Chehaw Park & Zoo is bringing back Boo at the Zoo this coming Halloween weekend. The event will be held Sat. Oct. 30 from 10 am-2 pm inside the Chehaw Park Zoo. Guests will walk along the Zoo path collecting candy, playing games, and seeing animals enjoying Halloween themed enrichment and programming along the way. Event is included in Park & Zoo admission and free to members from any of the Artesian Alliance organizations (Chehaw, Flint RiverQuarium, and Thronateeska). Guests are encouraged to come in costume.

“Boo at the Zoo is one of the most popular events we host every year,” said Chehaw Park & Zoo Director, Morgan Burnette. “It’s a great event for families, staff, volunteers, and even the Zoo animals who receive special Halloween themed treats and enrichment.”

Boo at the Zoo is a not-so-spooky, safe, and entertaining option for families this year. Spreading out along the Zoo trail gives families the ability to keep a little distance between themselves and other groups. There will be a variety of Halloween themed games and activities for children of all ages, special Halloween animal enrichment, a costume contest, tons of fun, prizes, and candy.

Boo at the Zoo also allows Chehaw the opportunity to educate guests about the correlation between Halloween candy and sustainable palm oil. Palm oil is a very common household ingredient that can be found in products ranging from shampoo to snack foods. While not harmful to humans, unsustainable palm oil threatens the habitats of animals like orangutans, tigers, and babirusas. The production of palm oil can cause deforestation, and its development is rapidly encroaching on the habitats of animals. For reference, over 3.5 million hectares of Indonesian and Malaysian forest have been destroyed in the last 20 years to make way for palm oil production. 

Chehaw prides itself in using products containing sustainable palm oil whenever possible, and encourages guests to do the same. “Halloween is all about fun and games, but encouraging conservation action is central to Chehaw’s mission,” Burnette said. “Guests are often surprised to learn that they can make simple changes at home that can make a global impact.”  When making purchases at the grocery store consider using the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Palm Oil Shopping Guide App to help you choose products that are palm oil free or use sustainable palm oil.