Meet the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Elephants - Kimba, Lucky and Maliaka

We are very lucky to have 3 amazing elephants at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Kimba (female, DOB 08/24/78, weight 10,000 lbs)
Lucky (female, DOB 03/01/80, weight 8,000 lbs)
Maliaka (female, DOB 1986, weight 9,000 lbs)

Kimba has a very laid back personality and loves to eat! Lucky is outgoing and most active in the early mornings and evenings. Maliaka is our newest elephant, and she loves rolling in the mud.

The elephants' favorite enrichment activities include playing with plastic barrels, tires and exploring new foods like pumpkins and melons. All 3 girls also love water play.




Watch video of the girls playing the pool on our YouTube or Facebook pages.

Lucky is an accomplished painter and "signs" her paintings with her trunk print. Click here to learn how you can purchase one of Lucky's paintings.

All three elephants train daily. Most of their behaviors, learned through positive reinforcement, help the keepers take better care of the elephants. For example, both Lucky and Kimba have learned behaviors that aid in bathing and exercising, and promote foot and ear care. Our elephants know approximately 35 verbal commands.

Read the press release about Maliaka’s arrival to learn more about the Zoo’s newest pachyderm addition!

What do they eat?
Our elephants eat mainly grass (brome) and oat hay along with produce and bread during training sessions. All three elephants love cabbage, bananas, bread and melons but turn their trunks up to green beans and tomatoes.

Water is also an essential part of their diet. Each elephant can consume up to 50 gallons of water a day!

Conservation:
The African elephant is classified as Endangered by the 2000 IUCN Red List. They have been hunted to the brink of extinction for their ivory. Pressure on the ivory trade and improved protection from poachers has helped to restore numbers in some areas.

Controlled culling in reserves is sometimes necessary when overpopulation causes habitat loss. However, efforts are currently underway to secure larger elephant reserves that include areas stretching across migratory routes.

New Elephant Exhibit:
The Zoo is embarking on a $13.5M campaign to build a new exhibit, Encounter Africa. This exhibit will include African elephants, black rhinoceros and African lions. The Zoo is in the planning stages of this spectacular exhibit and hopes to break ground in October 2010. If you would like to help with this new exhibit please donate online or give your spare change in the Grizzly Grill or at the Elephant exhibit.

Mountaineer Sky Ride Membership Pass Available

Did you know?

Ride as many times as you like! The Mountaineer Sky Ride Day Pass is offered exclusively to members as a $30 add-on for any Zoo Membership and only includes rides on the Sky Ride during regular hours (see hours of operation above). The pass does not include after-hours events or members-only events. Only one Sky Ride Day Pass is permitted per membership. The Sky Ride Day Pass will expire on the same date as your membership. Click here for more details about the Sky Ride Day Pass.


Location

The Mountaineer Sky Ride departs from Mountain Outfitters plaza at the base of the Zoo, and takes you up to the overview. Separate entrances are offered inside and outside the Zoo—so you can enjoy the Mountaineer Sky Ride with or without the Zoo experience. (Access to the Zoo is not available from the overview.)

Days & Times

Open year-round, as weather permits.
See above for current hours of operation.
The ascent up the mountain takes approximately seven minutes.

Cost (if you are not a Sky Ride Member)

$5 for adults; $4 for kids from 3-11 years old
Members receive $1 off Sky Ride admission prices

Check out all our Mountaineer Sky Ride events and information online.

Flying with Vultures- Path into the Future

Ever wonder what it would be like to soar up high with the birds in the sky and experience the freedom they have in the wind and clouds? So did vulture conservationist, Kerri Wolter, and paraglider, Walter Neser. They experienced sights that were truly life-changing when they flew with the rare Cape griffon vultures in South Africa. Enjoy this inspiring video clip of their adventure!



