Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Cheyenne Mountain Zoo News 2024

BearMinimum said:
No chance they get removed. Colorado Supreme Court justices are already laughing these chumps out the door.

Per the article: "[NHRP's lawyer] compared the animals to past groups subjugated before the civil rights movements and receiving later 'personhood' status — including enslaved people and women."

This is the kind of stuff they're using for their case. I'm sure they thought it was a real zinger. This argument doesn't even work on Reddit, much less in a state Supreme Court...

Maybe one day they will rule it unethical. I sure hope they don't, but it's not impossible. However, as long as these are the cases being assembled and presented by ARAs, it's not going to happen. The "elephants are people" claim they keep making wouldn't even convince a 5-year-old.
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The way they're weaponizing civil rights in all this genuinely makes my blood boil. Reading/knowing about the endless struggle to affirm civil rights for marginalized groups such as enslaved people, women, Indigenous tribes and LGBTQ+ people to name a few, only for that struggle to be trivialized and weaponized by an elitist, out-of-touch group of mountebanks and hucksters is beyond shameful.

Past that, they do this all the time where they'll claim Bronx, Fresno Chaffee, Cheyenne Mountain et. al are "abusing" their elephants, only to admit UNDER OATH that they're not questioning their welfare in the slightest, which is incredibly disingenuous. Any group that makes a scene about something in public only to go back on it in a court of law (I cannot stress this enough, UNDER OATH), their case has the structural integrity of a Fabergé egg.

Cheyenne Mountain explicitly stated that they wouldn't have elephants if they didn't have direct ties to elephant conservation. Considering the fact that they tried to incorporate Lucky, Kimba, Missy, Jambo and LouLou into a cohesive herd only for them to want to stay in their own clusters, AND considering the countless welfare measures they have implemented (e.g. soft substrate throughout the habitat, rigorous enrichment/exercise programs, the fact that NO concerns were raised by the AZA accreditation board and they're only the fourth institution to have a 100% clean record, not to mention their 2 acre off-display vacation yard, which they keep as lush as possible so the elephants can eat as much vegetation as they like), AND the fact that they've raised millions for conservation and $1 million specifically for the Tsavo Trust, meanwhile NhRP only raises money for their self-serving purposes, I'd wager a guess and say the *Zoo* is the elephants' "next best friend" in this case rather than the NhRP.
 
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StoppableSan said:
The way they're weaponizing civil rights in all this genuinely makes my blood boil. Reading/knowing about the endless struggle to affirm civil rights for marginalized groups such as enslaved people, women, Indigenous tribes and LGBTQ+ people to name a few, only for that struggle to be trivialized and weaponized by an elitist, out-of-touch group of mountebanks and hucksters is beyond shameful.

Past that, they do this all the time where they'll claim Bronx, Fresno Chaffee, Cheyenne Mountain et. al are "abusing" their elephants, only to admit UNDER OATH that they're not questioning their welfare in the slightest, is incredibly disingenuous. Any group that makes a scene about something in public only to go back on it in a court of law (I cannot stress this enough, UNDER OATH), their case has the structural integrity of a Fabergé egg.

Cheyenne Mountain explicitly stated that they wouldn't have elephants if they didn't have direct ties to elephant conservation. Considering the fact that they tried to incorporate Lucky, Kimba, Missy, Jambo and LouLou into a cohesive herd only for them to want to stay in their own clusters, AND considering the countless welfare measures they have implemented (e.g. soft substrate throughout the habitat, rigorous enrichment/exercise programs, the fact that NO concerns were raised by the AZA accreditation board and they're only the fourth institution to have a 100% clean record, not to mention their 2 acre off-display vacation yard, which they keep as lush as possible so the elephants can eat as much vegetation as they like), I'd wager a guess and say the *Zoo* is the elephants' "next best friend" in this case rather than the NhRP.
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Completely agree. Also of note is that they're ultimately seeking to protect against "unlawful" confinement, which this just... isn't. Their elephant ownership is not only federally lawful, but actively overseen by the USDA --- at that point it's a legislative matter. The state judiciary has no power to overturn existing federal law. Even if NHRP's case were to succeed -- which it won't -- this is well beyond the power of the Colorado State Supreme Court. Their case would need to pass the U.S. Supreme Court in order to do anything meaningful. Think of the economic implications that might arise from the precedent this would set: what happens when ARAs inevitably try to extend their case to domestic livestock? A federal body would see this coming from a mile away. No matter how many times they pull this outrageously stupid stunt, it isn't going to work.

