Throughout December, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo hosts its annual Electric Safari. The zoo is lit up with a variety of Christmas lights displayed throughout the animalsí habitat. Special activities, tours and Santa add to the zooís ìelectricî spirit.ìWe have over a million lights, including over 40 animated animal light sculptures,î said Erica Meyer, public relations manager. ìOur horticulture and maintenance departments build the sculptures,î she said. ìThey added a new one this year ñ and last year. They are pretty unique to our zoo.îAlthough the entire zoo is not open during Electric Safari, several of the popular exhibits are; such as the Giraffe Barn, Encounter Africa and Rocky Mountain Wild, Meyer said. ìWe also have special (zoo) keeper talks and animal enrichment offered all 22 nights of Safari,î she said. The Sky Ride is also running. ìThat’s a big favorite during Electric Safari because people can see for miles and miles all the beautiful city lights as well,î Meyer said. ìThis is the 23rd year of Electric Safari. We’ve been doing it for quite a long time. It’s a great family tradition ñ people really enjoy it. They get to see lights; they get to see animals; there are lots of activities. I feel like it just gets people into the holiday spirit.î There are also fire pits throughout the zoo where people can warm their hands, and indoor exhibits provide relief from the cold.Electric Safari runs Dec. 6 to Dec. 8 and Dec 13 to Jan 1. It is closed Christmas Eve. The festivities start at 5:30 p.m. through 8:30 p.m. The last admission ticket is sold at 7:30 p.m. ìWe want people to have at least an hour to get through the zoo,î Meyer said. She also said Santa and Mrs. Claus are at the zoo during the open hours. The event is free to zoo members; the non-member ticket price for adults is $8.25; children ages 3 to11 ñ $5.25, and there is no charge for children age 2 and under. The Sky Ride combo tickets are available for $3 more per ticket (excluding age 2 and under). A discount is provided to military members and their families. ìPeople can be a Secret Santa to the animals, so if people bring in one of the wish list items, they can get a discount on admission,î Meyer said. The wish list is available on the website ñ http://cmzoo.org under ìsupport the zoo.î For more information on Electric Safari, visithttp://cmzoo.org/electricsafari.
