KCZooFan
Well-Known Member
Sedgwick County Zoo is one of the best zoos I’ve ever seen. It has a very nice collection, fantastic exhibits, and its all located on several hundred acres. It bewilders me why this zoo is more famous. It is all uniformly good, with only a few cages, and even they are nicely planted. This beautiful zoo is defiantly a must see
Exhibits
Australia and South America
One of my favorite exhibits of all time. It is basically a HUGE walk-through aviary. It is split into the smaller Australia section and the brilliant South America section. Visitors walk around free ranging birds while looking at small exhibits for small animals, and larger attached yards for large animals. Before entering Australia, you pass through Kookaburra Junction, a small Australian town with a snack stand. Inside Australia are lots of trees and shrubs as well as a few small ponds. Some of the free-roaming birds were eastern rosella, masked lapwing, bush thick-knee, Major Mitchell’s cockatoo, blue-faced honeyeater, galah, magpie goose, New Zealand shoveler, Indian pygmy goose, plumed whistling duck, straw-necked ibis, and eclectus parrot, as well as tammar wallabies. Two small, tree filled cages house tawny frogmouth/green-naped pheasant pigeon and salmon-crested cockatoo. Across the path, in large, shaded yards are cassowaries and wallaroos, and another attached exhibit for tree kangaroos. In two more cages are keas and black swans. As you get to the end of this small section, the foliage density increases, and you enter the much larger South America section. The whole section is filled with ponds and streams for the many waterfowl, as well as trees for the perching birds. The first exhibit you come to is a lush cage for squirrel monkeys. Up ahead is an attached yard for guanacos, and an exhibit for red-footed tortoise. A black jaguar lives in a cage that is nicely planted and has plenty of height, but is still too small for this magnificent cat. Around the corner is a cage for a very active tayra. Baird’s tapir and capybara share a small exhibit with pool, while spectacled bears, chacoan peccaries, and giant anteaters live in shady attached yards, the latter which can be seen outside the exhibit as well. However, the true brilliance of this exhibit is in the vast number of free-flying birds. These include (but are not limited to): common trumpeter, yellow-naped amazon, boat-billed heron, thick-billed parrot, coscoroba swan, crested screamer, scarlet ibis, puna ibis, yellow-knobbed curassow, red-fronted macaw, king vulture (yes, king vultures), guira cuckoo, red-legged seriema, hyacinth macaw, North American ruddy duck, white-faced whistling duck, sun conure, blue-headed pionus, Peruvian thick-knee, Chiloe wigeon, Buffon’s macaw, roseate spoonbill, green-winged macaw, yellow-shouldered amazon, as well as pudu. This exhibit is a bird lovers paradise, and incredible. In my opinion, it is probably Sedgwick County’s best exhibit, but it has some serious competition.
North America
A very complete collection of North America animals. It offers two different areas, a more forested section, and an open, prairie section cut by a river. The first exhibit in the woodland section is a large grizzly bear exhibit, which can be seen from across a wide moat, or from a side viewing cave by their stream. Nearby is a less impressive black bear exhibit. It is much smaller than the spacious grizzly bear exhibit, but does have a small pool. A boardwalk juts into a shaded, but barren white-tailed deer/common turkey exhibit. A shelter allows underwater viewing into the North American river otter small home. The water is green, and the pool this rather small, but it is full of logs, sticks and twigs, making for a very convincing woodland exhibit. A wooden hut displays terrariums for reptiles and amphibians, such as: plains leopard frog, Great Plains toad, Woodhouse’s toad, barred tiger salamander, western rattlesnake, red-sided garter snake, prairie rattlesnake, Osage copperhead, and timber rattlesnake. Two tall aviaries have turkey vultures and bald eagles, and a third one for blue-winged teal, North American ruddy duck, hooded merganser, and American avocet. A glass window allows for viewing into the large elk yard. This is the first glass viewing I’ve ever seen for an ungulate (apart from underwater hippo viewing). Up ahead is a bride, crossing a river from one section to the other. This river is full of fish to feed, as well a wild ducks and geese. The rest of the exhibits are seen from an elevated boardwalk, exhibit the prairie dogs and mountain lion. The first exhibit you will come to is an enormous exhibit for Mexican gray wolves. Pronghorn and sandhill cranes share a riverside exhibit across from an absolutely massive bison exhibit. A side trail leads to a small, glass-fronted mountain lion exhibit. A well populated prairie dog town is found next to the bison. This exhibit really is like the whole zoo, large and complete.