ARAs continue to champion their efforts because other non-human entities have/do hold "legal person" status, including corporations and ships, however these exist within their own spheres of policy and don't serve as a precedent. They are only classified as such because they're represented by bodies of people, not because they're explicitly people themselves. Pablo Escobar's collection of hippos actually were ruled to be legal persons, but this was more of a technicality case and Colombian law was involved as well. That's the closest thing NHRP has to a precedent, but even that is meaningless here due to how unique the circumstances were. CMZ is going to be deemed the "next friend" 10 out of 10 times
 
BearMinimum said:
Their case would need to pass the U.S. Supreme Court in order to do anything meaningful. Think of the economic implications that might arise from the precedent this would set: what happens when ARAs inevitably try to extend their case to domestic livestock? A federal body would see this coming from a mile away. No matter how many times they pull this outrageously stupid stunt, it isn't going to work.
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When the Non-Human Rights Project brought their case against the Bronx Zoo and Happy the elephant, the court correctly pointed out that the logical and consistent application of "animal rights" ideology would forbid the ownership of pets - no more cats or dogs - as well as the use of service or rescue animals.

Some ARAs are honest enough to admit that this is one of their goals, but most keep quiet about this, either because they're hypocrites who own pets themselves or because they know such a position is so toxic to the general public that if they openly stated it, whatever support ARAs have would evaporate overnight.

Granting that right to Happy to challenge her confinement at a zoo "would have an enormous destabilizing impact on modern society," read the majority decision. "Indeed, followed to its logical conclusion, such a determination would call into question the very premises underlying pet ownership, the use of service animals, and the enlistment of animals in other forms of work," read the decision.
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https://www.npr.org/2022/06/14/1105031075/bronx-zoo-elephant-not-person-court-rules
 
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Nile Hippo Expert said:
Boy do they ever go all out with their giraffes man, with over 200 births since the 1950s, and keeping one of the largest giraffe herds at any zoo in the country! If this plan comes to fruition, then they can hold about 60-80 giraffes in this new exhibit, including several breeding herds, and can be a contender for the #1 giraffe exhibit in the world!
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Daktari JG said:
how could you keep 60-80 giraffe in a 10,000 SF barn?
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I'm still waiting to find out how @Nile Hippo Expert thinks that many giraffes could be housed in a barn that size. That's only the size of two basketball courts.
 
Chlidonias said:
Because, "I'm still waiting to find out how @Nile Hippo Expert thinks that many giraffes could be housed in a barn that size."
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I will admit that I was wrong after some research I did into this. I was assuming that because their current giraffe barn holds 15 giraffes (and has had nearly 30 at one point) before I found out that it is actually overcrowded and is now going to get a much-needed expansion. 60-80 giraffes certainly would be very crowded in 10,000 square feet, and they will probably just expand the individual stalls for them without getting new animals.
 
Milwaukee Man said:
Red river hog piglet:

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo introduces newborn Red River Hog
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The piglet has been called TUMBO.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on Instagram: "Our little hoglet has a name! Meet Gus and Finn's son, Tumbo. Tumbo (TOOM-boe) means 'belly' in Swahili, which is fitting since Red River hogs have especially adorable, rotund bellies. Two-month-old Tumbo is full of curiosity and loves to show off his little hog zoomies. Gus and Finn are attentive parents, teaching Tumbo how to root in the dirt, wallow, find the best snacks and pick the perfect spots for naps. Guest visibility of the Red River hog family in African Rift Valley will vary throughout the winter depending on the weather. Feel free to ask Zoo staff about the Red River hogs' visibility during your next visit!"
 
