Located southwest of metropolitan Colorado Springs, on Cheyenne Mountain over 2000 m above sea level, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the only mountainside zoo found in the United States.
Covering a total of 57 ha west of the Broadmoor resort Cheyenne Mountain Zoo houses over 750 animals representing more than different 150 species, with over 30 endangered species.
Interesting Facts About Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
• Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was founded in 1926 by a philanthropist by the name of Spencer Penrose for his collection of exotic animals. After substantial development in 1938 Penrose incorporated the Zoo as a non-profit public trust to the residents of Colorado Springs for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a zoological park to provide education, recreation, conservation in the Pikes Peak region
• Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of the few independent, nonprofit organizations accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in the United States that does not receive tax support and whose income is generated from revenues earned from admissions fees, corporate sponsors, donations, grants and membership.
• In an effort to educate and encourage an appreciation and respect for wildlife, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo continuously updates and creates new exhibits to allow visitors to participate in many of the zoo activities.
• The zoo’s Aquatics building is home to African penguins, beavers, Burmese pythons, and Nile hippopotamuses. The Leaping to the Rescue exhibit also located inside the Aquatics building houses a large collection of fish in different aquariums as well as several amphibian species including the endangered Wyoming toad.
• Following its renovation the zoo in 2015 reopened its Australia Walkabout allowing visitors to interact with free-ranging Red-necked wallabies inside their habitat. The Australia Walkabout also features Budgie Buddies as well as the zoo’s parakeet collection where visitors can hand-feed the birds using special seed sticks in a building fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows. Other surrounding exhibits include, American alligators, a Matschie’s tree kangaroo and Emu.
• In 2013 the zoo opened its largest exhibit in the zoo’s history, Encounter Africa. The exhibit which houses meerkats, African lions and elephants, also features a sky bridge which offers visitors a panoramic city view of Colorado Springs.
• The monkey house exhibit fist opened in 1942 to house the zoo’s collection of big cats was later demolished in 1995 and the animals transferred to what is today the Monkey Pavilion. The habitat which contains indoor and outdoor exhibits allows visitors to view several species including, Black-crested mangabeys, Black howler monkeys, Goeldi’s monkeys, White-handed gibbons, Black and white ruffed lemurs, Sykes monkey and Wolf’s guenon
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Webcams
Giraffe Cam
The zoo’s African Rift Valley located near the main entrance and runs along the east side of the main road houses a the largest heard of Reticulated giraffe in the United States as well as African lions, Cape vultures, Crowned crane, Grant’s zebra, Okapi and Red river hogs.
Notably the exhibit allows visitors to hand-feed the giraffes. Recognized as the most productive giraffe conservation efforts in the world, The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo breeding program since 1954 has produced 199 births.
There is also a giraffe webcam for online viewers to watch the herd outside with zoo guests.
Zoo Camera Tags:
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