Spring…a celebration of new beginnings

 A letter from the Director

I don’t have to look at the calendar to know that spring is quickly approaching. As I walk around Zoo grounds I see the telltale signs of new beginnings…from the bulging bellies of the goats and sheep in Pioneer Ranch to the swelling buds that are just beginning to show on our many trees and shrubs.  A time of transformation and great change is upon us and there is no better place to celebrate the coming of spring than at the Pueblo Zoo.

The month of March is when the fun really begins and, if prior years are any indicator, this month we’ll welcome numerous kids, lambs and chicks in Pioneer Ranch. At the same time, we are on guarded “baby watch” with a handful of other species and are cautiously optimistic that we’ll be able to report soon about new pups for our maned wolves and new chicks for our African penguins. We also have our eye on a few other species and hope for many “new beginnings” to share in the near future. 

Want to be sure to get the inside scoop? To be amongst the first to know about our spring babies? Then be sure to “like” the Pueblo Zoo on Facebook and keep an eye out for our new website where we’ll have new features that allow us to bring you the latest and greatest news from the Zoo.  We also plan to bring you more regular updates via e-mail…if you’d like to get Zoo “current events” in your inbox then please be sure to share your email address with us. 

In addition to Zoo babies and innovative new social media tools, we’ll be bringing you exciting new programs and experiences at the Zoo this spring and summer. From a new exhibit design camp to new keeper talks to training demonstrations, you’ll be surprised (and inspired) by the many new hands-on educational opportunities taking place EVERY DAY at the Zoo.  

This is a time of rebirth for the Pueblo Zoo; we have so many great stories to tell about how far we have come, about the unique and incredible experiences we offer, and about where we are headed. Join us as we celebrate all that is new at the Pueblo Zoo. We are sure you’ll be glad you did!

- Stephanie Stowell

Executive Director

Female red panda joins Pueblo Zoo family

Meet Leela, our new female red panda. She arrived March 7th from the Indianapolis Zoo. She was born at the Oklahoma City Zoo and she will turn 3 years old in June. 

Leela had her first meeting with Damien, Pueblo Zoo's male red panda, yesterday in an off exhibit. Their introduction went well and consisted of stares, sniffs, and markings. Keeper staff decided to keep the pandas together because the breeding season ends in March. Both pandas will be on exhibit at the red panda enclosure.


Red pandas are native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. In the wild, It feeds mainly on bamboo, but is omnivorous and may also eat eggs, birds, insects, and small mammals.

The red panda has been classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Although red pandas are protected by national laws in their range countries, their numbers in the wild continue to decline because of deforestation and poaching. 

Pueblo Zoo's red pandas are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP). SSP programs focus on animals that are in danger of extinction in the wild. These programs help maintain healthy and genetically diverse animal populations within the zoo community. 

(Source: wikipedia.org)

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Maned Wolf pups born at Pueblo Zoo

The Pueblo Zoo is excited to announce the arrival of three maned wolf puppies.  The new arrivals were born on Saturday February 23^rd to first time parents Cayenne (the female) and Meek (the male).  The first baby was born at 2:12pm and its two siblings were born later that evening.  The puppies were delivered in the same den that their grandfather (Cayenne’s father) was born.

The Pueblo Zoo Staff are cautiously optimistic about the survival of the puppies.  The first few weeks for maned wolf puppies, born in the wild or captivity, are vital and the survival rate is low.  The puppies are not available yet for public viewing, news updates will be available through the zoo’s Facebook page.

Maned wolves are a species managed across the country though the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan.  The Species Survival Plan ensures that there is genetic diversity among animals in AZA accredited institutions to ensure the best possible pairings for breeding. 

Maned wolves are native to South America, but in the US there are 92 wolves known to the SSP. There are only fourteen breeding pairs of maned wolves in AZA institutions and the Pueblo Zoo puppies are the only surviving maned wolf pups born so far this season.

Meet Freyja, our newest North American female otter

Freyja, our newest North American female otter, is estimated to be about 8 months old. She was found near a Florida road and taken to The Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge after efforts to locate her family yielded no results. While at the center, she became imprinted on humans and was unable to be released back into the wild.

Freyja, named after the Norse goddess of fertility, came to the Pueblo Zoo in November. She was introduced to our three other otters - Odin, Thor and Thelma - and quickly became a member of the family. According to our animal care coordinator, Melanie Pococke, it’s very rare that two unrelated female otters get along.

Our oldest female otter, Thelma, immediately bonded with Freyja and has been teaching her everything. Since Freyja was just a baby when she was found, she never learned to be an otter. Thelma has been teaching her to swim and how to interact with the other otters. In the wild, mother otters teach their pups everything from swimming to hunting to having babies of their own.

Otters have a breeding season that is dependent on the region from which they live. Males and females must be on the same breeding cycle to have any kind of successful breeding. Keepers are hopeful that Freyja and the males will have similar breeding seasons, since she came from the same southern region.

The Pueblo Zoo welcomes lioness, Mashavu to the family

The Pueblo Zoo welcomes a lioness, Mashavu, to the family. She’s had quite an adventure getting to Pueblo Zoo, but everyone is very excited to have her here.

Mashavu was born in captivity on July 29, 2006, at the Sedgewick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas. Since her birth she has moved to Oklahoma for a short time, then moved to Michigan to try and make friends with a male lion at the Potter Park Zoo. The introductions did not go so well, and she fortunately moved to Pueblo in 2011 and where she has made friends with our male lion, Taz Jahari. Lucky for us she is at the prime age for having babies, and we are hoping for possible lion cubs sometime this year.

The Pueblo Zoo is an active member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums which has programs called the Species Survival Plan or SSP. These programs allow zoos across the U.S. the ability to manage the population of lions in captivity without having to sacrifice genetic diversity. This is why Mashavu is a prime candidate for being a mother. Her cubs will carry on a specific family tree which can help continue a demographic population without inbreeding.

According to National Geographic, gestation lasts an average of 110 days, and a female lion can have a litter of one to four cubs. Newborn cubs are blind and don’t open their eyes for roughly a week after birth. They begin walking by three weeks of age and remain with their mothers in isolation until they are six to eight weeks old before being introduced to the rest of the pride. Even after introductions, mothers are still the main caregivers and teachers.

The Zoo staff is keeping fingers and toes crossed that we will soon have lion cubs to ogle over and bring a boost of Zoo visitors. The lions are on exhibit daily and are available for ADOPTion