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Cultural INDEX - Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
4250 Cheyenne Mt. Zoo Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
(719) 475-9555
(719) 633-9218
"America's ONLY Mountain Zoo"
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is home to over 500
animals representing some 140 species from around
the world. The Zoo is open every day of the year
from 9:00 a.m. For further information, call the
Zoo at (719) 633-9925.
HOURS:
Summer: 9am - 6pm*
Winter: 9am - 5pm*
The Zoo is open 365 days!
* Last ticket sold one hour prior to closing.
ADMISSION:*
Ages 12 and over $5.75
Ages 3 to 11 $3.00
Under 3 free
Senior Citizens $4.75
(65 & over)
*Rates subject to change without notice.
Please: Pets are not allowed in the Zoo!
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All promotions that offer children free with a paid
adult limit 4 free children per paid adult.
PROMOTIONS/SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDAR
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Summer Events Calendar
JUNE
3 9th Annual Wildlife Art Show & Sale (5-9pm)
Colorado artists will dispiay their wildlife paintngs, sculptures,
photography & more. Admission is FREE and is open to the public.
4 Conservation Day
Free admission for children who bring a recyciable item and are
accompanied by a paid adult. Conservation groups will he on hand to
show you how you can get involved in the conservation effort and the
first 50 recyclers will receive a free aspen tree seedling.
19 "King of the Day" on Father's Day
Free admission for Fathers' when accompanied by one or, more paid
children. Nominate your loved one to be "King of the Day" and get the
"royal treatment" at the Zoo. including a limo ride aronnd the Zoo
from Rocky Mountain Limousines - Listen to the Mark Brothers on 98.1
KKFM, June 13-17 for details.
23 9th Annual Zoobilee
24 Free admission for children who dress as the "Animal of the Day" (when
25 accompanied by a paid adult).
Zoobilee Coloring Contest forms will be available at Burger King
locations starting June 8. Zoobilee activities include face painting,
Pasta Art, "Dance Unlimited" petformances. visits by KCS's Marty the
Moose and Fox 21's Sam & Cubby. the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo Girl of
the West and her aide and the Burger King whopper Hopper.
Thursday: Black Rhino - black clothes and a horn
Friday: Giraffe - brown & white clothes and a tail
Saturday: Mexican wolf - brown clothes and wolf ears
JULY
14 Teddy Bear Days
15 ChIldren under 12 accompanied by a paid adult will get in FREE. The
16 Teddy Bear Clinic will be open for check-ups all theee days. The
Teddy Bear parade, led by Marty the Moose and the 3 Bears, will be
held on Friday, July 15 and will go to the Teddy Bear Picnic where
children will get free Pepsi and Olive Garden pizza (pizza for adults
is $1.00 a slice).
30 Members Night (5-8pm)
It's a special Bar-B-QUE for members only with great food, cold beer
and loads of fun! A special treat this year; you can get your
caricature done free by Kevin Cordiz from 6-8pm.
AUGUST
6 5th Annual WIldest Race in Town
A mountain challenge for runners and walkers, the race begins at the
Zoo gate and goes up to the Shrine of the sun and back down to Primate
World. There will also be a "Centipede" Corporate Challenge that's a
"fun run/walk" through the Zoo.
12 3rd Annual Fellne Fiesta
13 Free admission to chidlien under 12 who bring a photo or drawing of a
cat (ANY cat will do!). Children also receive the new Purina Cat Poster
FREE!
20 3rd Annual Wildest Ride in Town
The mountain challenge for bicyclists to make the 1,200 foot ascent to
the Will Rogers Shrine. This is the only opportunity for cyclists to
take advantage of biking it up to the Shrine!
Zoo Summer Hours: (effective May 31,1994) 9am-6pm.,
the admissions gate closes at 5pm
For more information call 719-633-9925
*June 4......CONSERVATION DAY...Annual observation of
the day when conservation of the Earth's
resources and environment are
featured...Day will include the fourth
annual Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Wildlife Art
Show...Educational information will be
presented by numerous conservation groups
and organizations...Held in conjunction
with zoos and aquariums nationwide...Open
to the public.
*June 19.....FATHER'S DAY...Fathers receive free
admission to the Zoo when accompanied by
one or more of their paid children...There
will be special tours emphasizing animal
"dads" at Zoo...Open to the public.
*June 23-25..ZOOBILEE...Annual celebration for kids
featuring games, face painting and zoo
activities...Children under 12 free when
accompanied by a paid adult (limit 4 free
per paid adult)...Open to the public.
*July 14-16..TEDDY BEAR DAYS...Annual festival for
children featuring the Teddy Bear Picnic,
Clinic and Parade, plus games and
activities...Children under 12 admitted
free with a stuffed animal and accompanied
by a paid adult...Open to the public.
*JULY 30.....MEMBERS' NIGHT...Annual family barbeque
party featuring the entire Zoo open in the
evening...Open to Zoo members exclusively,
by RSVP.
*August 6....WILDEST RACE IN TOWN...Fifth annual 9K
run/walk through the Zoo to the Will
Rogers Shrine and back down the
hill...Also kids' fun run through the Zoo
...Open to the public.
*August 12-13..FELINE FIESTA...Family promotion held in
conjunction with the Purina Big Cat
Survival Fund...Free Big Cat posters for
children, plus music, games and family
events...Open to the public.
*August 20...WILDEST RIDE IN TOWN...Third annual
bicycle race to the Will Rogers Shrine of
the Sun...Race is sanctioned by the USCF
& NORBA...Event will include classes for
road and mountain bikes public.
*August 26....BEASTLY BASH...Annual fund raising
dinner-dance...Gourmet food and wine at
Primate World and dancing under a "big
top" tent at the Carousel...The best party
of the year...open to the public by RSVP.