Downing Gorilla Forest
The Downing Gorilla Forest is another great gorilla exhibit that has opened in an American zoo in the last decade, but it is defiantly one of the best. The entrance is a small base camp with a snack stand. There are riverside exhibits for greater flamingos, pink-backed pelicans, and white pelicans. There are also two lemur islands, but they can be seen best from the boat tour. A nearby mesh enclosure is for black and white colobus monkeys. A long swinging bridge leads across the river to the main attraction. There are two large, lush exhibits, one for saddle-billed storks, and one for okapis. Inside a building is info about gorillas and the Congo forest. A large circular room resembling a tent with glass viewing windows offers panoramic views of the lush gorilla exhibit, complete with a waterfall. As you leave, you can see the indoor gorilla exhibit, which is pretty boring and average, as you leave the exhibit, you get an overview of it from outdoor viewing area. This area is fairly new, but lush and beautiful.
Jungle
The Jungle building is one of the best indoor rainforests in America. It is filled with mature plant life. A dirt path leads visitors by a few small exhibits, but most of the enjoyment comes from all the bird life everywhere. There are cages for Prevost’s squirrels, golden lion tamarins, and two-toed sloths. There are also small aquariums for small fish I don’t remember, and a large exhibit for Curvier’s dwarf caimans. A small cave has exhibits for blind cave tetras and vampire bats. A large pool has freshwater stingrays in the shallow part, and pacu and other Amazonian fish in the deeper part. The deeper part has an underwater tunnel where visitors can see the fish. The amazing bird collection includes these species: Victoria crowned pigeon, blue crowned pigeon, collared, finch-billed bulbul, crested wood partridge, crested quail dove, nicobar pigeon, blue-necked tanager, common bulbul, variable seedeater, Saipan white-eye, golden-breasted starling, grosbeak starling, speckled mousebird, greater green leafbird, Luzon bleeding-heart dove, southern yellow grosbeak, sunbittern, white-collared kingfisher, ringed teal, blue-gray tanager, crested quail dove, lavender waxbill, white-bellied go-away-bird, emerald starling, cinerous pinon, black crake, wonga pigeon, oriole warbler, blue-capped cordon bleu, beautiful fruit dove, wompoo fruit dove, crested coua, Andean tinamou, parrot-billed seedeater, lavender waxbill, red-capped cardinal, red-lored amazon, blue-necked tanager, violet plantain-eater, and golden-headed quetzal. This building is another brilliant addition to this zoo. It may not compare to the Lied Jungle in Omaha (the only other indoor rainforest I’ve been to), but it is still very well done.
Pride of the Plains
Pride of the Plains is a great kopje exhibit. A path weaves in between boulders through four great exhibits. The red river hog exhibit is very nice, with lots of mud, and a river, but is obviously better suited for its previous inhabitant, the warthog. The meerkat exhibits are outstanding, with a few rocks to climb, and a very sand bottom for digging. The best exhibit in this area is obviously the great lion exhibit, with several vantage points, including from across a moat, and behind glass. The area, like everywhere else, is themed with boarded up mineshafts and a zebra carcass. Rounding out this great exhibit is a large, lush African wild dog exhibit. This is the best kopje exhibit I’ve ever seen.
Tiger Trek
Tiger Trek is a small area themed after eastern Asia. You enter by crossing a small bridge into a fishing village. The village is filled with authentic buildings and signs against poaching. The pond below the village is filled with koi. The whole exhibit is small loop around a lush red panda exhibit. Tigers occupy two large exhibits, which can be seen from behind glass, inside or outside. There is a large “”predator/prey” overlook, where on one side is the tiger exhibit, and on the other side is an exhibit for Eld’s deer.
Chimpanzee and Orangutan Exhibit
The chimpanzee and orangutan exhibits are set onto a lush hillside. The first exhibit is a very nice orangutan exhibit, with tons of climbing structures. The chimpanzee exhibit however is of average quality. Both of these animals have basic indoor exhibits, with lots of concrete and climbing structures. A nice ape complex, but nothing extraordinary.
