Summer Wrap up

Fall has officially begun, wrapping up the summer season here at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. In honor of school starting, shorter days, leaves turning and cooler weather, I wanted to take a look back at summer 2011.

Our summer started in May with our 3^rd Annual Run to the Shrine. This year, we increased attendance to 600 5K runners and 400 10K runners. Depending on your distance, the race began either at The Broadmoor or at the front gates of the zoo. Regardless of your starting point, it was definitely a tough race due to the 1,400-foot elevation gain. At the end of May, the zoo lost one of its long-time residents. Elson, our 16-year-old male African lion, was receiving end of life care, and was under anesthesia for treatment of a dental infection. It was during this procedure Elson’s heart stopped. Elson’s morning roar is still missed at the zoo, but his legacy lives on in his 13 cubs and at least seven grandcubs. These descendants live at Association of Zoos and Aquariums facilities all across the U.S.

In June we welcomed two new otters to Rocky Mountain Wild. They arrived from the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, MN, and brought our otter count to four meowters. I’m happy to report Enapay and Pivane are doing well. We also received a fourth African elephant. Jambo is 27 years old and weighs in at an estimated 8,500 pounds. Jambo is being introduced during daily “howdies” to her new friends Lucky, Malaika and Kimba.  All four ladies are enjoying their new elephant barn and have officially set up residence there. In the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Conservation Center, things started to heat up as the black-footed ferrets began mating. 11 kits born at the zoo this year were released in the wild.

July is one of our busiest months. Teddy Bear Days took place the second weekend of July and attracted more than 7,000 children to the zoo over the two days. Memorial Hospital for Children was a huge supporter of the Teddy Bear Clinic, where numerous stuffed friends were treated. More than 15 area businesses also set up fun booths for the children, including ice cream samples, prize wheels, face painting and giveaways.

August didn’t slow down as we hosted Moonlight on the Mountain. We welcomed more than 25 restaurants, five breweries and five wine shops to the zoo for the adults-only fundraising event. Even though the weather was less than appealing, more than 1,200 participated, making this the largest Moonlight on the Mountain in zoo history.  

We celebrated Military Appreciation Week September 12-18, offering admission discounts for all active and retired military and their families. We also introduced a new Komodo dragon named Boudreaux during a special reveal party. He is an 8-year-old, 89-pound Komodo dragon on loan to us from the Oklahoma City Zoo. Boudreaux loves getting massages from his keepers. The month ended on a positive note when Monkey Pavilion keepers were able to get both the Goeldi’s and Geoffrey’s marmosets to shift to their new outdoor exhibit, a feat months in the making.  

Don’t worry, there are still a lot of events coming up this year. Mark your calendars for Boo at the Zoo taking place at the end of October and Electric Safari in December.