COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ) is mourning the loss of two rare and endangered animals.
The Colorado Springs zoo said its 19-year-old mountain tapir Cofan and 14-year-old Mexican wolf Luna passed away in unrelated situations.
CMZ said both animals were elderly and had experienced age-related conditions in recent years. Luna was found in her den, all signs pointing to a peaceful passing in her sleep. The zoo said its mountain tapir was humanely euthanized after veterinary measures failed to revive him from a severe two-day downturn.
Cofan came to CMZ in 2014 as a breeding partner to Carlotta, a female mountain tapir. Attempts to breed the pair were unsuccessful and Carlotta passed away in 2021.
After Cofan's passing, there are only four mountain tapir in human care in the United States, all at Los Angeles Zoo. It is estimated there are just 2,500 mountain tapir remaining in the wild habitats of Ecuador.
Both Carlotta’s and Cofan’s bodies have been donated to Denver Museum of Nature & Science for scientific study, according to zoo officials.
"Cofan was a sweetheart," CMZ animal care manager Joanna Husby said. "Every year on World Tapir Day, we’d invite the public to come right up to his fence and scratch his chin. People would travel from all over to meet him, and he always chose to stay right where we could give him scratches. He seemed to love his role as an ambassador, and I believe he inspired our members to support wild tapir conservation. Without Cofan and Carlotta, they would never have taken interest in those causes."
CMZ has contributed more than $135,000 to wild tapir conservation, largely through its Quarters for Conservation program.
Mexican wolf Luna arrived at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in October 2016, followed by her mate, Navarro, who arrived in November 2017.
Their breeding recommendation was an instant match, and in May 2018, the two first-time parents welcomed their first litter of Mexican wolves. In spring of 2019, they welcomed another pup. Luna and Navarro had a total of six pups, five of them female.
Zookeepers said Luna embraced motherhood and let visitors see her gentle leadership, playful demeanor and up-close curiosity from behind the one-way glass in her zoo habitat.
"We believe it is our job to be a place where people can care about and see some of the world's most endangered species,” CMZ President and CEO Bob Chastain said. "Further, because people come to the zoo and support us through the conservation donation included with their admission, we get to make a difference for mountain tapir and gray wolves and many other species in the wild. And that’s my personal ‘why’ for why I continue to be dedicated to the work of CMZoo."
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