Amphibians and Reptiles
The Amphibians and Reptiles building is home to a modest collection of cold-blooded creatures. Out front is a lush Aldabra giant tortoise exhibit with a waterfall. The first exhibit inside is the “Australian Stream” exhibit, with several turtle species, as well as archerfish. Around the corner is the indoor exhibit for the giant tortoises. Probably the best exhibit in this building is the Yangtze River exhibit, a bi-level exhibit home to several Asian turtles, and Chinese alligators. Other species include: emerald tree boa, Surinam toad, ringed caecilian, golden frog, glass lizard, bog turtle, rubber boa, king cobra, yellow anaconda, Sonoran desert toad, Egyptian tortoise, and black mamba. This is a great reptile house, one of the best outside of San Diego, St. Louis, and many southern zoos.
Penguin Cove
Penguin Cove is a large exhibit for a group of Humboldt penguins, as well as Inca terns. The whole exhibit has a large net over it, like an aviary. The penguins have a large pool to swim in, complete with underwater viewing. They can also be seen up close through a side window. The whole area is very elaborately themed, with barnacles, crabs, and even a whale carcass. This exhibit will be part of the aquatic complex in the master plan. It is a very good penguin exhibit, but nothing great.
Asian Forest
Asian Forest is hardly a forest, but is a very charming exhibit. It is split into two parts. The whole area is surrounded by a river. The first and smaller part is a nice exhibit for a Malayan tapir. The second part is larger, with groups of waterfowl, and other birds. Some species include: bar-headed goose, white stork, demoiselle crane, mute swan, ruddy shelduck, red-breasted goose, and red-crested pochard, among others. A large cage near this exhibit is home to an Amur leopard. This exhibit is very pleasant.
African Veldt
The African Veldt is the only exhibit in the zoo that isn’t great. There are three nicely planted exhibits, one for slender-horned gazelles, Abyssinian ground hornbill, and warthog, one for Grevy’s zebra, and one for bontebok (I think) and Egyptian geese. The giraffe exhibit is average, but does offer feeding. The elephant and black rhino exhibits are quite small, and the hippo exhibit is smallish and the pool is downright tiny. There is underwater viewing, but without a filtration system, this is just pointless. This is the only poor area in the whole zoo, and even it isn’t bad.
Summary
Australia, South America, North America, and the Jungle are all brilliant. The African Veldt is average, and the rest is very good. This zoo has a large collection of birds and reptiles, as well as almost all key mammals. Definatly will always provide a top-notch zoo experience.
Exhibits
Australia and South America
One of my favorite exhibits of all time. It is basically a HUGE walk-through aviary. It is split into the smaller Australia section and the brilliant South America section. Visitors walk around free ranging birds while looking at small exhibits for small animals, and larger attached yards for large animals. Before entering Australia, you pass through Kookaburra Junction, a small Australian town with a snack stand. Inside Australia are lots of trees and shrubs as well as a few small ponds. Some of the free-roaming birds were eastern rosella, masked lapwing, bush thick-knee, Major Mitchell’s cockatoo, blue-faced honeyeater, galah, magpie goose, New Zealand shoveler, Indian pygmy goose, plumed whistling duck, straw-necked ibis, and eclectus parrot, as well as tammar wallabies. Two small, tree filled cages house tawny frogmouth/green-naped pheasant pigeon and salmon-crested cockatoo. Across the path, in large, shaded yards are cassowaries and wallaroos, and another attached exhibit for tree kangaroos. In two more cages are keas and black swans. As you get to the end of this small section, the foliage density increases, and you enter the much larger South America section. The whole section is filled with ponds and streams for the many waterfowl, as well as trees for the perching birds. The first exhibit you come to is a lush cage for squirrel monkeys. Up ahead is an attached yard for guanacos, and an exhibit for red-footed tortoise. A black jaguar lives in a cage that is nicely planted and has plenty of height, but is still too small for this magnificent cat. Around the corner is a cage for a very active tayra. Baird’s tapir and capybara share a small exhibit with pool, while spectacled bears, chacoan peccaries, and giant anteaters live in shady attached yards, the latter which can be seen outside the exhibit as well. However, the true brilliance of this exhibit is in the vast number of free-flying birds. These include (but are not limited to): common trumpeter, yellow-naped amazon, boat-billed heron, thick-billed parrot, coscoroba swan, crested screamer, scarlet ibis, puna ibis, yellow-knobbed curassow, red-fronted macaw, king vulture (yes, king vultures), guira cuckoo, red-legged seriema, hyacinth macaw, North American ruddy duck, white-faced whistling duck, sun conure, blue-headed pionus, Peruvian thick-knee, Chiloe wigeon, Buffon’s macaw, roseate spoonbill, green-winged macaw, yellow-shouldered amazon, as well as pudu. This exhibit is a bird lovers paradise, and incredible. In my opinion, it is probably Sedgwick County’s best exhibit, but it has some serious competition.
