COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo announced Wednesday that they would not be hosting an event that would have returned for its fourth event.
Dog Days at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was a unique opportunity for pet owners to bring their four-legged friends to the mountain zoo to explore for the day. Previously the zoo hosted a variety of events for pet owners and their companions and this year the zoo planned to add additional days to the event in light of its past success.
"We can support healthy behaviors for Zoo animals by providing a changing environment with diverse enrichment opportunities,” said Rick Hester, curator of animal behavior at CMZoo. “When we do this well, we observe animals behaving in varied ways to achieve different goals, including some of the behaviors and outcomes that appear to be most important to their species in the wild environment.”
In previous years the addition of dogs to the zoo has produced exciting behaviors from animals. Last year African lions and mountain lions were seen attempting to stalk and pounce on guests' dogs through their enclosures. Zoo staff said while the zoo animals were curious and excited at first, many of the animals returned to their normal behaviors by the end of the day.
The zoo says that all dog tickets and human tickets purchased with the dog ticket will be automatically refunded and ticket purchasers should see an email from the zoo about the cancellation.
WHAT'S THE CONCERN?
Zoo staff informed the newsroom on Wednesday morning that based on the concerns of a recent unknown respiratory affecting dogs across Colorado, the zoo has made the decision to cancel its dog days event for the 2023 season. This cancelation comes out of safety for that zoo animals and the other dogs that could potentially be exposed if a dog in attendance has the virus.
WATCH: UNKNOWN RESPIRATORY VIRUS AFFECTING DOGS
According to Dr. Lindsey Ganzer, a local veterinarian at the North Springs Veterinary Referral Center treated nearly 20 dogs last week with the unknown virus.
Veterinarians say that the virus came back negative for canine influenza and kennel cough but presents similar symptoms initially followed by rapid deterioration before pneumonia sets in requiring intensive treatment.
Some steps pet owners can take to protect their animals are to limit the socialization of their animals for the time being, limit visits to dog parks, and groomers, and try to avoid boarding facilities if possible.
Click here to learn more about the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
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