2 New Education Programs at the Zoo...Stroller Safaris and Scout Badges

Stroller Safaris

Take a Walk on the Wild Side.


How do scales feel different than fur? What different sounds do animals make? Bring your 18-36 month old to the Zoo with their favorite adult for a fun interactive class that will introduce your toddler to the wonders of the animal kingdom. During each class we will learn about our animal friends through age appropriate stories, special activities and fun animal encounters.

Age:18-36 month olds
Time: 8:45am-9:30am
Cost: $6.25 members / $16.25 non-members per class.
(Program fee admits one adult and one toddler per class.)

Does your toddler have siblings? No worries...

* Siblings within the program's age range of 18-36 months can participate in the stroller program for the normal program fee ($6.25 members/ $16.25 non-members)
* Siblings up to 6 years of age are allowed at Thursday's class for an extra fee of $2.25. We will have appropriate activities planned for these siblings (this excludes infants).

For more information call 633-9925 ext. 127. Note: To register for a class within 48 hours of the start time please call us. Classes may be canceled if minimum sizes are not met. Space is limited, pre-registration is required.

Learn more about the upcoming Stroller Safaris or register online.


Scout Badge Programs



Badges Earned Up-close.

Whether your group is interested in spending a few hours, a day, or a whole night, we have just the right program for you! There are a variety of programs available for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts that offer the opportunity to complete most of or all of the necessary requirements for several conservation, nature and animal-related badges.

Our pre-scheduled workshops make it convenient to join in on program fun with other Scouts groups too! Online registration is coming soon for these pre-scheduled programs.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a unique and unforgettable location for scouts of all ages to work on their badges and achievements. Consider one of our specially designed Scout Badge Workshops geared toward your scout groups’ needs. You choose the badge or achievements and we do the rest!! During your workshop, enjoy private use of one of our Zoo cabins for a portion of your activities, a private tour including an up-close personal experience with a Zoo staff, as well as the chance to meet a few of our Zoo animal ambassadors. Programs fulfill the requirements of one badge or select set of achievements. Scouts will be awarded with certificates at the end of the program showing which badge or achievements they completed during their workshop.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo requires a minimum of 8 scouts to book a Badge Workshop.

Check out all of our pre-scheduled scout workshops online.

Memorial Day Plant Sale - ONLINE PRE-SALES OPEN!

MEMORIAL DAY PLANT SALE

WHEN: May 28-30, 2011
TIME: Saturday, Sunday & Monday, 9:00am - 6:00pm daily
WHERE: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
ADMISSION: NO Zoo admission is required to attend the plant sale, so stop by!

The Plant Sale features over 200 varieties of resource-wise perennials, grasses, and herbs that perform well in the Pikes Peak Region.

PRE-ORDERING PLANTS ONLINE...OPEN NOW
To assist you with plant selection, lists are provided here to help you with your search for Plant Select Plants, native plants, plants that will attract butterflies or hummingbirds, something that is resistant to deer or rabbits, or for a listing of this year's HPP plants.

Begin shopping by clicking on a plant type below. Then click on individual plant names for detailed information on each plant. Simply add desired items to your ‘shopping cart,’ and then 'check out.’

Although you will be asked for a shipping address at checkout, postal shipping of live plants is not available. Please see Pre-order Pick Up and Delivery below for additional information.

PRE-ORDER PICK UP
Customers who pre-order online may take advantage of special early pick up and early entry into the Plant Sale on Saturday, May 28th, from 6am to 10am. Enjoy the convenience of online ordering AND have the added bonus of entering the Plant Sale early to do additional shopping.

PRE-ORDER DELIVERY
New this year: Free local delivery on large orders (over $500). Free delivery is limited to addresses within one half hour travel time from the Zoo. If you place a large order, we will contact you to arrange delivery.

Please note: There is NO POSTAL SHIPPING of live plant orders at any time.

Visit our website for more information on the sale and pre-ordering your plants today!

Day 15 in Africa: Tracking the Future

by Jenyva Turner

Feburary 1, 2011
Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Limpopo province, South Africa

One of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Quarters for Conservation projects for the second year now is Cape Vulture Conservation in Africa. So far this year (since May 2010), we have raised enough funds to purchase a GPS tracking device to fit to a Cape vulture to monitor its movements across South Africa. We decided to fit our device on an adult female Cape vulture at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. She was found by a farmer in the Limpopo province on 28 December 2010. She had been poisoned. The staff at Moholoholo nursed her back to health and was ready to release her, but Brian Jones and Kerri Wolter wanted to fit her with a tracking device since more data on Cape vulture movements near Kruger National Park is needed.



