COLORADO SPRINGS — In its 100th year, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo just opened a new giraffe center, furthering the zoo's founder Spencer Penrose's vision of a place to inspire care for wildlife and wild places. The size and design of the building is impressive, but that is secondary to the improvements for the resident giraffes.
The new Giraffe Center at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo takes state of the art to the next level. You do not just see the giraffes here - you experience them.
"We're seeing giraffes, and one tried to lick my hair. So, when I stand up and turned around, it licked and licked I decided to duck down," said Stella, a kid visiting the zoo with her family.
Now, a new giraffe center improves the learning experience for people and the living habitat for the animals.
"It's huge. It's like a sports arena for giraffes," said Amy Schilz, giraffe center director.
"We do what's best for giraffe first. And then we consider what's best for the guests and the staff," said Dave Ruhl, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo president and CEO.
"I'll never forget the day that we just did a brainstorming session and we listed everything that a giraffe could possibly want or need, and then we said, OK, now let's build this building," Schilz said.
More than expanding space for giraffes by 25%, the design adds as many elements as possible, similar to life in the wild.
"We work with our giraffe conservation foundation field partners who provide us kind of a window into what their daily life is like in Africa. And what they're physiologically built to need, what their body needs in order to be healthy," Schilz said.
"In the wild they live by the sun and moon cycle, so we gave them a roof that allows them to live by the sun and moon just like in the wild," Ruhl said.
Looking closely toward the roof's clear panels, sprinklers serve a purpose other than fire prevention.
"We built in a rain system because in the wild it rains and some giraffes like to stand in the rain and take a shower. Other giraffes go find a place to hide under a tree, so they have all those options," Ruhl said.
The giraffes can find a warm spot near one of the heated walls. The ground has terrain changes from firm to loose and soft areas. Hanging branches with leaves they like to eat raise up and down with automated winches.
"So the giraffe can eat here for a while and then they have to move to another one just like in the wild when all the leaves are gone, they have to move to the next tree," Ruhl said.
It is an intentional investment in the best care possible, with up-close encounters encouraging supporters of giraffe conservation.
As the center opens, it is a no-pressure option for the giraffes. Some of the bolder ones are quickly coming inside to explore. Others preferring to observe from the outside.
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