Building a Fantastic New Exhibit.

As you begin your journey into Encounter Africa, you’ll notice that this exhibit is... different. Intriguing. Extraordinary.

Elements of this new exhibit include:

• Beautiful new plaza area featuring a traditional African tent (a great space for education programs and events) and four full-size African elephant scuptures, as well as an ampitheater that will allow guests to see elephant training, enrichment and husbandry.
• Significantly expanded elephant exhibit featuring a stunning waterfall, pool with deep and shallow areas and multiple yards.
• A BIG barn!  Our new barn will be several times the size of our current barn, giving our elephants lots of space for training and enrichment.  This building will feature a large natural substrate sand stall and a "Splash Stall" with elephant-operated warm-water shower.
• New exhibit for the critically endangered black rhinoceros featuring mud wallows, a shallow pool, and a bush airplane cantilevered from the top of the exhibit (from which guests can get a unique and up-close view of the rhino).
• New exhibit for our African lion pride, featuring upper and lower viewing areas and heated rocks.  We will also create a new indoor lion holding area, which will feature new, larger dens and more options for our pride.
• A "Skybridge" that will take guests from the exhibit to the barn, enabling them to see the elephants from above.

Let your journey begin...meet the animals, explore the exhibit, watch the progress and help to build Encounter Africa!

Timeline

The Zoo has embarked on a $13.5M capital campaign to build our fantastic Encounter Africa exhibit, which will provide new homes for our African elephants and lions, as well as bring the majestic black rhinoceros back to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! We’re looking forward to a multi-year opening which would include:

• Opening of the new elephant barn
• Opening of the elephant and rhino exhibits
• Opening of the African lion exhibit

We hope you’ll be part of this extraordinary effort! Please support Encounter Africa by donating online, or, next time you’re at the Zoo, drop your spare change in the Grizzly Grill or at the current elephant exhibit.

Contact Us

To learn more about helping to make Encounter Africa a reality, please contact Kelley Parker, Major Gifts and Planned Giving Manager at (719) 633-9924 ext. 164.