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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is reflecting on the life of Atka, a six-year-old Alaska moose. At 1,300 pounds, he was one of the largest animals at the Zoo, and he will leave an equally massive impact on his care team, Zoo staff, members, donors, and the Colorado Springs community.
Atka was a unique and inspiring moose, moving through the world on seven toes instead of a moose’s usual eight. About three-and-a-half years ago, he had a toe removed to prevent progressive bone degradation in his hoof. The amputation stopped the bone degradation, saving his leg and his life, and he did really well with one toe on that hoof until recently.
In August, the Zoo shared that his team was addressing Atka’s developing issues, and fixed a rubber support to his hoof. He responded well to the additional hoof support, even recently frolicking in his habitat, but it came loose on Sunday. On Monday, his team adhered a new support to his foot while he was under anesthesia. During that treatment, they noted his toe was healing well thanks to the support.
Despite having received multiple treatments under anesthesia without complications previously, Atka needed assistance to recover from Monday’s immobilization. His care team monitored him overnight, but he sadly passed away early Tuesday morning.
Atka came to CMZoo as an orphaned 8-week-old calf who would not have survived on his own in the wild. He weighed just 91 pounds when he moved to Colorado. The tiny moose’s arrival at CMZoo was a beautiful moment of joy for so many who needed it at the time. He arrived in July 2020, just two months after the Zoo’s beloved 13-year-old moose, Tahoma, passed due to age-related issues. It was also during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Zoo was closed, along with most of the world.
The Zoo shared his transport to CMZoo, calling him ‘precious cargo’ on a FedEx flight from Alaska, and posting update videos on the Zoo’s social media channels throughout the overnight flights. His first baby steps into Rocky Mountain Wild the next morning made front-page and local morning news. The Zoo’s social media following erupted with joy and support for the resilient little moose.
The entire Zoo rallied around whatever Atka needed. He was nicknamed the ‘Prince of Rocky Mountain Wild’, because every single department would drop everything to help care for Atka.
Courtney Rogers, former senior animal keeper in Rocky Mountain Wild and the Zoo’s current registrar, remembers his arrival and early days.
“He received special care from the moment he arrived,” Courtney says. “When we bottle fed him, we tried to hold the bottle at the perfect angle and feed him so carefully. He was quite an enthusiastic eater, and it was all we could do just to hang onto the bottle.”
When Atka was little, it was safe to share space with him, and he always wanted to hang out with his care team.
“I remember trying to clean the barn with him next to me,” Courtney says. “He loved the wood shavings bags, and he would ‘help’ me clean by pawing at the bag and rolling in the shavings to spread them around. He was so playful and he adapted really well to life in human care. He took great joy in knocking toys over and running full speed into his pond.”
Atka loved his pond, keeper-made mud wallows, sand piles, and mulch. He also loved getting the zoomies and chasing things.
“Before the Zoo opened, we would drive our cart up by his habitat to deliver heavier items,” Erika Furnes, senior animal keeper in Rocky Mountain Wild, says. “He would see the cart and jump up to run alongside us. He also loved big car wash brushes we would hang on a zip line in his yard. When he was bigger, he would nudge them and stand under them with the huge brushes resting on his antlers.”
As he matured, his playful nature turned to sparring with trees and special enrichment his team created for him – especially during rut, the fall season when male moose’s testosterone peaks and energy levels are high.
“I’m really going to miss watching him during rut,” Jenna Schmidt, senior animal keeper in Rocky Mountain Wild, says. “He would shed the velvet on his antlers and pretty intensely spar with barrels and just get really wild. I loved to see that impressive side of him, and I was proud we could provide an environment that allowed him to express those wild instincts. I also loved seeing him in the snow. On a cold winter day, I’ll think of him standing in the snow and watching his warm breath swirl into the cold air. He was magical.”
The term ‘moose magic’ is a part of most CMZoo employees’ nomenclature because of Atka, and his predecessor, Tahoma. There was something you couldn’t quite name about Atka that ‘moose magic’ summed up perfectly. He had a way of making people feel seen.
With those deep brown eyes and long eyelashes, he would spot someone on the pathway and watch them intently, often walking toward them to stare into their eyes or follow them along the pathway. He had a great memory, and seemed extra curious about people who were repeat visitors.
“We used to say the Prince was ‘holding court’ with adoring Zoo guests at his fence line,” Courtney says. “We would find him standing right up against the fence, making little moose noises and swiveling his huge ears to listen to guests who were talking to him from the pathways. It often seemed like he was in deep conversation with friends.”
Erika remembers a young Atka fan who was a pen pal for years. The young boy who lived out-of-state learned about Atka through social media videos during the pandemic. He started sending Atka Christmas cards and hand drawn pictures, which his care team still displays in Atka’s barn. The incredible connections Atka made inspire people to care for moose and their native habitats.
