I have seen them personally several times. They are a very beautiful animal. Maybe if there's a non related female in LA Zoo could bring her in maybe?

 

All remaining Mountain Tapir in the US are at least half siblings.

 

Do you have more details about the remaining 6 (i.e. names, genders, parents, birthyears, etc.)?