Griffon vultures are the highest-flying birds in the world. In 1975, a Ruppell’s griffon vulture was recorded flying at 37,900 feet above Africa! That’s more than a mile and a half higher than the summit of Mt. Everest! Cape griffon vultures are impressive fliers as well, having wingspans of 8 feet.

Cape griffon vultures are among the world’s most threatened vulture species. There are less than 2,900 breeding pairs left in southern Africa. They are declining in the wild due to collisions with powerlines, NSAID and organophosphate poisoning, and the use of vulture body parts in traditional medicine.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ) recognizes that vultures play a vital role in the health of an ecosystem by cleaning up animal remains and helping prevent the spread of disease. That is why African Vulture Conservation is one of the six Quarters for Conservation projects that guests can vote for when they visit the Zoo. Come see CMZ’s Cape griffon vultures up close at the Wings of Africa Bird Show in African Rift Valley at 1 p.m. daily through the summer! You can also take a glimpse of a vulture downtown on the Vladimir Jones building.



Vote for Vultures!!!

Tahoma Antler Watch

Antler Watch July 2010



Tahoma is still growing his antlers and they are BEAUTIFUL!!! The palm shape is clearly there and keepers are looking forward to comparing the weight of this third set to the previous two. We weighed Tahoma in March and he was at 965lbs! Soon he will start rubbing the velvet off of his antlers and start the process of going into rut. Tahoma can been seen eating browse in the Moose Lake on most days at 3:15pm.

African Expedition Days 5-8: Communal lands, Communal Conservation Strategies

Nicole Mantz, Education Curator for CMZ, writes:

July 6-9
The next several days we will be learning about different aspects of the Olkiramatian Group Ranch and the South Rift Association of Land Owners. Check out their blog to learn more about them and follow their activities.

As a background, group ranches in Kenya are designated areas of land legalized in the 1970's and have registered members and designated leaders. Each group ranch in Kenya has their own policy, strategy and practice for land use and conservation. Olkiramatian has between 7 and 10,000 members in their group ranch. They are combination ranchers with some pastoral farming, but as with Maasai tradition, they remain mobile. As a group they have decided that they will have a dry grazing area and a wet grazing area, and include in their decision the needs of wildlife. They live and graze on the east side of the river April-October and then live and graze on the west side of the river November-March. As a part of their partnership with researchers, they are learning about ecosystem management and how to include wildlife in the equation. It seems to be working. During the drought of the last two years, Olkiramatian only lost 10-15% of their wildlife, whereas Amboseli lost 70-80% of their wildlife. Despite that success, Olkiramatian has its challenges. They do see poaching and have game scouts that assist KWS in looking out for that; and they are working to diversify their income so they don't only need to survive on ranching.

That's where the Resource Center Project of the last 4 years comes in. A group of women in Olkiramatian wanted to establish an area where the community, researchers, and tourists can come together and learn from each other. They also wanted the opportunity to create new income for their communities and families and improve their children's school experience. This has not been easy because it is a male dominated society, but they are making progress. They are in the midst of building the center and adjoining housing on land that was given to them for this use, and hope to open it in September. The center employs two people throughout the year, not including when visitors are there. There are also researchers that live on-site and pay a fee to research there.

Over the next several days we will have the opportunity to meet with the researchers, community leaders, the women's group, and school kids so we can learn more about their lives and efforts for conservation and livelihood in this area.


Day 5: Today we met with Joel, the baboon researcher in Olkiramatian. We were able to walk from our campsite to an area where one of the troops sometimes spends their time during the day. Today it wasn't far from their night area, but they do often move around based on their food source. Joel showed us his data sheets and the behaviors he looks for as well as the individuals that he has become familiar with over his research. As a part of the habituation process, we all had to wear hats. This is a distinctive way for the troop to know that they can allow us to stand and watch for awhile, and to keep them from getting habituated to the Maasai in the same way, since they do not wear hats.

