DAY 5: Friday, July 16th
Zoo/Aquarium Review #3: Sedgwick County Zoo
According to the classic book “America’s Best Zoos” the Sedgwick County Zoo “is one of the zoo world’s best-kept secrets”. How true! I knew from talking to insiders that it was a very good zoological establishment, but I was astonished at how much I enjoyed my visit. I like consistency in zoos, and Sedgwick County has almost nothing but top-notch exhibits. There are many outstanding elements to this zoo, a few average and unspectacular enclosures, and only a handful of outdated cages on the grounds. I’d estimate that 90% of the zoo does not need any improvement, and without a doubt it will be in my top 10 American zoos when I post an official list sometime either towards the end of August or the beginning of September. There are no pits or grottoes, and there are many exhibits that rank as amongst the best of their kind.
The main reason why this zoo is not as highly lauded as perhaps San Diego or Bronx is that it is inland and does not receive anywhere near the same degree of exposure. It does not have the extreme highs and lows of Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, but it is more along the lines of Columbus Zoo where there is a great deal of consistency across the entire 247 acres (not all of that land is used for animal exhibits). I’ve been mulling it over in the back of my head for a day and a half, and I’ll have to wait until I see some more of the big guns of the American zoo world, but I can see myself ranking Sedgwick County somewhere between #3 and #8 by September. I’ve already seen most of the more famous North American zoos, and I’ll have seen just about all of them by the end of summer. For those of you that don’t believe in ranking zoo then please just accept my comments, as there are many here that still enjoy seeing lists of the great zoological establishments.
“America’s Best Zoos” placed Sedgwick County in the top 10 of American zoos for its North American animals and exhibits, South American animals and exhibits, hoofstock collection and indoor rainforest building. To add to that I think that the zoo must have been a close contender for the top 10 for Australian animals and exhibits, top 10 children’s zoos for its great farms, as well as pachyderms (there are elephants, rhinos, hippos and 2 species of tapirs at the zoo). The African section is superb, the zoo is brilliantly organized geographically around 5 continents, and the bird collection is amazing in both the walk-through aviaries in Australia-South America and the rainforest building. The exciting thing is that the zoo has ambitious plans to get even better, but more on that towards the end of what is already turning out to be an epic review. Enjoy, and feel free to comment!
Sedgwick County Zoo’s website:
Sedgwick County Zoo
Zoo Map:
http://www.scz.org/user/file/Zoo Map 09 web2.pdf
THE BEST:
Downing Gorilla Forest – This area was built in 2004 and seems to ape (pardon the pun) the brilliant “Congo Gorilla Forest” at the Bronx Zoo. There are massive viewing windows that look out onto an enormous outdoor yard (31,000 square feet) for the all-bachelor troop, and while I wouldn’t list this as one of the 3-4 best gorilla exhibits in North America I do think that it is not far behind the cream of the crop. A nearby yard has okapis in with saddle-billed storks, and the attractive bridge over a meandering river leads back towards Nganda Village. This expertly designed area features authentic-looking African buildings combined with an attractive colobus/Debrazza monkey enclosure, a red ruffed lemur island, and two species of pelicans and flamingos.
Pride of the Plains – This area was built in 2000 and features what I believe might be the #2 lion exhibit on the continent (San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park might still cling to that #1 position). There are also two large meerkat exhibits, red river hogs, a nearby African wild dog enclosure, ring-tailed lemurs on a lush island, and plenty of outstanding graphics to educate the public. The lion exhibit is simply brilliant, with all sorts of viewing opportunities such as windows, overlooks from suspension bridges, and a cave-like area that brings visitors close to the “king of the jungle”. The only possible downside is the animals themselves, as lions are such sleepy, dopey animals in zoos that they don’t ever move much for their admirers.