North America
A very complete collection of North America animals. It offers two different areas, a more forested section, and an open, prairie section cut by a river. The first exhibit in the woodland section is a large grizzly bear exhibit, which can be seen from across a wide moat, or from a side viewing cave by their stream. Nearby is a less impressive black bear exhibit. It is much smaller than the spacious grizzly bear exhibit, but does have a small pool. A boardwalk juts into a shaded, but barren white-tailed deer/common turkey exhibit. A shelter allows underwater viewing into the North American river otter small home. The water is green, and the pool this rather small, but it is full of logs, sticks and twigs, making for a very convincing woodland exhibit. A wooden hut displays terrariums for reptiles and amphibians, such as: plains leopard frog, Great Plains toad, Woodhouse’s toad, barred tiger salamander, western rattlesnake, red-sided garter snake, prairie rattlesnake, Osage copperhead, and timber rattlesnake. Two tall aviaries have turkey vultures and bald eagles, and a third one for blue-winged teal, North American ruddy duck, hooded merganser, and American avocet. A glass window allows for viewing into the large elk yard. This is the first glass viewing I’ve ever seen for an ungulate (apart from underwater hippo viewing). Up ahead is a bride, crossing a river from one section to the other. This river is full of fish to feed, as well a wild ducks and geese. The rest of the exhibits are seen from an elevated boardwalk, exhibit the prairie dogs and mountain lion. The first exhibit you will come to is an enormous exhibit for Mexican gray wolves. Pronghorn and sandhill cranes share a riverside exhibit across from an absolutely massive bison exhibit. A side trail leads to a small, glass-fronted mountain lion exhibit. A well populated prairie dog town is found next to the bison. This exhibit really is like the whole zoo, large and complete.
Downing Gorilla Forest
The Downing Gorilla Forest is another great gorilla exhibit that has opened in an American zoo in the last decade, but it is defiantly one of the best. The entrance is a small base camp with a snack stand. There are riverside exhibits for greater flamingos, pink-backed pelicans, and white pelicans. There are also two lemur islands, but they can be seen best from the boat tour. A nearby mesh enclosure is for black and white colobus monkeys. A long swinging bridge leads across the river to the main attraction. There are two large, lush exhibits, one for saddle-billed storks, and one for okapis. Inside a building is info about gorillas and the Congo forest. A large circular room resembling a tent with glass viewing windows offers panoramic views of the lush gorilla exhibit, complete with a waterfall. As you leave, you can see the indoor gorilla exhibit, which is pretty boring and average, as you leave the exhibit, you get an overview of it from outdoor viewing area. This area is fairly new, but lush and beautiful.
Jungle
The Jungle building is one of the best indoor rainforests in America. It is filled with mature plant life. A dirt path leads visitors by a few small exhibits, but most of the enjoyment comes from all the bird life everywhere. There are cages for Prevost’s squirrels, golden lion tamarins, and two-toed sloths. There are also small aquariums for small fish I don’t remember, and a large exhibit for Curvier’s dwarf caimans. A small cave has exhibits for blind cave tetras and vampire bats. A large pool has freshwater stingrays in the shallow part, and pacu and other Amazonian fish in the deeper part. The deeper part has an underwater tunnel where visitors can see the fish. The amazing bird collection includes these species: Victoria crowned pigeon, blue crowned pigeon, collared, finch-billed bulbul, crested wood partridge, crested quail dove, nicobar pigeon, blue-necked tanager, common bulbul, variable seedeater, Saipan white-eye, golden-breasted starling, grosbeak starling, speckled mousebird, greater green leafbird, Luzon bleeding-heart dove, southern yellow grosbeak, sunbittern, white-collared kingfisher, ringed teal, blue-gray tanager, crested quail dove, lavender waxbill, white-bellied go-away-bird, emerald starling, cinerous pinon, black crake, wonga pigeon, oriole warbler, blue-capped cordon bleu, beautiful fruit dove, wompoo fruit dove, crested coua, Andean tinamou, parrot-billed seedeater, lavender waxbill, red-capped cardinal, red-lored amazon, blue-necked tanager, violet plantain-eater, and golden-headed quetzal. This building is another brilliant addition to this zoo. It may not compare to the Lied Jungle in Omaha (the only other indoor rainforest I’ve been to), but it is still very well done.