“Atka was such a good ambassador for native conservation,” Payton Chatfield, animal keeper, says. “Atka gave us the opportunity to teach people about the moose that live in Colorado, and the importance of protecting the wildlife and wild places in our own backyards.”
Atka also taught his care team and many other zoo professionals by participating in voluntary hoof care. Erika worked with Atka throughout his time at CMZoo, and was one of his primary hoof care trainers. She says when the International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe at CMZoo hosts giraffe care workshops, attendees would ask about Atka’s care, and come to observe training because it was so unique in the Zoo profession.
“It’s rare for a moose to participate in hoof care, so we share everything we can with other moose care teams,” Jessi DiCola-Palmer, animal keeper, says. “I had never trained hoof stock before Atka, and I could not believe how quickly we bonded. He was incredibly smart, and it took no time for us to establish ‘the dance’ of training together.”
That training and care gave Atka many more years than he likely would have experienced in the wild. Atka was a symbol of resilience, finding the joys and enthusiasm for life despite its challenges. Losing his mother so young, arriving at CMZoo with a hoof abscess, and later navigating a toe amputation required tenacity from him and tireless dedication from his care team.
“Atka had been living well with an extraordinary challenge,” Dave Ruhl, CMZoo president & CEO, says. “Our team spent years managing his care and finding creative ways to give him a great life. That meant specialized hoof care, custom solutions, outside expertise, and a team willing to keep asking what else we could do for him. Despite all of that care, we didn’t get the ending we wanted.
“There are seasons at a zoo that are filled with new life, celebrations, and milestones; there are seasons when we lose many animals at seemingly the same time despite having different circumstances; and there are seasons that are both. This summer, we welcomed baby porcupines and an Amur leopard cub; we opened the Giraffe Center, and we received historic back-to-back clean inspection reports from the AZA.
“We also said goodbye to animals we have known and loved for years. Some lived extraordinarily long lives. Some left us sooner than we hoped. Each was an individual, with a unique experience and story, and relationships with the people who cared for them every day. As we look at our aging elephants, giraffe, and other animals from the golden gang, we brace ourselves and dig in to make their remaining lives with us the best they can be. Every loss hurts, and every life is meaningful.
There’s something extraordinary about the people who care for the animals at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo: they don’t stop caring when the answers get difficult. They keep showing up, with the support of each other, our members, and our community. It’s the hard times that can define you, and I’m incredibly proud of the life our team gave Atka, and I’m proud of the work we do every day.”
The post Farewell to a Magical Moose appeared first on CMZoo.
Atka was a unique and inspiring moose, moving through the world on seven toes instead of a moose’s usual eight. About three-and-a-half years ago, he had a toe removed to prevent progressive bone degradation in his hoof. The amputation stopped the bone degradation, saving his leg and his life, and he did really well with one toe on that hoof until recently.
In August, the Zoo shared that his team was addressing Atka’s developing issues, and fixed a rubber support to his hoof. He responded well to the additional hoof support, even recently frolicking in his habitat, but it came loose on Sunday. On Monday, his team adhered a new support to his foot while he was under anesthesia. During that treatment, they noted his toe was healing well thanks to the support.
Despite having received multiple treatments under anesthesia without complications previously, Atka needed assistance to recover from Monday’s immobilization. His care team monitored him overnight, but he sadly passed away early Tuesday morning.
Atka came to CMZoo as an orphaned 8-week-old calf who would not have survived on his own in the wild. He weighed just 91 pounds when he moved to Colorado. The tiny moose’s arrival at CMZoo was a beautiful moment of joy for so many who needed it at the time. He arrived in July 2020, just two months after the Zoo’s beloved 13-year-old moose, Tahoma, passed due to age-related issues. It was also during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Zoo was closed, along with most of the world.
The Zoo shared his transport to CMZoo, calling him ‘precious cargo’ on a FedEx flight from Alaska, and posting update videos on the Zoo’s social media channels throughout the overnight flights. His first baby steps into Rocky Mountain Wild the next morning made front-page and local morning news. The Zoo’s social media following erupted with joy and support for the resilient little moose.
The entire Zoo rallied around whatever Atka needed. He was nicknamed the ‘Prince of Rocky Mountain Wild’, because every single department would drop everything to help care for Atka.
Courtney Rogers, former senior animal keeper in Rocky Mountain Wild and the Zoo’s current registrar, remembers his arrival and early days.
“He received special care from the moment he arrived,” Courtney says. “When we bottle fed him, we tried to hold the bottle at the perfect angle and feed him so carefully. He was quite an enthusiastic eater, and it was all we could do just to hang onto the bottle.”
When Atka was little, it was safe to share space with him, and he always wanted to hang out with his care team.