“Our” vulture can be tracked online on Google Earth using a password. I will be posting maps of her travels on Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s blog regularly, so stay tuned!
The tracking device will help provide researchers with vital information regarding the vultures’ foraging habits from the colony near Kruger. Once they know where the birds roam during the day, they can work to protect them. There may be a need for more vulture restaurants in the region, or greater education within the local farming communities, or certain power lines that need mitigation methods applied. We learn from the birds what still needs to be done.

It’s very fulfilling and exciting to know that Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is helping contribute to science and it is all because of YOU! Your votes for vultures are helping provide valuable information and saving a species! Keep the votes coming! Thank you!

February 11, 2011
The tracking device is working and we have our first update. She is now located 250 miles W of the release site- nearly in Botswana!! Too cool!

She was released on February 2, 2011 and the "X" marks where she is as of today.

Zoo Team Heads to Panama

SEARCH FOR ENDANGERED FROG IS ON!
AS CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN ZOO HEADS BACK TO THE JUNGLES OF PANAMA

Check out all of the updates from our team and follow this expedition into the jungles on Panama on our FROG BLOG!


The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo team is searching for the female Atelopus limosus. Only one exists in captivity in the world.
Photo Credit: Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project

Day 12 in Africa: Flying Free

It's been over a week since we've heard from Jenyva. Internet access went down and she was unable to send anything, until now!

by Jenyva Turner

29 January 2011
Mageliesberg Mountains, North West province, South Africa

One of the best things about wildlife rehab is being able to release the animal you nursed back to heath. It’s a very emotional experience for many rehabbers- met with mixed emotions as they can quite easily become attached to the animals in their care.
Today we released 4 Cape vultures that came into Vulpro. These vultures came in with a variety of conditions ranging from starvation and dehydration to being grounded due to the recent rains. We drove up a rocky road to a beautiful overlook in the Mageliesberg Mountains. I was one of the lucky people who was able to open up a crate door and let the birds fly free once again.



I have to say that it was a bit anticlimactic… I was expecting a flurry of feathers bursting at high speed out of the crates, but it was quite the opposite. The vultures were all fledglings (hatched several months ago) and were still pretty naïve. They stumbled out of the crate, blinking in the bright sunlight and were not a bit concerned with the 11 people staring at them. After a few minutes, Kerri had to run towards them to encourage them to fly free. It was beautiful and moving to watch them soar over the cliff edge- so much power. These are the lucky ones- the success stories. Sadly, not all of the birds Kerri receives are strong enough to fly again.



Thabazimbi/Marakele National Park, Limpopo province, South Africa

Ever since I saw Vulpro’s DVD, “Path into the Future”, I have wanted to experience flying with the vultures of Thabazimbi, the largest colony of Cape vultures in the world. I wanted to hear the air moving through their feathers as they soared and danced on the wind just meters above my head. We enjoyed a short hike thru the Waterberg Mountains through grasses and proteas.



I knew exactly what the breeding cliffs looked like as I have watched the DVD over a dozen times. As I climbed over the final ridge I saw the dark, sheer cliffs rising straight from the veldt floor. The mountains of South Africa are considered to be the oldest mountains in the world and look so different from our Rocky Mountains.



But before I ever reached that point, the vultures were already all over- zipping around, playing on the wind. It was awesome and exciting to watch them master the skies. The winds were a bit strong, yet the birds hardly had to flap their wings. Just slight adjustments of the flight feathers and they could easily change course. Vultures are known in certain cultures to be symbols of efficiency (among many other things like renewal, patience and perseverance). Watching them fly with ease and virtually zero energy expenditure, showed how true those ancient legends still are.



Sadly, the winds (while no problem for the vultures) turned out to be too strong for us to paraglide safely. So there would be no flying with the vultures for me today. But somehow I still felt alive watching them soar and dive around me. They were having fun- flying just to fly. (There is a short video below of the vultures soaring.) Pairs were flying in tandem- something that is thought to strengthen pair bonds. I could hear the wind passing through their feathers. I found their feathers on the ground amongst the rocks. I felt like I was on sacred ground. Like I was witnessing something spiritual. And considering that these birds are still thought to be messengers of the gods, maybe I was.

Rare Ocelot Observed in Southern Arizona

We just received some exciting news from our friends at the Arizona Game and Fish Department and wanted to share it. See the story below.

February 8, 2011

PHOENIX – Arizona Game and Fish Department officials report that a rare ocelot was observed this morning (Feb. 8) in the Huachuca Mountains in southern Arizona.

An individual called Game and Fish this morning to report that while he was working in his yard in the Huachuca Mountains, his dogs began barking at a cat-like animal which quickly climbed a tree. The individual drew closer and suspected that the small spotted cat might be an ocelot. An ocelot is a rare and endangered species of cat.



