DAY 37: Tuesday, August 7th, 2012
Road Trip Review # 41: Topeka Zoo
Topeka Zoo’s website:
The Topeka Zoo | Friends of the Topeka Zoo
Zoo Map:
Topeka Zoo
Topeka Zoo is an AZA-accredited facility located in Topeka, Kansas, and it originally opened in 1933 although somewhat surprisingly did not hire its first official director until 1963 (Gary K. Clarke – at 24 years of age!). Much later, in 2001, the zoo actually lost its accreditation but after a massive overhaul regained it in 2003. Much the same thing is occurring at the moment, as the zoo is hanging on to its accreditation as USDA and AZA inspectors have been visiting the establishment periodically during the last couple of years. The annual attendance is only around 150,000 and there are about 400 animals at the zoo.
Topeka Zoo has been plagued by so many problems in the past decade that to list them all here would fill a page of this review. From construction projects going over budget, creatures escaping, numerous animal deaths, mismanagement issues, outdated facilities, struggling to maintain its accreditation, declining attendance and even a hippo that had a seizure from being boiled in its outdoor pool. The temporary Penguin Plunge exhibit (which is awful) seems like a stopgap until the zoo sorts out what to do with its two species of elephant and how to stem the nonstop tide of negativity in the press. I’m not sure that any other American zoo has fallen from grace like Topeka, as it used to be known as “World Famous” and now it receives 50% of its former attendance and is overshadowed by probably 75 better zoos in the nation.
We spent 2 hours at the zoo and then drove for about an hour and spent a further 1.5 hours at Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas. This review can be considered Part I of our August 7th Kansas experience. One true highlight of Topeka Zoo is that I finally got my hands on Gary K. Clarke’s autobiography “Hey Mister – Your Alligator’s Loose!” and the 500-page hardcover book is $40 in Canada, was selling for $30 in the gift shop and was on special so I paid only $20 for the hardcover version. Smiling with my latest zoo purchase I saunter out of the gift shop and a few minutes later who do I see walk into the zoo on his cane? Gary K. Clarke! The guy who was director during Topeka Zoo’s famous years, and who ran the zoo for 26 years, was standing there with a Fort Worth Zoo t-shirt on. He was swarmed by keepers and the current director Brendan Wiley and even though my wife kept pressing me to get his autograph I chickened out as I did not want to disturb him as it would have meant interrupting a crowd of about 8-9 people.
THE BEST:
Black Bear Woods – This forested area opened in 1997 and the highlight is a grassy, natural-looking mini-forest with 4 roaming black bears. There is a wooden walkway that overlooks the habitat as well as large viewing windows at ground level. Two extremely tall aviaries for bald eagle and golden eagles are far superior to the majority of raptor exhibits at other zoos; a coyote (an ambassador animal) inhabits an enclosure that used to house an Arctic fox; a pronghorn antelope has a spacious, grassy yard; and there are two very small cages that hold a red-tailed hawk and a Virginia opossum. Other than the latter two metal cages this entire area is very well done and possibly the highlight of the zoo. One downside is that a major road goes past the black bear forest and that sort of kills any immersive feeling. Can you imagine a freeway roaring past the back of Congo Gorilla Forest in the Bronx?
African Exhibits – A large lion enclosure that opened in 1989 is still very impressive, although most of it is essentially a giant metal, open-topped cage. There is a very nice Kopje formation that creates a cave for visitors to enter to see the viewing windows and there are 3 lions currently in this grassy yard. African wild dogs have a similar habitat across the pathway that is well-shaded just as the lion exhibit is, and a couple of Addra gazelle have a nice yard with cars cruising by in the background.
The Living Classroom – This is a learning center that has one large room open to the public and there are many hands-on, interactive features available to children. Skeletons and taxidermy specimens line the walls; there are pull-out drawers with all sorts of nature items, and many terrariums where ambassador animals live out their days when they are not involved in presentations. Species list (30 species): African pygmy hedgehog, three-banded armadillo, eastern screech owl, American alligator (juvenile), red-footed tortoise, Indian star tortoise, African spurred tortoise, western hingeback tortoise, hognose snake, corn snake, common garter snake, California kingsnake, speckled kingsnake, milksnake, African ball python, children’s python, Kenyan sand boa, red-tailed boa, bearded dragon, blue-tongued skink, crested gecko, Gray’s treefrog, tiger salamander, rose-haired tarantula, Texas brown tarantula, curly haired tarantula, white-striped bird-eating spider, Arizona desert scorpion, ferocious water bug and Arizona desert centipede.