“I remember trying to clean the barn with him next to me,” Courtney says. “He loved the wood shavings bags, and he would ‘help’ me clean by pawing at the bag and rolling in the shavings to spread them around. He was so playful and he adapted really well to life in human care. He took great joy in knocking toys over and running full speed into his pond.”
Atka loved his pond, keeper-made mud wallows, sand piles, and mulch. He also loved getting the zoomies and chasing things.
“Before the Zoo opened, we would drive our cart up by his habitat to deliver heavier items,” Erika Furnes, senior animal keeper in Rocky Mountain Wild, says. “He would see the cart and jump up to run alongside us. He also loved big car wash brushes we would hang on a zip line in his yard. When he was bigger, he would nudge them and stand under them with the huge brushes resting on his antlers.”
As he matured, his playful nature turned to sparring with trees and special enrichment his team created for him – especially during rut, the fall season when male moose’s testosterone peaks and energy levels are high.
“I’m really going to miss watching him during rut,” Jenna Schmidt, senior animal keeper in Rocky Mountain Wild, says. “He would shed the velvet on his antlers and pretty intensely spar with barrels and just get really wild. I loved to see that impressive side of him, and I was proud we could provide an environment that allowed him to express those wild instincts. I also loved seeing him in the snow. On a cold winter day, I’ll think of him standing in the snow and watching his warm breath swirl into the cold air. He was magical.”
The term ‘moose magic’ is a part of most CMZoo employees’ nomenclature because of Atka, and his predecessor, Tahoma. There was something you couldn’t quite name about Atka that ‘moose magic’ summed up perfectly. He had a way of making people feel seen.
With those deep brown eyes and long eyelashes, he would spot someone on the pathway and watch them intently, often walking toward them to stare into their eyes or follow them along the pathway. He had a great memory, and seemed extra curious about people who were repeat visitors.
“We used to say the Prince was ‘holding court’ with adoring Zoo guests at his fence line,” Courtney says. “We would find him standing right up against the fence, making little moose noises and swiveling his huge ears to listen to guests who were talking to him from the pathways. It often seemed like he was in deep conversation with friends.”
Erika remembers a young Atka fan who was a pen pal for years. The young boy who lived out-of-state learned about Atka through social media videos during the pandemic. He started sending Atka Christmas cards and hand drawn pictures, which his care team still displays in Atka’s barn. The incredible connections Atka made inspire people to care for moose and their native habitats.
“Atka was such a good ambassador for native conservation,” Payton Chatfield, animal keeper, says. “Atka gave us the opportunity to teach people about the moose that live in Colorado, and the importance of protecting the wildlife and wild places in our own backyards.”
Atka also taught his care team and many other zoo professionals by participating in voluntary hoof care. Erika worked with Atka throughout his time at CMZoo, and was one of his primary hoof care trainers. She says when the International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe at CMZoo hosts giraffe care workshops, attendees would ask about Atka’s care, and come to observe training because it was so unique in the Zoo profession.
“It’s rare for a moose to participate in hoof care, so we share everything we can with other moose care teams,” Jessi DiCola-Palmer, animal keeper, says. “I had never trained hoof stock before Atka, and I could not believe how quickly we bonded. He was incredibly smart, and it took no time for us to establish ‘the dance’ of training together.”
That training and care gave Atka many more years than he likely would have experienced in the wild. Atka was a symbol of resilience, finding the joys and enthusiasm for life despite its challenges. Losing his mother so young, arriving at CMZoo with a hoof abscess, and later navigating a toe amputation required tenacity from him and tireless dedication from his care team.
“Atka had been living well with an extraordinary challenge,” Dave Ruhl, CMZoo president & CEO, says. “Our team spent years managing his care and finding creative ways to give him a great life. That meant specialized hoof care, custom solutions, outside expertise, and a team willing to keep asking what else we could do for him. Despite all of that care, we didn’t get the ending we wanted.
“There are seasons at a zoo that are filled with new life, celebrations, and milestones; there are seasons when we lose many animals at seemingly the same time despite having different circumstances; and there are seasons that are both. This summer, we welcomed baby porcupines and an Amur leopard cub; we opened the Giraffe Center, and we received historic back-to-back clean inspection reports from the AZA.
“We also said goodbye to animals we have known and loved for years. Some lived extraordinarily long lives. Some left us sooner than we hoped. Each was an individual, with a unique experience and story, and relationships with the people who cared for them every day. As we look at our aging elephants, giraffe, and other animals from the golden gang, we brace ourselves and dig in to make their remaining lives with us the best they can be. Every loss hurts, and every life is meaningful.
There’s something extraordinary about the people who care for the animals at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo: they don’t stop caring when the answers get difficult. They keep showing up, with the support of each other, our members, and our community. It’s the hard times that can define you, and I’m incredibly proud of the life our team gave Atka, and I’m proud of the work we do every day.”
The post Farewell to a Magical Moose appeared first on CMZoo.