I loved the fact that we got to get out of the truck and hike today...not only has the truck experience been loads dustier than Amboseli, but we got to see dozens of tracks! I spent so much time studying them, following them doing my best to identify them, asking Joel a million questions about them. It really made the walk come alive! Knowing just hours before that there was a porcupine making his way down the road, and a drama of some sort among hyenas. Even if we didn't see the actual animals who made the prints, it was reassuring to know they are there! Alive and well in the African Rift!


Baboon tracks.


Baboons in the wild.

One of the groups today also found cheetah- two yearlings and their mother. They watched them up until lunch and then the junior high girls (associated with one of our classmates) saw them after lunch and we went out in the afternoon in search of them. During the time that the kids saw them and we found the the two yearlings had ambushed, taken and eaten an impala. We watched them for awhile and once they departed, we got out to survey the scene. Joel called me over and showed me the tracks and drag marks; we were able to follow those marks back to the killsite and see the pursuit leading up to it! What an amazing day!!



Day 6: Today was community day for us. We spent the morning in the Boma of one of the resource assessors, Tom, who welcomed us for a visit. We were able to visit with his brothers and sisters and the mamas of the Boma. Tom is not yet married, so he still lives in his father's boma, but is one of the head's of the household.

Some of the warriors stopped by - in this community they spend two years outside of their home Boma, unable to come home even for a meal, and must practice their social and survival skills until they are able to come home. Their hair is dyed red to signify this stage in their life, so the community members are aware.



They sang a little bit for us, and demonstrated their spear throwing skills. This turned into a contest between our class and the warriors...and we all know who won that! But then out came the elders no doubt intrigued by our laughter and cheers... And though they may have seemed a bit fragile, their skills were still the sharpest in the Boma!



After lunch we met with community members and learned more about the community as a whole, the culture and daily practices. They were quite intrigued by our American lifestyle as well, including our education choices, marriage practices and family values. I truly felt that while they are excited to learn from us, they are not interested in becoming like us. Yes, the cellular age has made it to the Boma and beyond (though they rarely use the vibrate mode!), and they don't always where their traditional dress, they aren't going to drop what they're doing and start on a quest to become a westerner... At least not most.

Day 7: this morning we were up before the sun to meet Paul and Christine who took us lion tracking. Paul is a researcher out of the Montana State university and Christine, his fiance, helps collect data and samples, and started and maintains the blog. They have a top-down/bottom-up approach the research here, meeting the other researchers at the ungulate studies. He is studying the whole gamet of predators in the area with camera traps and scent posts. This morning we saw bat-eared fox, and lots of other eye shine as we got closer to the collared lion. Then suddenly, through the bushes we saw eye shine, a set of rounded ears perk up. There they are! Four in total that we could see. After a few minutes they moved under the safety of bushes to another location. As the lead truck approached, one of the females lunged and growled...Paul said that she must have her cubs with her. We sat quietly and watched. Two of the other females were laying together rolling a little, and another had something on her chin. We speculated as to what it was, but as they left the area and we approached, the answer was clear... The lions had been rolling in elephant dung! Paul said he hadn't witnessed that yet. I told him it is our lion's favorite enrichment at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo!


Eric, a classmate, Paul, the lion researcher (right), and myself as we watched the lions Friday morning.

In addition to observing the lions, we did a game count of ungulates in the area and took samples of feces we found. When the field work is done, Paul will take the fecal samples back to Montana State for analysis, looking at grasses and stress levels.


Ungulate count as a part of the plots.


Tracks, again as part of the plot work.

In the afternoon we visited the Olkiramatian day and boarding school. This where the junior high girls who have been camping with us have spent most of their time. Today they unveiled the cooperative music they created with they music group from the school. The moment brought tears to our eyes!


Kids singing at the School, both Ohio students and Olkiramatian students. Part of the Maasai Music Project.

After the musical exchange and a short looking the classroom, we walked with the students over to the football (soccer) field. We became adversaries, but only momentarily, because their team schooled us in the finer points of African football. Even when they took pity on us and put in the primary school girls team, they still won...5-2.



