What happened to Grizzly Grill?

Our Grizzly Grill restaurant is closed to the public for a major makeover! During construction guests are welcome to visit the Lodge at Moose Lake, a “mini-grill”, featuring a buffet specially prepared by Chef Beau and his Wild Things Catering team.

To be unveiled March of 2010, the new “Grizzly Grill” will encompass over 5,000 square feet and offer guests a variety of gourmet food options. Visit our blog for future construction updates!

Check out these photos of the Grizzly Grill demolition:

New Snow Leopard Maps

These GPS collar uplink maps (click to enlarge) show the locations of the 5 cats that are currently collared in the South Gobi research area and provide critical information to researchers on how and where the Snow Leopard move. The round dots are from previous up-links while the squares connected with the lines are the most recent movements from each cat.

Read more from Megan Sanders, Animal Behavior Programs Manager and Snow Leopard Conservationist.

Have you met Chef Beau?

Meet Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s executive chef, Beau Green! Creating all the menus for Wild Things Catering, Beau and his team can take your holiday party from blasé to gourmet!

By the way, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a great place to host your holiday party, wedding or special event. All catering and event services are provided by Wildthings Catering. Visit our website for catering menus and information about reserving one of our special venues for your event!

Here’s a secret recipe from Beau’s vault to get your tasted buds watering!

Herbed Griddle Cakes with Pear and Blue Cheese Topping
1 cup self rising flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons fine chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped sage

Pear and Blue Cheese Topping
2/3 cup Blue Castello or other creamy blue cheese
1/3 cup cream cheese
2 teaspoons brandy
1 large ripe green skinned pear
1/4 cup toasted walnuts finely chopped
1/2 lemon
1/2 bunch chives cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Sift the flour into a bowl and make a hollow hole in the center. Gradually add the combined eggs and milk mixing the flour in slowly. When the flour is incorporated, add the parsley and sage and season well. Whisk until a smooth batter forms.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat and spray with cooking oil spray. Drop heaping teaspoons of batter into the pan and flatten to 2 inch rounds. Cook until bubbles appear in the surface of the griddle cake, then turn and brown the other side. Remove and cool on rack.

To make the topping, beat the cheeses and brandy together until smooth. Season with pepper. Cut the pear in half and peel and core one half. Dice it into 1/4 inch pieces, leaving the other half untouched. Stir the diced pear and walnuts into the cheese mixture. Core the other half of the pear but do not peel it. Thinly slice the pear lengthwise. Cut each slice into 3/4 inch triangles with green skin on one side. Squeeze some lemon juice over the cut surfaces to prevent discoloration. Spread 1 teaspoon of topping on each griddle cake. Top with three pear triangles and garnish with chives. Makes 36

Black-footed ferret kits go to the wild

Tomorrow morning Cheyenne Mountain Zoo will send six endangered black-footed ferret kits born this breeding season on the first leg of their one-way trip to the wild. After the kits spend a few weeks in large outdoor pens learning how to hunt prairie dogs in a Federal facility in Carr, Colorado, it will be determined where they will be sent for their permanent home in the wild.

The black-footed ferret was once considered to be the most endangered mammal in North America. The Zoo’s ferret kits are the result of an aggressive captive-breeding and reintroduction program that is gaining great progress toward recovering our native ferret population. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of only five zoos in the world to breed this intriguing species and has been breeding black-footed ferrets since 1990.

Contest Winner

Thank you to all who submitted photos to the Three Deer photo contest!
Drum Role please…



The winning photo! Congratulations!
The winner receives four Sky Ride passes!