Regarding the giraffe barn: CMZ wants to be able to hold 40 giraffes comfortably. That's info given to me last year by a supervisor
 
Piece of August/November 2024 News Worth Mentioning:
Smaggledagle said:
On July 28th, the zoo announced that 37 black-footed ferrets were born in 2024, a new record for the facility.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Critically Endangered Black-Footed Ferrets See Breeding Boom Under Trial - CMZoo
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On November 27th, the zoo announced they released 33 of the 37 black-footed ferrets into the wild.

20K views · 667 reactions | This fall, volunteers and conservation experts gathered near Las Animas, Colorado, to release 33 endangered black-footed ferrets (BFFs) into the wild, including some that were born at CMZoo! 2024 was a record-breaking breeding year for CMZoo's BFF conservation program, with 37 kits born! It was also a pioneering year. CMZoo's conservationists tested multi-partner breeding to see if females could conceive and whelp kits from different dads in the same litter. Out of seven females in the trial, two had litters with two fathers represented. Read more: https://www.cmzoo.org/news/archive/critically-endangered-black-footed-ferrets-paternity-test-results-are-in/. BFFs were considered extinct until the 1980s. On Sept. 26, 1981, a ranch dog named Shep caught a BFF. Shep’s catch led to the discovery of a small population of the elusive animals in Meeteetse, Wyoming. That population became the hope for the recovery of the entire species. Since then, zoos, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center and other organizations have banded together to breed, prepare, release and monitor BFFs to increase the population. CMZoo joined the fight to save ferrets in 1991, when its BFF breed-and-release program began. In the last 33 years, 647 kits have been born on Cheyenne Mountain. The Zoo is a major contributor to recovery efforts, releasing BFFs to protected wild places in Colorado every year. Watch the full video here: https://www.cmzoo.org/news/archive/cmzoo-releases-endangered-black-footed-ferrets-in-colorado/ | Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

On August 27th, the zoo announced that a ring-tailed lemur was born*.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

* I am not sure whether the ring-tailed lemur passed away or not as I have not seen any mention of it on the zoo's social media nor on here.
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On December 24th, the zoo announced they acquired 2+ tomato frogs (species not specified) as well as 2+? Pacman frogs.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
 
A Hoffmanns two-toed sloth was born on December 18th.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on Instagram: "We're thrilled to announce the arrival of a New Year's baby: a Hoffmann's two-toed sloth! The baby, born on Dec. 18, seems strong, and has been learning to traverse Mom’s tummy. While its mom, Aysan, hangs upside down, her baby sprawls right-side-up on her belly, with its four long limbs wrapped around her torso. “I love the way it lifts its head out of her chest fur and slowly looks around, just kind of taking it all in,” Amber Callen-Ward, lead keeper in Scutes Family Gallery, says. “Aysan has been a great first-time mom, grooming the baby by licking its face, which is so sweet. She and the baby have been bonding well. The baby is nursing, clinging to her and taking little bites of solid foods we offer.” The two-week-old sloth is already trying pieces of plantain, romaine lettuce, zucchini and cucumber, but gets its main source of nutrients from nursing. 9-year-old Aysan's care team knew she was pregnant. Thanks to their trusting relationship with Aysan, and Aysan’s voluntary participation in her own health care, they had been monitoring the baby's development via ultrasounds and x-rays for the past few months. Aysan moved to CMZoo on a breeding recommendation by the Hoffmann’s Two-Toed Sloth Species Survival Plan, with Bosco, the Zoo’s long-time male sloth, in June 2023. Sloth gestation typically lasts 11 to 12 months, so some things can happen quickly for sloths! Bosco, a 32-year-old male Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth, became a second-time dad with this baby’s arrival. His first daughter, 5-year-old Bean, lives in The Loft at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Bean and Bosco are visible to guests who might need to process this baby excitement with a sloth visit right away. While mom and baby bond for the first month or so, they’ll be behind the scenes in Scutes Family Gallery. Once they are visible to guests, CMZoo will share that news. The baby’s sex has not been identified, and there are no plans for a name yet. Stay tuned to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s social media channels for sloth pup-dates!"
 
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