After playing with and meeting the students for a few hours, we headed back to the camp for our traditional meal...goat, ugali, and stewed veggies.


Day 8: This morning we went out with Samantha to see the other half of the research taking place on the group ranch. We took data on grasses in various areas of the transect with a pin plot and also scanned for ungulates, paced off and recorded tracks associated with the transect and again took fecal samples. During our study we found elephant tracks from the night before and very fresh lion tracks. So fresh that when a couple of us started to stray beyond the transect to follow them, Sam quickly called us back.



After that we went on one final game drive. We saw eland, zebra, impala, giraffe, grant's gazlle, and a hord of baboons heading to their sleeping trees. We went through a swamp where we were sure we would have a leopard pounce on our truck, but alas, no such luck.

Tomorrow we have to say goodbye to some of the friendliest, most genuine people on the planet and head back to Nairobi. I feel as sad to leave them as I do my family. They have been so welcoming, as if we were family, and I truly feel as if my life will be forever changed by this experience. It is with a sad but enlightened heart that we prepare to leave Olkiramatian.

African Expedition Day 4: Up and Away

Nicole Mantz, Education Curator for CMZ, writes:

July 5 - Up and Away
Today we got up early to catch a charter flight to Lake Mgadi in the South Rift area of Kenya. On our way, we had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with a bull elephant in Musth. Just behind him was a seasonal waterhole full of flamingoes. There must have been at least 300 of them! With Kilimanjaro in the background, we couldn't have asked for a better way to say goodbye to the park.

The bull elephant who met us in the morning to say goodbye as we left, flamingos in the background, and in the skyline. Amazing!

The flight to Lake Mgadi was smoother and more scenic than most commercial flights I have experienced. From there we were transported on an extremely bumpy road to the Olkiramatian Group Ranch. We will be staying here for the next five days and learning about their community-based conservation projects. (Check out their blog.) This area has a membership group and a council that oversees the research and conservation of the area. There is a women's group that has been formed and is creating a Resource Center where ranchers, resource managers, conservationists, researchers and tourists can come together and learn from one another. So far, this group is the friendliest we have met. They are truly heart-warming and happy to see us, though we've never met before. There are outdoor showers with water heated by the sun and a 'sand closet' instead of the hole in the ground that was considered a toilet at the last campsite. Already, the experience is exceeding my expectations!



Here are some photos from Nicole:

Here's the plane we took to get into ORC.


New buildings being constructed at the Olkiramatian Resource Center site.


Lions in ORC.

Don't Miss this Family WildNight Experience: July 24

Family WildNight COMING July 24! Make your reservations TODAY.



It's a Whole New Zoo at Night.

Bring your family to the Zoo on this summer evening and explore what our animals do at night! During the guided tours, come see what the hippos, primates and other zoo friends are up to late at night and early in the morning!

Come see what the animals do while the rest of us sleep! In a fun-filled night to remember, you can explore Cheyenne Mountain Zoo by moonlight. Designed for 10 to 175 people, WildNights is a great team-building experience for families, scouts and groups of all ages.

Choose from four exciting custom overnight programs; original Nocturnal theme, African, Endangered Species or Adaptations themes - Or try one of the special pre-scheduled WildNights below.

On your WildNight, you'll arrive at the Zoo at 6 p.m. and stay overnight until 8 a.m. the next day. We'll provide dinner and activities; you bring your sleeping bag (or adults can rent cots), pajamas and other personal items.

Note: Kids must be at least 5 years old to participate.

Click here to reserve your spot!

Africa Expedition Day 2-3: In the Dust of Amboseli

Nicole Mantz, Education Curator for CMZ, writes:

July 3 & 4 - Two days in the Dust of Amboseli.



