UCCS Volunteers at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Then Interacts with Mountain Lions

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - After three hours of volunteering, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team worked with Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to take part in a unique educational opportunity with the zoo's four Mountain Lions.

UCCS started at 9 a.m., with volunteers in three different areas of the Zoo. One group started in the Asian Highlands area, and worked near Helga's exhibit on the walk bridge and exhibit sign. Helga, an Amur tiger, frequently visited the student-athletes working on the sign.

Another group worked on the main road through the Zoo between the main administrative building and the developing Encounter Africa exhibit. The group dug holes and planted trees along the roadside with the Zoo's staff.

The third group started in the Zoo's Safari Lodge assembling seed sticks for the Budgie Buddies exhibit. The other groups rotated in, and during the three hours, the team put together approximately 5,000 seed sticks for the visitors to feed the more than 100 free-flight Australian birds. The Safari Lodge area also allowed the team to repaint a cart for the Zoo.

Some student-athletes took advantage of the nearby "All About Giraffes" exhibit, where the largest giraffe herd at any zoo walked up to the walkway to meet the athletes. The team ate lunch at the Zoo and took part in an aerial tour with the Sky Ride before meeting the Mountain Lions.

Staff members at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo arranged for an educational opportunity, which allowed the UCCS men's soccer team to prepare food boxes to hold chicken breast for the four Mountain Lions at the Zoo. The team prepared the eight boxes with logos of the other eight RMAC men's soccer teams, and the four Mountain Lions in the exhibit proceeded to destroy and tear the boxes apart to close out the day.