Sedgwick County Zoo

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Sedgwick County Zoo
Sedgwick County Zoo logo.png
Date opened1971[1]
LocationWichita, Kansas, US
Coordinates37°42′57″N 97°24′37″W / 37.7158°N 97.4104°W / 37.7158; -97.4104Coordinates: 37°42′57″N 97°24′37″W / 37.7158°N 97.4104°W / 37.7158; -97.4104
Land area247 acres (100 ha)[2]
No. of animals3,000
No. of species400
Annual visitors654,494 (2009)[1]
MembershipsAZA[3]
Websitescz.org

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.[4]

Exhibits[]

African village-themed area at the entrance to Downing Gorilla Forest

Downing Gorilla Forest[]

Downing Gorilla Forest starts out in a recreation of a small Congo village with exhibits for colobus monkeys, pink-backed pelicans, 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.[5][6]

Lioness with (imitated) zebra kill

Pride of the Plains[]

Opened May 29th, 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 42,000-US-gallon (159,000 l) pool with rocky areas and coves on each side.[7]

African Veldt[]

This exhibit features reticulated giraffes, African bush elephants, grévy's zebras, and eastern black rhinos. On 11 March 2016, six African elephants arrived at the zoo from Eswatini to escape a drought.[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 Birmingham Zoo, joined the six female elephants for breeding purposes in May 2018.[10]

Tiger Trek[]

This $3 million Asian themed naturalistic exhibit was opened in 2009, and houses Amur tigers, Malayan tigers, red pandas, bar-headed geese, brow-antlered deer, and more.[11]

List of animals[]

Animals of Sedgwick County Zoo
Cessna Penguin Cove

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. They also have been expanding and moving the majority of exhibits, and planning on adding a lodge, water park, and savannah exhibit.[1][12] A new entrance for the zoo opened on May 27, 2021.[13]

Incidents[]

  • On 6 May 2011, a first-grade student on a class field trip climbed over a four-foot fence then crossed the eight-foot gap of the Amur leopard exhibit. The boy was attacked. He suffered lacerations and puncture wounds to his head and neck before a bystander kicked the leopard in the head. The injuries were not considered life-threatening, and the zoo did not euthanize the endangered animal.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "A Zoo to be Proud Of". scz.org. Sedgwick County Zoo. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  2. ^ Plumlee, Rick (1 June 2012). "Sedgwick County Zoo ranks 7th among U.S. zoos on TripAdvisor". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  4. ^ "About SCZ". Sedgwick County Zoo. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Africa". scz.org. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Downing Gorilla Forest". scz.org. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  7. ^ Stokes, Keith. "Sedgwick County Zoo". kansastravel.org. Kansas Travel and Tourism. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  8. ^ Brown, Zoe (11 March 2016). "Elephants arrive at Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita". KSNT. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  9. ^ "ZooLex Exhibit - The Reed Family Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley". www.zoolex.org. ZooLex Zoo Design Organization. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Sedgwick County Zoo welcomes new elephant". KWCH. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Amur tiger dies at Sedgwick County Zoo". kwch.com. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Your Future Zoo". scz.org. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Sedgwick County Zoo celebrates 50th birthday with opening of new entrance". KWCH. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  14. ^ Finger, Stan. "Sedgwick County Zoo leopard attacks boy through cage". kansas.com. The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 24 May 2011.

External links[]

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