To start off our trip we had the good fortune of having the opportunity to meet with Dr. David Western. He is a scientist and conservationist advocate that grew up in the Amboseli area and returned to help conserve wildlife and Maasai culture through community-based conservation. To learn about the extent of his work, pick up In The Dust of Kilimanjaro. It is a good read that gives a great explanation of the struggles, successes and failures in Amboseli. Having the opportunity to meet him and ask questions about his book and the current situation in Amboseli was a great start to the class.


David Western and his wife, baboon researcher, Shirley Strum.

The trip to Amboseli was long and rough. The driving here if you have not experience it, is much like an obstacle course. While the road is paved, it doesn't mean it's smooth, and while you have "lanes" (opposite what we have in the states) there are no lines and it doesn't always mean that cars are on the correct side of the road. Let's just say I'm glad I'm not driving and trying to navigate at the same time!

We arrived in Amboseli around dusk, but our expectations were certainly met. Right outside our campsite were two beautiful bull elephants standing on either side of the car. It was like the welcoming committee of Amboseli asked them to meet and greet us. With that, we set up our camp just in time to see the waning sun on Kilimanjaro. The beauty of Africa certainly has been everything we expected and more. After a quick warm meal and an introduction to what I'm pretty sure is the world worst toilet situation - a slab of concrete with a hole in the ground - we were in our tents for a nice chilly night.




The next morning we rose early and went on a routine walk with the Game Scouts outside Amboseli. These are a group of men (and one woman) who live in the group ranch outside of Amboseli and are trained by the Kenyan Wildlife Service to watch over the animals that reside outside the park. 60-80% of Amboseli's wildlife resides outside the park for much of the year, so the jobs these 'volunteers' take on is an important one. They spend a month at a time out in the bush walking daily routes, checking in with the Maasai in the area, looking for snares and following tracks to make sure everything in their range is okay. At the end of the month they return to their communities and their families and spend time educating the people in that community about what they are doing. After a short leave, they are back out in the bush for another month.

We also met with Soyla from the Amboseli Elephant Project. She shared with us the management of the elephants they track in and out of the park and how they work with the game scouts and Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) to track animals even across the boarder to Tanzania. The work they do is long, and the importance of community involvement and buy-in to the project is important. Since hunting in any form in Kenya has been banned, everything is considered poaching unless a special permit is issued by KWS. Simply put, the success of elephants in the Amboseli area doesn't just rely on the environment but also the people that live there.



At sunset as we headed back to camp after meeting with Soyla about the Amboseli Elephant project.

The Bees are Back in “My Big Backyard”

We are excited to let you know that our honey bees are back in My Big Backyard. Our head bee keeper, Thea Etchells, shares some fun facts about bees.



Fun Bee Facts:
- Bees communicate through a dance. They'll "dance" in a Figure 8 and even "waggle", this dance gives others in the hive the distance and direction of to patches of flowers yielding nectar and pollen, good water sources or to new housing locations.

- Bees are native to Asia, Africa and Europe. Honeybees were first introduced to the East Coast of North America in 1622.

- A swarm of bees is primarily caused by overcrowding of a hive which will happen during the Spring or Summer

- Flower nectar is only one of two sources used by honeybees. Pollen is the other, providing protein and essential nutrients for the bees

- Honeybees are very important pollinators. As field bees forage for nectar, pollen sticks to the fuzzy hairs that cover their bodies. Some of this pollen will rub off into the next flower they visit, fertilizing the flower resulting in better fruit production. The rest of the pollen, they'll bring back to the hive to have the house bees store it in a special part of the comb.



What I find interesting about bees:

- They are absolutely amazing! Worker bees especially! They have so many different jobs in such a short lifespan living only about 6 weeks, (however those born in the fall will live until the following spring). When they are young, they are called "House bees" and work in the hive doing comb construction, brood rearing, tending the queen and drones, cleaning, temperature regulation and defending the hive. The older workers are called "Field Bees;" they forage outside the hive to gather nectar, pollen, and water.


