COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Bob Chastain, president and CEO of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, announced Monday his plan to retire after nearly 30 years at the zoo.
Chastain, who has been president and CEO at the southern Colorado zoo for 20 years, will retire in 2026.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo said that over the next two years, the zoo's board of directors will search for a new president and CEO while Chastain focuses on finalizing major zoo renovations.
During his time at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Chastain has led the zoo through exponential visitor growth. The zoo has grown from 365,000 visitors in 1995 an average of 800,000 annually.
New exhibit openings under Chastain include the African Rift Valley in 2003, with one of the first giraffe feeding experiences of its kind in the world, Rocky Mountain Wild in 2008, Encounter Africa in 2013, Australia Walkabout in 2015 and Water’s Edge: Africa in 2020.
“Although I still have two years at our zoo, I want to be transparent with our community that there are some changes coming,” Chastain said. “This organization has prioritized building bench strength in leadership and being stronger than just one person. With that in mind, we started working on succession planning pretty much immediately after I started. This next two years is the last phase of that longtime planning. Some people might have questions about my retirement, but I bet more will be curious about what’s next for the zoo. In two years, the zoo will be transformed in terms of animal welfare and the arrival experience for our guests.”
“We have worked relentlessly to bring our community closer to animals, so they can make important connections that inspire them to care about wildlife and wild places,” said Chastain. “We know it’s working, because people keep coming back – and every time they visit, they’re making a direct contribution to conservation through our Quarters for Conservation program.”
Last year, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo started constructing a new road through the zoo to replace the current road, which has been in place for 100 years.
The new road is taking shape now and once the historic road is gone, the zoo will expand its giraffe habitat into that space.
The zoo said that in addition to creating space for new giraffe outdoor areas, a 10,000-square foot building to house the zoo’s giraffe herd and The International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe (The Giraffe Center), a new zoo entryway, gift shop and café are in the works.
"Bob's ambition and passion for conservation, community and animal care have been contagious during his tenure," said Tia Ferguson, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo board chair. "While we'll miss working with him closely, we know he will leave a lasting mark on the Zoo. Strong leaders and staff are in place, the zoo is financially stable, we're making incredible conservation progress, and major zoo improvements are underway with the leadership of a dedicated board. We're excited for what's next."
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