Pride of the Plains
Pride of the Plains is a great kopje exhibit. A path weaves in between boulders through four great exhibits. The red river hog exhibit is very nice, with lots of mud, and a river, but is obviously better suited for its previous inhabitant, the warthog. The meerkat exhibits are outstanding, with a few rocks to climb, and a very sand bottom for digging. The best exhibit in this area is obviously the great lion exhibit, with several vantage points, including from across a moat, and behind glass. The area, like everywhere else, is themed with boarded up mineshafts and a zebra carcass. Rounding out this great exhibit is a large, lush African wild dog exhibit. This is the best kopje exhibit I’ve ever seen.
Tiger Trek
Tiger Trek is a small area themed after eastern Asia. You enter by crossing a small bridge into a fishing village. The village is filled with authentic buildings and signs against poaching. The pond below the village is filled with koi. The whole exhibit is small loop around a lush red panda exhibit. Tigers occupy two large exhibits, which can be seen from behind glass, inside or outside. There is a large “”predator/prey” overlook, where on one side is the tiger exhibit, and on the other side is an exhibit for Eld’s deer.
Chimpanzee and Orangutan Exhibit
The chimpanzee and orangutan exhibits are set onto a lush hillside. The first exhibit is a very nice orangutan exhibit, with tons of climbing structures. The chimpanzee exhibit however is of average quality. Both of these animals have basic indoor exhibits, with lots of concrete and climbing structures. A nice ape complex, but nothing extraordinary.
Amphibians and Reptiles
The Amphibians and Reptiles building is home to a modest collection of cold-blooded creatures. Out front is a lush Aldabra giant tortoise exhibit with a waterfall. The first exhibit inside is the “Australian Stream” exhibit, with several turtle species, as well as archerfish. Around the corner is the indoor exhibit for the giant tortoises. Probably the best exhibit in this building is the Yangtze River exhibit, a bi-level exhibit home to several Asian turtles, and Chinese alligators. Other species include: emerald tree boa, Surinam toad, ringed caecilian, golden frog, glass lizard, bog turtle, rubber boa, king cobra, yellow anaconda, Sonoran desert toad, Egyptian tortoise, and black mamba. This is a great reptile house, one of the best outside of San Diego, St. Louis, and many southern zoos.
Penguin Cove
Penguin Cove is a large exhibit for a group of Humboldt penguins, as well as Inca terns. The whole exhibit has a large net over it, like an aviary. The penguins have a large pool to swim in, complete with underwater viewing. They can also be seen up close through a side window. The whole area is very elaborately themed, with barnacles, crabs, and even a whale carcass. This exhibit will be part of the aquatic complex in the master plan. It is a very good penguin exhibit, but nothing great.
Asian Forest
Asian Forest is hardly a forest, but is a very charming exhibit. It is split into two parts. The whole area is surrounded by a river. The first and smaller part is a nice exhibit for a Malayan tapir. The second part is larger, with groups of waterfowl, and other birds. Some species include: bar-headed goose, white stork, demoiselle crane, mute swan, ruddy shelduck, red-breasted goose, and red-crested pochard, among others. A large cage near this exhibit is home to an Amur leopard. This exhibit is very pleasant.
African Veldt
The African Veldt is the only exhibit in the zoo that isn’t great. There are three nicely planted exhibits, one for slender-horned gazelles, Abyssinian ground hornbill, and warthog, one for Grevy’s zebra, and one for bontebok (I think) and Egyptian geese. The giraffe exhibit is average, but does offer feeding. The elephant and black rhino exhibits are quite small, and the hippo exhibit is smallish and the pool is downright tiny. There is underwater viewing, but without a filtration system, this is just pointless. This is the only poor area in the whole zoo, and even it isn’t bad.
Summary
Australia, South America, North America, and the Jungle are all brilliant. The African Veldt is average, and the rest is very good. This zoo has a large collection of birds and reptiles, as well as almost all key mammals. Definatly will always provide a top-notch zoo experience.