*September 11.GRANDPARENTS' DAY...Grandparents receive
free Zoo admission when accompanied by a
paid grandchild...Open to the public.
*October 1...HIPPO HIKE...Third annual 5K family walk
to benefit the Zoo and other area
non-profits...Walkers solicit pledges for
their participation...All proceeds to
benefit the Zoo's programs and area
schools...Open to the public.
*October 29-30...BOO AT THE ZOO...Halloween celebration
for kids of all ages...Children under 12
in Halloween costumes free with a paid
adult...Haunted house, candy and special
games...Open to the public.
*December 17-22..ANIMAL CHRISTMAS...Annual Christmas
celebration featuring the Zoo lit by over
40,000 lights and 1000 luminaria...
Carolers, spectacular night views of the
city, Santa Claus and more...Evening
promotion open to the public.
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ORGANIZATION HISTORY AND PURPOSE
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was founded in 1926 by Mr. Spencer
Penrose, the noted entrepreneur and philanthropist, to house his
growing collection of exotic animals. In 1938 Mr. Penrose deeded
the Zoo as a nonprofit public trust to the people of Colorado
Springs as the Cheyenne Mountain Museum and Zoological Society. As
an independent organization, the Society has never received
municipal funding or public subsidies. It is financed by
donations, membership dues, earned income, corporate sponsors and
grants. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo became internationally
accredited by the American Association of Zoological Parks and
Aquariums (AAZPA) in 1983.
For sixty-seven years the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has focused on
providing the people of Southern Colorado with quality educational,
cultural and recreational facilities, while playing a vital role in
the conservation of wildlife. Situated at an elevation of 6800
feet overlooking the Pikes Peak region, America's only mountain zoo
stands as a source of pride for the Colorado Springs community and
the state of Colorado. The Zoo is challenged to meet the needs of
a growing community as well as to provide for the rare and
endangered wildlife that it holds in trust for its public.
PROGRAMS AND SERVICE
Conservation:
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has spent decades collecting, breeding
and caring for mammals, reptiles and birds, and serving as a refuge
for animals threatened in the wild. Even prior to AAZPA
propagation guidelines, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo paid specific
attention to carefully managing its animals to maintain genetic
diversity, resulting today in an internationally known and
respected collection. The Zoo has received awards and recognition
for its work with species including orang-utans, snow leopards,
giraffes, tigers, black howler monkeys and lowland gorillas.
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is deeply committed to the conservation
of species in peril of becoming extinct in the wild, and activel
participates as an AAZPA designate in twenty-six Species Survival
Plan (SSP) programs, with the goal of expanding its role in
endangered species conservation and propagation in the years to
come.
Education:
Education has also been historically significant at the Cheyenne
Mountain Zoo. The education program, under the direction of a
professional Education Curator, was first formalized in 1969 with
the creation of a volunteer Docent organization. Today, the
Education Department boasts over 150 active Docents, and reaches
over 20,000 school children each year. Formal programs include
in-house Zoo tours, classroom instruction, lectures, outreach
programs and winter and summer Zoo camps. The program has received
national recognition as one of the leading programs of its kind in
the United States.
Recreation:
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo uses its unique mountain setting to
afford families and groups from all walks of life a recreational
experience that is uniquely entertaining and educational. The Zoo
offers visitors not only its renowned animal collection, but also
a restored vintage carousel, elephant rides, and dining and picnic
facilities. As one of the Pikes Peak region's premier tourist
attractions, the Zoo draws an average of over 300,000 visitors
annually (356,000 in 1992).
Recent Events and Developments:
In 1988 the Zoo's Board of Trustees acted to begin planning of a
multi-million dollar fundraising campaign, proceeds of which would
be used to implement a comprehensive master plan for the renovation
and revitalization of its facilities. Coe, Lee, Robinson & Roesch,
a distinguished architectural firm specializing in zoo design, was
retained to design the master plan and supervise construction. The
plan will be carried out in three phases, the first two of which
will be completed by 1995, costing an estimated $13 million. In
the summer of 1989 the capital campaign, "A Zoo For All Reasons,"
was commenced with the goal of funding phases I and II by the
summer of 1994. To date over $7 million has been pledged to the
campaign. Ground was broken in February 1990 for the initial Phase
I projects. In June 1990 the Conservation Center, which houses
off-exhibit study and breeding of highly endangered species, was
completed. In September of 1990 a new entry plaza was added to the
Zoo, along with "Rocky Cliffs," a naturalistic Rocky Mountain goat
habitat that is the first completely new exhibit to be built at the
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in over 15 years. The redesigned,
state-of-the-art Primate World complex, which houses the Zoo's
renowned great ape collection along with several groups of smaller
primates, opened on June 30, 1991. The intial projects of Phase
II, "Los Montanas" and "Asian Highlands," are now in the design
stage, with the first exhibit of Las Montanas, "Wolf Woods," to
open in mid-1994.
In January of 1992, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was presented with
the Henry McAllister Award for Special Projects by the El Pomar
Foundation. This prestigious award was given as part of El Pomar's
state-wide Awards for Excellence competition, which recognizes the
finest non-profit organizations in Colorado.
Results over the last few years have been dramatic. Since 1989,
attendance has increased 34%; admissions revenue 38%; support
programs (resource development) 44%; and the Zoo has improved from
a $55,000 operating deficit in 1989 to a cumulative surplus of over
$550,000 as of year-end 1993. The Zoo's conservation programs have
been bolstered by significant births: a lowland gorilla, the first
to be born at Cheyenne Mountain in over 16 years, was born in
late-1992; and a pair of endangered red pandas, also the first in
16 years, were born in mid-1993. In October, 1993, a healthy male
black rhinoceros was born, the first successful black rhino birth
since 1972.
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