- Bees all go through several days of training, depending on the job...they work each "job" for a few days before moving on to the next without having to go through any training at all. When they emerge from their cell, they automatically start cleaning out their cells and getting to work. Amazing!

Stop by My Big Backyard at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to learn more about honey bees.

Rock the Zoo!

Your Own Personalized River Rock.



Maybe you've always had a thing for rocks. Perhaps, as a child, you had numerous pet rocks—all named 'Bob'. Well, now you have the opportunity to have your very own personalized rock on display at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Personalized river rocks will be an integral part of the new Rocky Mountain Wild complex. Each rock will be installed to complete the Community Wall of Names at Moose Lake—creating a fascinating mural of the Rocky Mountain river system.

* Engraved river rocks will be permanently displayed on the Community Wall of Names at Moose Lake as part of the new Rocky Mountain Wild exhibit.
* River rocks can have two engraved lines of text with as many as 12 characters per line.
* River rocks can be purchased for $100, which includes the cost of engraving.
* All funds raised from this campaign will help support the new Rocky Mountain Wild exhibit.



This is the perfect opportunity to commemorate special people or organizations while helping Cheyenne Mountain Zoo at the same time.

* Honor family or cherished friends.
* Remember a loved one. Leave a legacy.
* Celebrate your child's Scout troop or third grade class!
* Recognize your business or favorite organization.

Purchase a personalized river rock today and help us with the new Rocky Mountain Wild exhibit!

Purchase a River Rock Now on our website.

Companies for Conservation

It's a Business Proposition.



Join Companies for Conservation and your company will be uniting with Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and its commitment to the conservation and care of threatened and endangered species. By involving your organization and sharing the conservation message with employees and clients, you'll be helping animals worldwide.

With this generous commitment, Companies for Conservation members will receive public recognition and unique opportunities for employee incentives and client rewards. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo relies on donations like this for the majority of its funding and recognizes donors whenever possible.

As a Companies for Conservation member, you'll be making an important commitment to conservation. Membership fees range from $100 to $2,500, and members receive the following benefits:

* Member listing on the Zoo's web site
* Member listing on sign in Primate World (seen by over half a million visitors each year)
* Choice of species to sponsor and fact sheet on the species, including information on its status in the wild
* Information on how employees can help with conservation of the species
* 10% employee discounts for Zoo membership
* Color photo of your animal

Find out more online.

Africa Expedition: Trip Overview and Day 1

Our own, Nicole Mantz, Education Curator for the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, has ventured to Africa on an expedition regarding human/wildlife conflict and coexistence. We just heard from her and wanted to get the update out to you.

Nicole writes:

Jambo! Got into Nairobi yesterday afternoon but wasn't able access internet until this morning. We will be heading Tsavo as soon as we are done with our updates here. I hope to send pictures soon!

Trip Overview:
This Earth Expeditions trip through Project Dragonfly and the Wild Research Consortium* is about humans and wildlife coexisting together. Throughout the course we use the inquiry process to look at different issues associated with humans and wildlife in the African landscape. Since the class revolves around inquiry, I'd like to ask you to do some inquiry along with me...

Look at your surroundings each day, pick something to focus on and spend sometime asking questions about it. When you find a question that really intrigues you, then I challenge you to dig deeper, look for the answer, ask your family, friends, etc. to join you in your quest. I think you'll find that as you take a few moments to dig deeper, and learn more, the world around you start to feel more alive, more illuminated. Using simple inquiry and observation can make an ordinary situation incredibly interesting, and as a result, I hope you feel more connected with the world around. - Join me in my journey as I connect with the people and wildlife of Africa through the inquiry process.

*As part of Wild Research, 15 zoos and aquariums throughout the country make up the Wild Research Consortium. Consortium members attend leadership workshops each year at conservation sites in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.


July 1, Day 1 - A long way for a kiss!