Jungle – This half-acre rainforest building features thick vegetation that has been growing for 33 years, and the bark-mulch/dirt floor and heavy humidity combine to make one sweat (and struggle with a baby stroller) as if one was immersed within a real jungle. There are freshwater stingrays, tricolor squirrels, sloths, golden lion tamarins, plenty of free-flying Indian flying squirrels (giant bats), vampire bats, dwarf caiman, plus all sorts of snakes and fish in side exhibits. I saw a green acouchi scrambling amongst the foliage, along with innumerable noisy birds. A glass tunnel has underwater viewing of an Amazon lake, and a crashing waterfall is seen from both sides of the pathway. The book that I constantly refer to, “America’s Best Zoos” ranks the 10 best of the massive indoor rainforest buildings that have popped up in the United States during my lifetime. I’ve seen 8 out of 10 (and I will see Cleveland’s in another couple of weeks to make it 9 out of 10) and of those I think that Sedgwick County has the 3rd best rainforest building. The only two that I’d rank higher are Omaha’s Lied Jungle and Bronx’s JungleWorld, and it is a tough call between Sedgwick and the Bronx.
Australia-South America – This area is 70,000 square feet in size and apparently one of the largest walk-through exhibit areas in the world. The entire time one is inside this area there is a mesh covering and literally hundreds of birds flying overhead. I loved every minute of my time in this section of the zoo, and it was great to see the diversity of wildlife that was on display. Near the entrance there is Kookaburra Junction, with a water tower, Aussie dunnies (toilets) and an Oz theme that is delightful. One enters a massive aviary that is stocked with all sorts of species, including wandering wallabies that are free-roaming and often hidden amongst the bushes. As one wanders through the lush, beautiful area there are many mesh exhibits lined along the walls. A large enclosure for a cassowary, and a huge sandy exhibit for wallaroos and emus dominate the landscape, but there is also a Matschie’s tree kangaroo enclosure and loads of Aussie birds, salmon-crested cockatoos, green-naped pheasant pigeons, free-roaming black swans, kookaburras, galahs, Major Mitchell’s cockatoos, keas, tawny frogmouths, parrots galore and other species native to that section of the world.
The South American section is even larger and much lusher, with the scenic trail wandering around thick bushes and dense vegetation that one feels could be containing anything! There are side exhibits for giant anteaters (two enclosures), maned wolves, Chacoan peccaries, guanacos, squirrel monkeys, baird’s tapirs, tayras and a jaguar. The most amazing thing of all are the free-roaming animals, as Chilean pudus, king vultures, spoonbills, sun conures, hyacinth macaws, and a bewildering array of birds are all over the place. There is a terrific exhibit for yellow-footed tortoises and grand cayman blue iguanas, and the only downside are the cages for the jaguar and tayras. Those two enclosures really are outdated cages, as is one of the giant anteater exhibits.
Slawson Family Tiger Trek – This area is the newest exhibit complex and only features 3 different species, but it is a terrific addition to what is a fabulous zoo. The Burmese brow-antlered deer and red panda enclosures are of average quality, but the main attraction are the two huge Amur tiger yards. The graphics leading up to this Asian area are very impressive, and there are amazing viewing opportunities for seeing the tigers in their large enclosures. An air-conditioned building has massive glass viewing areas for both the tiger exhibits (2 cats in one and a third by itself in the other) as well as the red panda enclosure. All 3 of the big cats were highly active on my visit, and being able to get within an inch or two of such beautiful creatures was wonderful. My daughter was hooting and hollering as she intently watched the prowling cat, as at 10 months of age and weighing about 19 pounds she would make a juicy meal for a tiger! An elevated boardwalk has a great view of one of the yards, and the only flaw is that the exhibit is still very new (mid 2009?) and so the tiger yards aren’t quite as lush as similar exhibits at Minnesota, Bronx or Cheyenne Mountain.
North America – The zoo is laid out geographically (always my favourite method to organize a zoo) and the 11-acre North American section is the most northern area of the grounds. The Mexican gray wolf enclosure must be about 2 acres in size and is yet another example of a world-class wolf exhibit in American zoos; the bison yard is probably another 2 acres in size; pronghorns and sandhill cranes have a massive paddock that is looked down from a boardwalk (as are the wolf and bison enclosures; the area also includes bald eagles, elk, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, cougars, river otters (with underwater viewing), black bears, grizzly bears, prairie dogs and a few terrariums with reptiles and amphibians complete a very comprehensive collection. There is a boat ride that goes through the North American and part of the African sections of the zoo, although we didn’t take the journey on this occasion. Maybe next time!
