COLORADO SPRINGS — The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo welcomed 2-year-old giraffe Ohe Wednesday as they continued its phased reopening.
Ohe (pronouned OH'-hee) joined Cheyenne Mountain Zoo from Tulsa Zoo Wednesday, and the zoo says he is adjusting well.
"The Tulsa Zoo did a great job training him for his travel to us," said Jason Bredahl, African Rift Valley animal care manager. "When Ohe arrived, he calmly walked off the trailer, started checking out his new home and munched on elm leaves, which seems to be his favorite tree to snack on. Ohe engages with staff daily during his shifting training sessions."
Though Ohe will be in quarantine for a few more weeks before he starts being introduced to the rest of the herd, he seems to have already made a new friend.
Credit: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
"He has already met Msichana, our 17-year-old female giraffe, who is great at helping new members integrate into the herd," said Bredahl. "We are excited to continue to see Ohe's personality come out and see him meet all of his other new giraffe friends soon."
The zoo is going through a phased reopening due to the variance request approved by Gov. Jared Polis and State Health Dept.
The zoo was only open to members until June 11. Starting Thursday, tickets will be made available to the general public.
The variance is currently approved for just two weeks, so the zoo is treating this time as a trial period.