Today we had some time before we met up with the rest of our classmates, so a couple new friends from Ohio and I did some exploration. We really wanted to check out the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe sanctuary. So we hired a guide to take us around these areas of Nairobi. The Elephant sanctuary was first and they had 6 elephant calves ranging in age from 5 months to 2 years.



They were red with dirt and really knew they were the center of attention. So many people crowded around them for the opportunity to get up close and personal. As I observed the people in that moment, it made me think about how much people love connecting with wildlife. I know this is something that we already know, but being in another country, and seeing many people from other countries as well, waiting with great anticipation for their moment to connect with the little guys, reminded me that this connection we crave, truly is universal... it doesn't matter what language you speak.

When we reached the Giraffe Sanctuary, where Giraffe Manor is located, I was again amazed at the people that were crowding around, feeding the giraffe. It made me start wondering, of the people here, for how many is this their first time to feed giraffe?

As I observed, in an effort to answer my question... many were frightened and nervous as they approached "Daisy" the giraffe for the first time. Some spoke English and I was able to ask them if this was their first experience, and for most, it was. As they started connecting with Daisy, they started getting more confident and bolder with their feeding strategies. Eventually you saw them starting to put the pellet in their mouth and Daisy would take it from them, in a sloppy, wet, french kiss. :-)


One of my classmates, Katie, gets a smooch from Daisy the giraffe at the Giraffe Sanctuary.

I just giggle at their expressions and thought about how fortunate we are at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, to be able to provide this opportunity for our guests. The joy that surrounded Daisy is something we see often at the Zoo, and for those who have a chance to have their first encounter with a giraffe right in their home town, or after a little traveling, I'm sure you feel fortunate too... Africa is a long way to come for your first kiss (giraffe kiss that is)!


Giraffe photo from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Tonight we meet up with our class and head off to Amboseli! Can't wait for the adventure!

Africa Expedition: Background

Facts on Kenya Trip 2010

What: Nicole Mantz, Education Curator at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is on a 16 day Expedition to Kenya.

Where: Various Areas of Kenya: Nairobi, Amboseli National Park, Tsavo West, Olkiramatian, Chyulu Hills

Why: Nicole Mantz on behalf of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is joining an Earth Expeditions Program in Kenya through the Zoo’s participation in the Wild Research Consortium, directed by Project Dragonfly at Miami University and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.

The Wild Research Consortium, started in 2007 through a grant funded by the National Science Foundation, brings together a group of Association of Zoo and Aquarium (AZA) Institutions around a common mission: to deepen public engagement in science and conservation. Wild Research will create and assess exhibit environments that ask visitors, particularly families, to take a plunge, cast off their traditional roles as spectators, and become active investigators and conservationists. The premise of Wild Research is that the most powerful way to engage families is to invite them into the world of science and conservation.

By using inquiry methods to invite public engagement, Wild Research supports what appears to be a recent national movement toward participatory science at zoos and aquariums. In an effort to build capacity, the Wild Research Consortium brings AZA professionals together with conservation scientists and educators for direct research experiences at key conservation sites in Africa, Asia and the Americas. These graduate credit workshops leverage the successful Earth Expeditions program . Participants will spend more than 100 hours at a field conservation site, attend follow-up workshops, and implement cooperative action plans. The Wild Research Leadership Workshops create international collaborations, while building the capacity of zoos and aquariums to connect families to global conservation efforts.

This trip is perfect timing for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo as Nicole will be leading the interpretive planning for the Zoo’s new elephant exhibit. With her experiences in Africa and learning opportunities in the course, Nicole hopes to engage guests with the story of how amazing elephants are and their coexistence with people and other wildlife.

Meet the Primates of the Rainforest Review Show: White-cheeked Gibbons

White-cheeked gibbons of Southeast Asia:



In the Southeast Asia part of Monkey Pavilion you will see our white-cheeked gibbon Tanh-Linh. Tanh-Linh is one of our best acrobats and has some amazing behaviors to show you. Tanh-Linh is 21 years old and was born at the Oregon Zoo. He came to CMZ when he was five years old to be friends with our female white-cheeked gibbon, Debbie. They are a perfect pair and are best friends. However, Debbie is dominate over Tanh-Linh and he will not do any of his behaviors if she is in the enclosure. We separate them for the show and reunite them shortly there after.



