Raising Funds for Down Under Improvements

The Zoo takes pride in making continual exhibit improvements for the animals. Therefore, it’s no surprise that before the dust settled on Encounter Africa, plans to improve the Australia exhibit were already underway.

The Australia upgrade project will include some new exciting features. To start, the wallaby walk-through will be improved, and a new off-season space will be added so guests can enjoy the wallabies in an indoor winter yard.

Though they aren’t Australian, our alligators have been officially “adopted” by this part of the Zoo, and everyone hates seeing them leave for the winter. A new building for a new species of alligators for the Zoo – Chinese alligators – will keep them at the Zoo year-round. Educational elements in the new space will also explain the differences between alligators and their Australian counterparts, crocodiles.

The new, improved Budgie Buddies exhibit will still offer guests the thrills of a free-flight aviary, but the space will be remodeled and improvements will be made to ventilation and plumbing.

Throughout Australia, guest pathways will be widened, allowing for better accessibility and less crowding through the exhibit.  

In addition to the improvements to the down-under animal habitats, the renovation will allow us expand our educational outreach animals’ living quarters in the basement of our Scutes Family Gallery building.  

Now that the renovation plans have been put on paper, the next step is fundraising. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a non-profit that does not receive any tax support. We rely on donations to improve and build new spaces for our animals. If you would like to contribute to the future improvements of Australia at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, contact Kelley Parker at 719.633.9925 ext. 164 or for more information on the project, visit: http://www.cmzoo.org/aboutZoo/ourFuture/australia.asp.