Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a zoological park located southwest of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Cheyenne Mountain in the United States. At an elevation of 6,714 feet (2,046 m) above sea level, it is the highest zoo in the country. The zoo covers 140 acres (57 ha), 40 of which are in use. The zoo houses more than 750 animals, representing nearly 170 different species, with more than 30 endangered species. The zoo was ranked the #4 best zoo in North America in 2018 by USA Today. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Businessman Spencer Penrose was given a gift of a bear in 1916 which inspired him to collect animals. Animals were housed at Penrose's Broadmoor Hotel until a monkey bit a hotel guest. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was founded in 1926 to house the collection of exotic animals. In 1938, Spencer Penrose incorporated the Zoo as a non-profit public trust. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and does not receive local or regional public tax support.
On August 6, 2018, the zoo was hit by fast-moving and unexpected severe weather that brought with it baseball-sized hail. The staff was praised in national media and by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for their use of the incident command system to swiftly move animals and visitors indoors. But just as some humans were confused and didn't know where to go, many animals stayed outside in confusion despite having on-exhibit dens as required by the AZA. Three zoo employees were hospitalized following efforts to save animals and guests from the unusually large hail. Several animals were hospitalized as well and five animals (two peafowl, a cape vulture, a Muscovy duck, and a young meerkat pup) died of their injuries.
Cheyenne Mountain is known for its large and prolific giraffe herd. 203 giraffe calves have been born at the zoo since 1954. The zoo is a trusted source for knowledge on caring for giraffes and it maintains a collection of plasma should other facilities need it. When Dobby the giraffe was born at the Denver Zoo in 2017 without the necessary antibodies for survival, Cheyenne Mountain sent banked giraffe plasma from their herd to Denver. The subsequent blood transfusion was successful and Dobby survived.
In 2022, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo established the International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe. Among other things, it is involved in hosting workshops and offering consulting services to improve and enrich the lives of giraffes in human care.
The zoo breeds endangered animals such as black-footed ferrets, Wyoming toads and Mexican gray wolves. The zoo participates in over 30 Species Survival Plan programs.
In particular, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has had unique success breeding black-footed ferrets and 647 kits have been born "on the mountain" as of 2024.
The zoo financially supports multiple field conservation programs through Quarters for Conservation which allows guests to choose what programs they want to support. The zoo recently reached $2 million raised through the program since 2008. It also participates in the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation project along with the Houston Zoo, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, and Zoo New England to release endangered amphibian species back to the wild.