Gorilla Perch

Our awesome Horticulture Department has been working industriously to install the new gorilla perching in the outdoor gorilla yard at Primate World.

Here they are at work:


and here is the finished product:


On Tuesday keepers introduced the gorillas to the redesigned exhibit for the first time. A very curious gorilla troop has been exploring the newly designed yard. On your next visit, be sure to stop by Primate World and check out their new perching.

RAFIKI

Rafiki, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s lowland gorilla troop leader, holds a special place in our hearts. After arriving at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in March of 2005, he gently established his role as leader and protector of the gorilla troop. His famous father’s gentle nature was no doubt passed along to him. He takes his job of keeping his troop safe very seriously and is a protective yet gentle father to his two year old Tumani.



Rafiki playing with Tumani.

Rafiki has been through quite an ordeal over the past few months. It all started when Rafiki’s perceptive keepers noticed he wasn’t himself. He wasn’t eating normally and it became apparent he didn’t feel well when he would hold his head in pain.

After initial testing and general treatment by Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s veterinary staff, it was determined Rafiki would need a CT scan and further testing. But where does a Zoo find a 2 million dollar piece of equipment that costs $40,000 to rent? Enter Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers and Memorial Health Systems!

Because of their generous donation of equipment including a mobile scanning unit, staff time and talents, Rafiki began his journey toward recovery.

The results of the CT scan were impressive and definitive. Rafiki had a severe, chronic middle and inner ear infection of his right ear that had lead to a condition known as mastitis. Zoo staff, along with caring volunteers from the medical community worked to provide the needed treatments for Rafiki which included necessary surgery to remove the affected area of bone in Rafiki’s skull.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all who worked to treat Rafiki during his illness and all who generously donated time and equipment to save our dearly loved gorilla.

Below is a short video detailing Rafiki’s Journey back to heath:



"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” --- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Staff Photos

Ashley works at the Zoo. She also takes great photos! Check out these recent pictures from the “Godek” album:

Military Appreciation Weekend Recap

We enjoyed hosting all of the military families who visited the Zoo on Saturday and Sunday! A huge thank you to our sponsors: The Gazette, Ent Federal Credit Union, Comcast, Bob Pehkhus Volvo Mazda, USAA and Y96.9 for making the weekend a success!

A big thank you goes out to the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society for bringing their solar telescopes on Sunday to support Military Appreciation Weekend as well. Catch the astronomers next summer as part of the 2010 Stargazing Series at the Mountaineer Sky Ride!

Three Deer Photo Contest

Here's a sampling of photos from guest who have entered the Three Deer Photo Contest! Thank you to all who have participated so far!




Generations of families have posed for photos in front of this Manship creation. Do you have a photo that includes the Three Deer? If so, email them to blogkeeper@cmzoo.org for your chance to win 4 free Sky Ride tickets.

Select photos will be posted on The Zoo's Facebook page and here at In Between the Spots. The family of the winning photo will also receive 4 Sky Ride passes. Deadline September 30, 2009.

Tiger Enrichment

Our keepers keep things interesting for the tigers by sometimes freezing their daily diet of bison meat into blood “popsicles”. As you can see, both Zoya and Grom enjoy their diets in this new and interesting form!



You can visit our tigers during regular Zoo hours in their Asian Highlands Exhibit or view a Tiger Demo and Keeper Talk Thursday through Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Catch a glimpse of how fast they can run, how they use their claws and even how well they can swim!

Thank you Military Members!

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo wishes to express sincere appreciation to the many military families in our community who have made huge sacrifices on the public’s behalf with their military service.

In recognition and gratitude, the Zoo invites military families to spend some quality time together at the Zoo at a reduced $4.25 per person admission rate on September 19 and 20, 2009. This special rate will be extended to include activy duty, Reserves, Dept. of Defense and retired employees.

While visiting the Zoo, stop by the LOFT to see the leopard gecko, a nocturnal ground-dwelling gecko native to the deserts of Afghanistan and parts of Iran among other desert areas where many members of our military have served.

Leopard Gecko

Meet our Vinegaroon in the Loft too! A similar arachnid, the camel spider, is found in regions where our military members have worked hard to defend our freedom.

Vinegaroon

Watch this KXRM News segment to find out more about Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Leopard Gecko and Vinegaroon.

Thank you Military Members! We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Hope

Jane Goodall recently released her new book entitled “Hope for Animals and Their World: How endangered species are being rescued from the brink”.

It details the story and plight of many species across the globe including black-footed ferrets. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, is one of five Zoos participating in an aggressive captive breeding and reintroduction program that is making progress toward recovering the native ferret population.

Those interested can purchase the book on Amazon for $10 off cover price AND a portion of the proceeds go to black-footed ferret recovery in the field.

What's that SMELL?

Some people think the Zoo is smelly but there is a lot more behind that “special” aroma. Come find out what your nose knows as we investigate these smells and the animals that are behind the fragrance!

Visit our website for this month’s preschool class schedule!

Mix & Mingle one last time this summer!

Enjoy sips of vodka and a variety of available beverage mixers courtesy of Sovereignty Wines as you sway to the sounds of the Brad Bietry Trio at this Thursday’s Big Band themed Mixer event!

Brad Bietry is a 1997 graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston and received the 1997 Berklee Jazz Pianist Award. He has performed with several well known artists including Joe Walsh, Ira Sullivan, Norm Leyden, The New York Voices, Mike Vax and Carol Lawrence. He has also toured internationally with Black Gospel Artist Ron Kenoly as his musical director, keyboardist and arranger.

Thursday is the last in the Sky Ride Summer Summit Series. Sky Ride gates open for ticket sales at 6:30. Event capacity is 200. Trio begins playing at 7:00 pm

The Nature of Art

Have you taken the Zoo’s self-guided Art Walk tour? Ask for an Art Walk flyer on your next visit and experience an artistic adventure of culture, nature and animals! Here’s just one of the pieces you will discover:

Three Deer


Have you meet the Zoo’s Three Deer? I first met them 30 years ago as a little girl proudly posing for a photo next to my cousin who was visiting all the way from Florida – the Three Deer stood majestically in our photo’s background.

Catalogued and inventoried by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, this sculpture is the work of renowned American artist, Paul Manship. Originally designed for the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair, this bronze sculpture was purchased by Spencer Penrose for the Zoo in 1934 and features three deer posed in a group – a stag, doe and fawn.

Generations of families have posed for photos in front of this Manship creation. Do you have family photos that include the Three Deer? If so, email them to blogkeeper@cmzoo.org for your chance to win 4 free Sky Ride tickets. Select photos will be posted on Facebook and one family photo will be posted on the blog. The family of the winning photo will also receive 4 Sky Ride passes. Deadline September 30, 2009.

Animal Myths Exposed

Have you heard the expression “Blind as a bat!”? This saying has become a fixture in our everyday vocabulary. This notion probably developed because bats primarily use a form of sonar called echolocation to navigate through dark areas and avoid obstacles. Their eyes, while small and sometimes poorly developed, are also completely functional. They also have excellent hearing and sense of smell.

Have you seen our Egyptian Fruit Bats? Meet them on September 4 at our Stargazing event or visit them during regular Zoo hours in the Loft at the new Rainforest Exhibit! Here you will see invertebrates, tortoises and our ball python too! You never know what you might discover on your next visit!



Tortoises explore the new Rainforest Exhibit at the Loft.