You can tell Tanh-Linh and Debbie apart because they are two different colors. Tanh-Linh is the black one with fluffy white cheeks and Debbie is the white one with a small patch of black on the top of her head. Scientists believe that the color difference in this species is to help them decipher who is male and who is female when they are looking for mates. White-cheeked gibbons form monogamous pairs and will usually spend their whole lives with one mate. Their offspring will live with them until they reach maturity and leave the natal group. When white-cheeked gibbon babies are born they will be white like the female for the first year or so. When they are around two years old all the babies will turn black. Finally, once the females reach maturity around 5 or 6 years, they will turn back to white. Tanh-Linh and Debbie have one surviving offspring named Tangra. This summer we sent her to a zoo in Texas to find a mate of her own.



Tanh-Linh and Debbie are a great pair to watch and can be seen either in one of our outdoor enclosures or in their home exhibit inside Monkey Pavilion. They will amaze you with their swinging and leaping abilities. So be sure to catch Tanh-Linh center stage during our Rainforest Review Show at 11:30 in Monkey Pavilion.

Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance likes CMZ’s Quarters for Conservation

The Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance (ALTA) publishes a newsletter every couple of months. In the most recent newsletter there is an article about Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Q4C program!


Here is a snapshot of the story. If you would like to read the entire newsletter you can access it from the ALTA website.

Adopt a Porcupine!

Don't miss out!

For a limited time, you can get your very own cuddly stuffed porcupine! Adopt one of our porcupines in Rocky Mountain Wild for $50, and you will not only get a stuffed animal, but you will also receive a full color photograph, personalized adoption certificate, fact sheet about North American porcupines, and an invitation to Parent Day in August!

Visit our Adopt an Animal page for more information.



The North American Porcupine, best known of the New World species, is a heavyset, short-legged, slow-moving rodent that is usually solitary, nocturnal, herbivorous, and spends much of its time in trees. It has a small head, a large, chunky body with a high arching back and short legs. Its head and body are 25 to 40 inches long, with a long, thick, muscular tail growing as long as 8 inches. It weighs from 10 to 40 pounds. Long, yellowish guard hairs cover the front half of its body while up to 30,000 quills are interspersed among the dark, coarse guard hairs of the back and tail. These quills are the most distinguishing characteristic of the porcupine. You can see a real porcupine in Rocky Mountain Wild at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo everyday next to the moose exhibit.

Swinging in the Rainforest: A Night with Orangutans

Join us for a night with the orangutans! AAZK (American Association of Zookeepers) is hosting the second annual Swinging in the Rainforest orangutan fundraiser.



Be some of the first to learn what Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's team, Tracey Gazibara, Dina Bredahl, and Mandy Hollingsworth, discovered about orangutan conservation on their recent trip to Indonesia and Malaysia (see the Palm Oil Blog for updates from the trip while they were there). Watch the orangutans perform their natural behavior show and an orangutan painting session. Bid on some of your favorite orangutan paintings, photographs and gifts from Indonesia in our silent auction. Activities for kids will include coloring sheets, making enrichment for the primates and practicing orangutan nest building skills. Maggie Moos will be serving up their new palm oil free flavor "Swinging Orangutan Shindig" in support of this journey and the conservation of orangutan habitat. 25 cents of each scoop goes directly to orangutan conservation through the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's Quarters for Conservation program.

The event will take place in Primate World on July 10, 2010 from 6:30-9:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door the night of the event or online at from our events page. Hope you’ll swing on by and see us!

Cost:
$25 per adult
$40 per couple
$10 per child

Buy Swinging in the Rainforest tickets now! All proceeds benefit orangutan conservation.