Sedgwick County Zoo Explained

Zoo Name:Sedgwick County Zoo
Location:Wichita, Kansas, US
Area:247acres[1]
Date Opened:[2]
Num Animals:3,000
Num Species:400
Annual Visitors:654,494 (2009)
Members:AZA
Publictransit: Wichita Transit

The Sedgwick County Zoo is an AZA-accredited wildlife park and major attraction in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1971, with the help of the Sedgwick County Zoological Society, the zoo has quickly become recognized both nationally and internationally for its support of conservation programs and successful breeding of rare and endangered species. Having over 3,000 animals of nearly 400 species, the zoo has slowly increased its visitors and now ranks as the number one outdoor tourist attraction in the state.[3]

Exhibits

Downing Gorilla Forest

Opening in 2004, the Downing Gorilla Forest starts out in a recreation of a small Congo village with exhibits for colobus monkeys and white pelicans. Across a bridge is an exhibit for saddle-billed storks, as well as one for black crowned cranes and okapis. The main attraction is a large gorilla exhibit. They can be viewed in their indoor home, outside through large viewing windows or across a moat.[4] [5]

Pride of the Plains

Opened May 29, 2000, A path winds around exhibits of lions, red river hogs, and two exhibits of meerkats. Each exhibit has several views from all sides. The whole area has a kopje theme with giant boulders. At the end is an exhibit for African painted dogs.

Penguin Cove

Opened in 2007, Penguin Cove is the zoo's first marine exhibit, and home to a colony of Humboldt penguins. The $1.5 million exhibit features a 42000-3NaN-3 pool with rocky areas and coves on each side.[6]

African Veldt

This exhibit features reticulated giraffes, African bush elephants, grévy's zebras, and a black rhinoceros. On March 11, 2016, six African elephants arrived at the zoo from Eswatini's Hlane Royal National Park to survive a drought.[7] [8] A new elephant exhibit named "The Reed Family Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley" opened in May of that year, housing all of the elephants.[9]

Later, a male African elephant, Ajani, from Alabama's Birmingham Zoo, joined the six female elephants for breeding purposes in May 2018.[10] In May 2023, Callee was introduced to the herd from Omaha, Nebraska's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.[11] A few months later, Ajani transferred to the Toledo Zoo to breed with its two female elephants.[12]

Asian Big Cat Trek

This $3 million Asian themed naturalistic exhibit was opened in 2009 as the Slawson Family Tiger Trek, and housed Amur tigers, Malayan tigers, red pandas, and brow-antlered deer. In 2021, the exhibit was added on to an reopened as the Slawson Family Asian Big Cat Trek, and added amur leopards, snow leopards, and an area where they can be seen above guests' heads.[13]

List of animals

Entrance
Children's Farm
Cessna Penguin Cove
Amphibians and reptiles
Tropics
Stingray Cove
Africa

African Veldt

Pride of the Plains

The Reed Family Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley

The Downing Gorilla Forest

Asia

The Slawson Family Asian Big Cat Trek

North America
Australia
South America
KOCH Orangutan and Chimpanzee Habitat

Future

As of June 2021, the zoo is currently making a new elephant management complex, as well as some new additions to the Amphibians and Reptiles building. On April 16, 2022, they are expected to open a Shark and Stingray exhibit. They also have been expanding and moving the majority of exhibits, and planning on adding a lodge, water park, and savannah exhibit.[14] A new entrance for the zoo opened on May 27, 2021.[15]

Incidents

Notes and References

  1. News: Plumlee . Rick . 1 June 2012 . Sedgwick County Zoo ranks 7th among U.S. zoos on TripAdvisor . The Wichita Eagle . live . 2 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210502145051/https://www.kansas.com/news/article1093110.html . 2 May 2021.
  2. Web site: A Zoo to be Proud Of . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20101007132833/http://scz.org/about_us-past_present_future.php . 7 October 2010 . 11 September 2010 . scz.org . Sedgwick County Zoo.
  3. Web site: About SCZ . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190407191253/https://scz.org/about . 7 April 2019 . 2019-04-07 . Sedgwick County Zoo . en-US.
  4. Web site: Africa . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210118233049/https://scz.org/habitat/africa . 18 January 2021 . 24 February 2021 . scz.org. March 16, 2018 .
  5. Web site: Downing Gorilla Forest . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210303184815/https://scz.org/habitat/africa/downing-gorilla-forest . 3 March 2021 . 24 February 2021 . scz.org. March 20, 2018 .
  6. Web site: Stokes . Keith . Sedgwick County Zoo . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110520031150/http://www.kansastravel.org/sedgwickcountyzoo.htm . 20 May 2011 . 5 September 2010 . kansastravel.org . Kansas Travel and Tourism.
  7. News: Brown . Zoe . 11 March 2016 . Elephants arrive at Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita . . live . 2 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210502144322/https://www.ksnt.com/news/elephants-arrive-at-sedgwick-county-zoo-in-wichita/ . 2 May 2021.
  8. News: Vidal . John . 2016-02-26 . 18 elephants to be flown to US zoos as drought puts pressure on Swaziland wildlife . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-10-18 . 0261-3077.
  9. Web site: ZooLex Exhibit - The Reed Family Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190515130604/https://www.zoolex.org/gallery/show/1869/ . 15 May 2019 . 20 February 2021 . www.zoolex.org . ZooLex Zoo Design Organization.
  10. News: 10 May 2018 . Sedgwick County Zoo welcomes new elephant . . live . 2 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210502144323/https://www.kwch.com/content/news/Sedgwick-County-Zoo-to-get-new-elephant-481675661.html . 2 May 2021.
  11. Web site: 2023-05-26 . Sedgwick County Zoo welcomes African elephant Callee . 2023-10-18 . KSN-TV . en-US.
  12. Web site: 2023-09-15 . Toledo Zoo welcomes 23-year-old African bull elephant Ajani . 2023-10-18 . WXYZ 7 Action News Detroit . en.
  13. News: 20 November 2019 . Amur tiger dies at Sedgwick County Zoo . kwch.com . live . 6 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191121134848/https://www.kwch.com/content/news/Amur-tiger-dies-at-Sedgwick-County-Zoo-565217462.html . 21 November 2019.
  14. Web site: Your Future Zoo . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210118235651/https://scz.org/your-future-zoo . 18 January 2021 . 7 February 2021 . scz.org. November 30, 2018 .
  15. News: 27 May 2021 . Sedgwick County Zoo celebrates 50th birthday with opening of new entrance . . live . 1 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214149/https://www.kwch.com/2021/05/27/sedgwick-county-zoo-celebrates-50th-birthday-with-opening-of-new-entrance/ . 2 June 2021.
  16. Web site: A flamingo that escaped a Kansas zoo during a storm 17 years ago has been spotted in Texas . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220330065505/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/flamingo-escaped-kansas-zoo-2005-spotted-texas/ . 30 March 2022 . 2022-03-30 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  17. Web site: Finger . Stan . Sedgwick County Zoo leopard attacks boy through cage . subscription . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141230125902/https://www.kansas.com/news/article1065499.html . 30 December 2014 . 24 May 2011 . kansas.com . The Wichita Eagle.

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