Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Park

Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Park and its collection

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, opened in 1926, is a zoo in Colorado Springs, United States.

The zoo sits 6,714 ft up, the highest-altitude zoo in the country, and covers 140 acres of which 40 are developed. It holds over 750 animals of nearly 170 species, more than 30 of them endangered.

History

Spencer Penrose received a bear as a gift in 1916, which prompted him to gather animals; they stayed at his Broadmoor Hotel until a hotel guest was bitten by a monkey. The zoo was founded in 1926 to hold the exotic animal collection. On 6 August 2018 a sudden storm dropped baseball-sized hail on the site.

Animals and collection

Animals on show include Giraffe, Penguins, Otters, Elephants and grizzly bear.

Exhibits

The African Rift Valley savanna exhibit cost $11 million and holds lions, reticulated giraffes, meerkats and Cape vultures. Encounter Africa was a $13.5 million build housing African elephants and eastern black rhino.

Things to do

Things to do include Giraffe Feeding Experience, Mountaineer Sky Ride and Chicken Parade.

Conservation and approach

Black-footed ferret, Wyoming toad and Mexican gray wolf are bred here, with 647 ferret kits born on site by 2024, and the zoo is involved in more than 30 Species Survival Plan schemes. Quarters for Conservation lets visitors direct funding to chosen field projects.

What the venue says

• The zoo features several dining options scattered across the grounds serving items like pizza, barbecue, sandwiches, coffee, and ice cream.
• free
• Guests with service animals may tour certain areas of the Zoo with their service animals in compliance with the ADA.