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.