World Giraffe Day - June 21

By: Andrea Bryant, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo  Giraffes/Lions Animal Keeper

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is home to one of the largest and most prolific giraffe herds in the country.  Our herd is currently comprised of 18 individuals with 198 giraffe calves born at the Zoo since the 1954.  With giraffes being such a common and successful zoo animal, wild giraffes must be doing well too, right?  Unfortunately the answer is no.  

Wild giraffe populations are declining due largely to human activities such as agricultural expansion, habitat loss, and poaching.  In 1999, there were an estimated 140,000 giraffes in Africa.  Today, fewer than 80,000 giraffes remain in the wild, a decline of more than 40% in just over a decade. 

Luckily, there is hope.  Field conservation organizations like the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) are working to protect these amazing animals.  By collecting data on giraffe populations, locations, and behaviors, conservation initiatives can be enacted to help save giraffes. 

To help raise public awareness of the “silent crisis” wild giraffe populations are currently undergoing, GCF and zoos around the world are gearing up for the first ever World Giraffe Day on Saturday, June 21 – our zoo will celebrate the event from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in African Rift Valley.

Please join Cheyenne Mountain Zoo as we celebrate the longest-necked animal on the longest day of the year. At the event we will celebrate the gentle giants while learning what can be done to help save wild giraffes.  Activities for World Giraffe Day include: learning how reducing your carbon footprint, taking a pledge to save giraffes, testing your skills in identifying individual Cheyenne Mountain Zoo giraffes based on their spot patterns and participating in a giraffe parade. 

For more information, please visit:  http://www.cmzoo.org/docs/WorldGiraffeDay2014.pdf.

Strawberry Avocado Salsa

This week, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's chefs mixed up a recipe for strawberry-avocado salsa. This versatile salsa is a great topping for pork, burgers, sandwiches, pitas, crackers, bread and more!

Strawberry Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely chopped strawberries
• 1/4 cup finely chopped peeled avocado
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; toss gently. Serve immediately.