Cougar Mountain Zoo gets makeover and new facilities
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And two young black-and-white-ruffed lemurs — monkeylike critters with long, fuzzy tails — are feeling the brunt of it.
The brothers spent the first few months of their lives with their parents, in a small cage that's part of the World of Lemurs area at the Cougar Mountain Zoological Park in Issaquah. But with limited zoo space and a renovation under way, they're now staying next to a batch of baby cranes in the zoo's health center.
"They're waiting for their new home," said Marcie McCaffray, who founded the zoo with her husband, Peter Rittler, three decades ago. "A lot of the facilities have been here so long, they needed to be remodeled."
A new home for the lemurs is part of a long-awaited renovation that started this spring at the 8-acre zoo that overlooks Lake Sammamish on Cougar Mountain. The zoo is managed by the nonprofit Zoological Society of Washington, and the remodeling largely is funded from donations and proceeds from fund-raisers.
McCaffray and Rittler opened the zoo in 1972 as a teaching tool for the Cougar Mountain Academy, a private elementary school where Rittler was headmaster.
For the first five years, admission was free, but the couple turned the zoo over to the Zoological Society of Washington when it became too costly to maintain.
Today, the zoo offers visitors close-up encounters with a small but diverse collection of animals, including many endangered species such as the lemurs, primates native to Madagascar.
McCaffray and Rittler both said they hope the zoo will inspire visitors to care for the environment.
"You can look at animals as something very tangible," McCaffray said. "If they're extinct or endangered, there must be a reason for that. More often than not, it's something that's been influenced by humans."
In addition to a new lemur facility, construction is under way on a home for the macaws, large parrots with colorful plumage and hooked bills. Also in the works is a children's zoo called the Magic Forest.
A new admission building, which includes a ticket booth, office space and gift shop, was finished this year, and a museum of taxidermy and an art gallery will open next month. An outdoor theater under construction will allow staff to give presentations and lectures on the zoo's seven main animal attractions: lemurs, reindeer, macaws, cranes, mountain lions, antelope and emu.
This summer's renovation and expansion follow a five-year fund-raising effort. The zoo, which houses about 150 animals, heavily relies on volunteers and donations to stay open.
"It's constantly very difficult," Rittler said. "We need to be very efficient in what we do and make every penny count."
A recent afternoon found the zoo quiet, with just a handful of visitors. The lemurs were sunbathing and the cougars were hiding in the shade. Four-year-old Nicole Jas tugged on her nanny's shirt.
"I want to see the reindeer again," she said, pulling her nanny up the concrete path to the reindeer barn.
This time of year, the 25 deer are dropping their shaggy winter coats. Jas managed to lure one out of the shade to nibble on an apple provided by staff member Erica Bottkol.
"This is really hot for reindeer," Bottkol told the girl. "I'll bet their antlers have grown since last time you've seen them."
Bottkol is one of seven paid staff members at the zoo. Staffers as well as volunteers care for the animals, talk to guests and try to give visitors up-close experiences with the animals.
The 11 a.m. mammal walk is a favorite, during which staffers escort animals down the concrete path that connects the exhibits for visitors to pet and get to know the animals
During Jas' visit, the star of the mammal walk was a chocolate-colored alpaca named Charlie Brown. Staffer Jean Ragland explained that alpacas often are bought as pets since they're one of the smallest members of the camel family and they're what she calls "potty-users."
"They go in the same place all the time," she said.
Staff members are trained to give visitors a wealth of information, McCaffray said.
"We can't have every animal there is, but we can concentrate on [what we have]," she said. "When we talk about our emus, we can talk about all kinds of flightless birds. Everything leads to a broader spectrum."
The new macaw exhibit will provide indoor and outdoor habitats so visitors can have shelter in the rain. All the new facilities will be photo friendly, without chain-link fences that can block the view. Many of the 35 macaws perch on branches and displays without any fencing at all during the day, since they're not inclined to go anywhere, McCaffray said.
Many zoo visitors return to see just their favorite exhibits, Bottkol said.
"It's funny how people connect with certain animals," she said. "We have one little girl who comes just to see the crane and cockatoo."
When they become fond of the animals, people want to learn more about their habitat and populations, Rittler said. And as they become more aware of the obstacles the animals face, they often are more inclined to help.
"The teaching of individuals and nations is truly that last frontier where certain species can be saved," he said. "That's really the final answer."
Katherine Sather 206-464-2752 or ksather@seattletimes.com
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