Have Your Event at the Zoo

The Zoo is a venue like no other! Available for company picnics, parties, receptions, family gatherings and reunions, you can rent the entire Zoo or enjoy a selected site.

Wildthings Catering, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's official caterer, can do all the planning for you! An expert catering staff can create the perfect menu and arrange any rentals you may need.



Gazette Pick Winner 2010!
BEST CATERER
Wild Things Catering at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
"Yes, the catering company is operated at the zoo, but the culinary team is something to take notice of. Not only have they won top prizes at the premier Chefs Gala, they have a new restaurant, the Grizzly Grill, in the park sure to become a destination dining experience."

Catering Menu Online
Birthday Parties
Entertainment Extras

Text to Support the Zoo...it's so easy & makes a HUGE difference!

What is your favorite animal?
Otter, Grizzly Bear, Tiger?

With more than 700 animals, the cost to feed and care for our animals exceeds $1.4 million annually.

Donations are our lifeline. Governed by a volunteer board of community leaders, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is recognized as an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. As one of only a handful of accredited zoos in the country that does not receive local or regional public tax support, nearly 100 percent of the Zoo's income is generated from earned revenues, membership dues, donations, corporate sponsors and grants. Your support is critical to our future.

Now you can use Your Cell Phone to Contribute to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo!!!

We are all about CONSERVATION, EDUCATION and FAMILIES. But we can’t do it alone! We hope you’ll support the Zoo’s vision of Every Kid, Every Time, Goosebumps! With each visit, every kid, of any age, will have an experience for a lifetime. For us, every penny counts!

Text ‘CMZGive10’ to 20222 to contribute $10 via your cell phone to support our important work today!

A one time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Messaging & data rates may apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Annual Fund by the Mobile Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.hmgf.org/t. You can unsubscribe at any time by replying STOP to “20222”; Reply HELP to “20222” for help.

View the Mobile Giving Foundation Privacy Policy.

Click here to generate a receipt of your donation.

Tahoma Antler Watch

We were finally able to weigh Tahoma and he is now......drum roll please..........1,110 lbs!!!!! He is doing well and has managed to get a lot of the velvet off his antlers by rubbing them on logs, tree trucks and his barn. He will even let his keepers assist in some of the velvet removal. We have also noticed that his dewlap, the flap of skin under his jaw, is beginning to swell. When he goes into full rut, about a month from now, he will dig a urine wallow and dip his dewlap in it. Bull moose do that to advertise that they are looking for a mate and also to let other bull moose know they are around.


Tahoma earlier this summer, before the velvet began to shed.


Tahoma’s antlers now, shedding the velvet in Fall 2010.

Watch this short video of Tahoma rubbing his antlers on a log.

Khalid Joins the Giraffe Herd

Please join us in welcoming Khalid, a two-year-old male giraffe who came to us from Oakland Zoo. Khalid has big shoes to fill with plans to eventually take over Mawimbi’s role as the Zoo’s top breeding male. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has the most prolific giraffe breeding program in the world (192 births at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo since 1954!).

Khalid’s keepers train him on a daily basis helping him acclimate to the various indoor and outdoor exhibits within African Rift Valley. His favorite treats include bananas, carrots and apples. Khalid spends much of his time in the north giraffe yard (near the meerkat exhibit) socializing in a small group with one or two females. Within a couple of weeks he will be introduced to the main giraffe yard. If you are looking for him, he is a lanky giraffe with smaller ossicones (the horns on the head) and a lighter face.

Be sure to visit Khalid and the rest of the giraffe herd in African Rift Valley during regular Zoo hours.

To learn more about giraffes, check out our Giraffe Facts and visit our Giraffe Cam online.


Mawimbi in 2008

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Help Count Pawnee Montane Skippers

The Pawnee Montane Skipper (Hesperia leonardus Montana) is an endangered and federally protected subspecies of butterfly that is found only in the South Platte River drainage area in Colorado. Ten years ago, several agencies, including the US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife and Denver Water started planning forest restoration in the South Platte Valley. The restoration work included timber harvest, thinning of trees, prescribed burns, eliminating roads and making trails. In order to monitor how this might be affecting the endangered skipper, yearly surveys were conducted during the butterfly’s flight season in late August and early September. In 2002, this area was further affected by the Hayman Fire, and that became an important part of the surveys. These surveys include counting the skippers seen, counting flower stems of their preferred nectar source (Prairie Gayflower), noting presence of their larval food plant (Blue Gramma grass) and counting live and dead trees. Weather conditions such as temperature, cloud cover and wind are also noted, since these can all affect whether the skippers are active or not.



Three years ago, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo adopted the Pawnee Montane Skipper project as one of its Quarters for Conservation participants. The project received money from the zoo to support graduate students working in the field, but another important part of the Zoo’s involvement was recruiting volunteers to help with the surveys. While the surveys are conducted by the Forest Service, Fish & Wildlife, and Dr. Boyce Drummond, volunteers provide the additional help needed to have several survey teams each day. The Skipper is no longer a Quarters project, but is still being supported by the zoo.

“Participating in the surveys is a lot of hard work, but very rewarding,” says Heidi Genter, current champion of the Skipper project at the Zoo. “It feels great to be involved in field work right here in Colorado.”

If you are interested in helping with this year’s surveys, they are scheduled for the week of Aug. 30-Sept 3. Participants should be prepared for a day in the field, spent hiking over rough and steep terrain. If you’re interested, please contact Heidi at hgenter@cmzoo.org for more information.