COLORADO SPRINGS — It’s a somber day on the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo right now as they misplaced two of their endangered species on Thursday afternoon.
The zoo stated goodbye to a Mountain Tapir and a Mexican Wolf, each endangered species that the zoo was working with to proceed conservation efforts of those species.
Cofan, a 19-year-old mountain tapir, and Luna, a 14-year-old Mexican Wolf Matriach handed away in unrelated conditions zoo officers stated Friday.
Each animals had been aged, and had been experiencing age-related situations. Cofan was euthanized after veterinary measures failed. Luna was present in her den, and officers consider she had a peaceable passing in her sleep.
Based on the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, solely 4 mountain tapir stay in human care, all on the Los Angeles Zoo. Luna has offspring to maintain the species rising on the zoo, however Cofan doesn’t. Cofan got here to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in 2014.
“Cofan was a sweetheart,” stated Joanna Husby, animal care supervisor at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. “Yearly on World Tapir Day, we’d invite the general public to come back proper as much as his fence and scratch his chin. Individuals would journey from throughout to fulfill him, and he at all times selected to remain proper the place we may give him scratches. He appeared to like his position as an envoy, and I consider he impressed our members to help wild tapir conservation. With out Cofan and Carlotta, they might by no means have taken curiosity in these causes.”
Friends to the zoo had the chance to get near and pet Cofan.
Luna got here to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Oct. 2016, whereas her mate, Navarro, arrived in Nov. 2017. The 2 welcomed their first litter in Could 2018, which was the zoo’s first litter of Mexican wolves in 20 years.
Luna and Navarro welcomed six complete offspring, 5 of them feminine. Two of the pups have gone on to kind their very own packs throughout the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP is a multi-organizational effort that contributes to diversify endangered wild populations. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service estimates that there are solely about 196 Mexican wolves left within the U.S.
Luna and Cofan each shared necessary roles to their endangered species.
“We consider it’s our job to be a spot the place individuals can care about and see a number of the world’s most endangered species,” stated Bob Chastain, president and CEO at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. “Additional, as a result of individuals come to the Zoo and help us by means of the conservation donation included with their admission, we get to make a distinction for mountain tapir and grey wolves and lots of different species within the wild. And that’s my private ‘why’ for why I proceed to be devoted to the work of CMZoo.”
_____
Watch KOAA News5 in your time, anytime with our free streaming app accessible to your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Simply search KOAA News5, obtain and begin watching.