The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has lost a fan-favorite animal.
Mochi, a 27-year-old mountain tapir, died last week. He had lived at the Colorado Springs zoo from 2000 to 2014 and then again from 2023 until he died.
According to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, he was euthanized on Sept. 15 after his health declined rapidly due to age.
Zoo staff remembered him for his “adorably playful habits” and his love of scratches.
“Mochi was the only tapir known for putting enrichment boxes on his head,” the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo said in a Facebook eulogy for Mochi. “He’d trot around his habitat wearing them like a hat, push them off, and put them right back on — sometimes repeatedly. He’d even carry them into the pool for a swim. Big box or little box, Mochi always found a way to make the most of his enrichment.”
The post also said that when getting medical care, he didn’t need snacks because all he wanted was scratches from his care team.
“Around his ears and under the crook of his chin were some of his favorite spots, but when it came to scratches, he wasn’t picky — he was happy to take them just about anywhere,” the post says. “He’d do just about anything for scratches. He trusted us enough to completely relax during care after a few scratches. It was the highest compliment he could give us.”
Each year, the zoo celebrated World Tapir Day by inviting the public to come right up to Mochi’s fence and give him his beloved scratches. People would often travel from other states or even internationally for this unique opportunity, according to the zoo, and the interactions often turned “first-time visitors into lifelong tapir fans.”
“With his wiggly, prehensile snoot, round, bear-like ears, woolly coat, and distinctive highstepping walk, Mochi’s uniqueness was easy to recognize — and even easier to love,” the zoo said in its post.
Source: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo/FacebookMochi the tapir.
Zoo officials also credited Mochi with inspiring members to contribute more than $135,000 to wild tapir conservation.
Mountain tapirs are an increasingly rare species, with estimates showing fewer than 2,500 remaining in the wild. With Mochi’s death, there are now only two mountain tapirs at U.S. zoos, and both live at the Los Angeles Zoo.
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo said that it is unlikely they will have another mountain tapir in their care.
Two Malayan tapirs also died at the Denver Zoo earlier this year. JohHi, 16, and Rinny, 18, died after an “accidental misdosing of copper,” the zoo posted in January.