The man called Game and Fish and an officer responded to the site and confirmed that it was, in fact, an ocelot. The officer did a non-intrusive, visual inspection of the animal from the ground near the tree, and the animal appeared to be healthy. There was no indication that there had been any dog-to-cat direct interaction, as no wounds were visible on any animal.

As with all wildlife-human interaction cases, photos were taken of the animal (attached). The officer was also able to retrieve some scat samples from the scene.

Once the final confirmation was determined, the officer directed that all humans and dogs retreat from the area, and the ocelot, apparently unharmed, was allowed to go on his way.

Ocelots are small to medium-sized spotted cats with a long tail. These cats have been listed as endangered since 1982 under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Since being listed, ocelots have only rarely been seen in Arizona. Only one other ocelot, an animal run over near Globe in April 2010, has been confirmed in Arizona since the mid 1960s. One other ocelot was reportedly captured on film by the Sky Island Alliance in November of 2009; however, it has not been possible to fully verify the species or the animal’s origin based on that photo.

Ocelots tend to be smaller in size in the more northerly portions of their habitat range than those individuals in the central or southern habitat areas. The upper body coloring is highly variable, ranging from grayish to cinnamon or tawny to reddish brown. Dark markings form chainlike streaks down the sides of the ocelot’s body. They have a long, curling, ringed tail that wraps around limbs for stability and is very indicative of the species.

The present range for ocelots is in the eastern and western lowlands of Mexico, from southern Mexico through Central America and in the lowland areas of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. On the fringes of their range, they occupy a very limited region in both the United States (a remnant population exists in Southern Texas) and Argentina. And now Arizona can be included in that range. Other animals such as bobcats and young mountain lions are sometimes misidentified as ocelots, which is why verification is so very important.

Arizona Game and Fish will work together with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to review materials from the site and the photos to attempt to determine whether or not this was a naturally occurring ocelot. Some ocelots are known to be kept as pets, and occasionally, individual animals escape or are released into the wild.

Ocelots are protected by the Endangered Species Act and should be left alone. If anyone encounters a cat believed to be an ocelot, we would request that all sightings and photos along with observation information be reported immediately to the department. More information and additional photos will be made available Wednesday, visit www.azgfd.gov for details.

50 Mexican Gray Wolves in the Wild...Up from 42!

Federal biologists count 50 Mexican wolves in wild

Feb. 1, 2011 07:41 PM
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Federal wildlife officials said Tuesday they have counted 50 endangered Mexican wolves on the Arizona-New Mexico border, up from 42 wolves a year earlier.

The Fish and Wildlife Service's southwest regional director, Benjamin Tuggle, said the figure from last month's annual survey includes 29 wolves in Arizona and 21 in New Mexico. Researchers determined there are two pairs of breeding wolves.

"We're pretty confident with this number and we're happy it's significantly better than last year's," Tuggle said.

Of the 50 wolves, federal biologists said 14 were wild-born pups that survived through the end of 2010 - double the number of pups from the 2009 count.

Environmental groups rarely agree so enthusiastically with federal wildlife managers, but both sides were pleased by the figures.

"It's obviously good news that the numbers have gone up," said Michael Robinson of the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity. "It reverses a very troubling trend over the previous four years, where the numbers either went down or were static. We remain concerned that the Mexican wolf is perilously in trouble, but it's much better to see these numbers."

In another development, federal biologists also announced that two adult wolves - a male and a female - were released last week into the Blue Range recovery area, which straddles the Arizona-New Mexico border. The female had been born in the wild but was brought to a captive breeding program.



Tuggle said it was the first release this year - "just one of the actions we are undertaking to increase the number of Mexican wolves on the ground."

Click to read the FULL STORY.

Alaska's Polar Bears Need Our Help!

Polar bears in the Hudson Bay are in danger of dying out completely as global warming melts away the ice they depend on to hunt for food.

At the southern edge of their range in the Hudson Bay, polar bears are losing weight and cubs are starving to death as global warming melts away their icy habitat. Each year, more and more polar bears die as their ice is destroyed by global warming pollution.

Compared to 20 years ago, there are now about 30 more days a year when the Bay isn't covered in ice, causing bears to spend nearly four weeks longer with nothing to eat -- and leaving the polar bears about 70 pounds thinner on average.

The approximately 900 polar bears in the western Hudson Bay are already in danger of dying out completely.

The polar bears further north in Alaska still have hope, but only if we reduce global warming pollution.

Take Action! Help protect Alaska's polar bears by sending a letter to members of Congress and President Obama, urging them to oppose big polluter plans to undermine the Clean Air Act. Click here to help in this letter writing.