Children’s Farms – It is not unusual to see a typical farmyard complex in an American zoo, as many kids in that country never have the opportunity to physically visit a farm. I’ve seen several farms at various zoos, but none as impressive as the one at Sedgwick County. There is a large American farm, but also African and Asian farms. It is great to see such diversity, as well as to see ankole cattle and dromedaries near African huts. In the Asian farm there were water buffalo, angora goats, Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, yaks and Karakul sheep. Kids could easily spend hours travelling between the 3 farms and enjoying the domesticated animals instead of the wild ones at the rest of the zoo.
Cessna Penguin Cove – This Humboldt penguin exhibit opened in 2007 and it is remarkably similar to the Humboldt penguin exhibit that was unveiled at Woodland Park Zoo in 2009. Woodland Park has the better exhibit, but the one at Sedgwick County is still quite good. Inca terns soar in the open space, and the only downside is the mesh covering that is rigged to a high roof structure. Woodland Park in Seattle has a completely open penguin complex that is very impressive and amongst the best of its kind in the nation.
THE AVERAGE:
Amphibians & Reptiles Building – I thoroughly enjoyed this building, and I was quite tempted to place it in my “best category”. There are gigantic aldabra tortoises in an outdoor yard, an opening exhibit that is a ceiling-to-wall, enormous turtle tank, and a brilliant “Yangtze River” exhibit with these species: Chinese alligators, yellow pond turtles, golden thread turtles, Chinese softshell turtles and reeve’s turtles. The many other terrariums and tanks include cool-looking Javan forest dragons, gila monsters, a king cobra and many other reptiles and amphibians. Only a modest collection stops this building from being truly top-class, but there is work on a new venomous snake gallery.
Chimpanzee & Orangutan Habitat – The indoor area was fogged up and it was almost impossible to see anything through the viewing windows, so most of the photos I took were of the outside yards. The Sumatran orangutans have a rather impressive set of climbing opportunities, plus lush, thick grass that makes an average area quite good. The chimps are left with a so-so yard that is a little outdated in today’s zoo world.
African Veldt – African elephants, black rhinos, nile hippos, Grevy’s zebras, bonteboks, slender-horned gazelles, hornbills and warthogs all inhabit a series of yards that are fairly dull and barren in the middle of the zoo. Somewhat bizarrely there is a Hamadryas baboon cage that reminds me of the one at the Melbourne Zoo in Australia (all ugly metal). The only saving grace is that the giraffes have a decently sized enclosure and the hippos have underwater viewing, but this area is slated for a major overhaul within the next few years.
Asian Forest – This is a walk-through area with many different species of birds (including some Demoiselle cranes), plus a side exhibit with a Malayan tapir. Nothing special, but nothing to write home about either. A nearby Amur leopard enclosure is a well-planted traditional cage.
THE WORST:
Other than several traditional cages around the zoo (caracal, Amur leopard, cougar, jaguar, tayra, giant anteater, Hamadryas baboon) there is not much at all to complain about. Some of those enclosures are even well-planted and rather lush, but they are definitely eyesores and will probably be demolished at some point in the future.
OVERALL:
The Sedgwick County Zoo is a very complete establishment, with numerous high-profile species from North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. There are some brilliant exhibit complexes and very few areas that need improvement, and in my humble opinion it is undoubtedly one of the very best zoos I’ve ever seen. Instead of a zoo that has brilliant exhibits offset by subpar enclosures (like most zoos of the world) I’d much rather visit a zoo that is consistently excellent throughout the grounds. Sedgwick County Zoo fits that description perfectly, as there are many moments of excellence and very few negatives.
The master plan has its own thread on ZooChat, and it is incredibly exciting to see all of the ambitious plans that could possibly occur over the next 15-20 years. A massive elephant forest (4-5 acres) might feature unique tunnels and viewing opportunities; a second building is planned to be added to the already stellar “Jungle” rainforest complex; an aquarium will be built near the current reptile house; the African Veldt will get a major overhaul; and there are many smaller changes that will take place if the master plan is fully realized. The future is extremely bright for a zoo that I honestly feel is already hugely impressive, and I will eventually have to revisit it to see all of the positive changes.
Since you last heard from me we've seen Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (enjoyable but hit-and-miss), Sedgwick County Zoo (beyond any doubt one of my favourite 10 zoos in all of North America...and it is seriously scratching at the surface of my top 5 zoos, and Tulsa Zoo which was very weak and mainly disappointing.