THE AVERAGE:
Tropical Rain Forest – This building opened in 1974 and it was the first domed rain forest structure in North America, beating out Sedgwick County’s Jungle building by three years. It is therefore a historic structure but in reality it is very tiny and most families that entered were gone within 10 minutes. Outside is a diabolically tiny fishing cat metal cage that is a total disgrace, and indoors is a crashing waterfall, newly modernized skylights on the dome, a handful of free-ranging birds (including scarlet ibis, spoonbill, African grey parrot and two Chilean flamingos that came within touching distance of us on the pathway) and these other species: dwarf caiman, large Malayan chevrotain, southern three-banded armadillo and red-footed tortoise. There are probably 20 rainforest buildings that are larger and more impressive but this will always be the first and one positive thing about it is that it has that damp, grown-in feel of a true rainforest and thus I’m glad that the zoo has maintained the structure. Incidentally the zoo recently reopened this building (in May) due to a 6-month overhaul that had many facets to it but all 235 glass triangular pieces were replaced to create a brighter effect beneath the dome.
Bornean Orangutan Exhibit – This was completed in 2003 and is more than adequate for the apes but also fairly basic. A net covering goes over a couple of wooden towers (complete with ladders) that is modeled on Camp Leakey in southern Borneo. There is no naturalism involved with the mown lawn and wooden climbing frames but it is no worse than dozens of other great ape enclosures. The indoor area for orangs was built in 1981 and it is a bit on the dodgy side with its extremely fake tree branches and green painted walls.
Animal and Man Building – This building opened in 1966 and it is a hodgepodge in terms of quality as there are great, average and terrible enclosures and anyone who has visited the zoo will know right away where the 3 main exhibits will be placed in this review. The reticulated giraffe/East African crowned crane yard is excellent, with at least a dozen mature trees, lots of shade, tortoises in a narrow yard in the foreground and this exhibit looks even better from the side as the size of it is deceiving. The Nile hippos have a standard pool that lacks underwater viewing (and yet it opened in 2004), and the elephant exhibit is a disaster. There are 3 indoor areas with no outside access for these 3 species: African crested porcupine, Rio Fuerte beaded lizard and black-and-white ruffed lemur.
The indoor area for the elephants is a joke in terms of size and structure (all cement floors with nothing but bars and walls), and there is one African and one Asian elephant and that is obviously a major negative these days. There have been numerous protests about this zoo over the last few years and I have no idea why Topeka is holding out and determined to keep its pachyderms. The zoo will not be AZA-accredited by 2016 unless they can find 3 female elephants to stick into an outdated paddock, but the indoor area is nothing but pure cement and I'm not sure that they even have room for more than two elephants. The sensible solution is to shift the elephants to accredited zoos with multi-acre paddocks.
Jungle Cats – Two exhibits side-by-side feature all-glass viewing areas and the black African leopard is a real rarity these days. That habitat is the lushly planted one while the Sumatran tigers have a basic enclosure that is another average effort for that species of cat and this area opened in 2005.
Kansas Carnivores – This area consists of two enclosures that opened in 2009. An average-sized river otter exhibit with all-glass viewing is adjacent to a large mountain lion cage that is not aesthetically appealing but has viewing windows into the fairly large habitat. There could definitely be more climbing opportunities for the two cats but overall it is one of the larger cougar enclosures I’ve seen.
THE WORST:
Metal Cages – There are a handful of traditional cages that are perhaps 15 ft. wide by 15 ft. in length that hold these species: bobcat, Pallas’ cat, African crested porcupine, Virginia opossum and red-tailed hawk. Why keep these eyesores?
Gorilla Exhibit – This enclosure created quite a stir back in 1985 when it opened because visitors walk through a glass tunnel directly down the middle of the gorilla outdoor yard. I saw a sign for a 44 year-old female ape named Tiffany but looking around it appears that she is the only one in what I’ve been told is the smallest outdoor gorilla exhibit in all of North America. The plain, fairly barren grassy yards on either side of the tunnel are outrageously outdated and with a few renovations I can imagine mandrills in the exhibit. This innovative enclosure is well past its due date and the sooner the gorilla(s) are gone the better.
Children’s Zoo – A red barn towers over a petting corral that represents one of the smallest children’s sections I’ve seen in a long time. A playground and some waterfowl ponds are nearby in a part of the zoo that is very scenic (as is most of the landscape) but underwhelming.
Penguin Plunge – This is only a temporary exhibit as the rent-a-penguin fad has also arrived in Topeka but the lead-up to the birds is amateurish with many signs and graphics poorly done, and then the 6 African black-footed penguins have a tiny exhibit that is incredibly small. Poor bastards!
THE FUTURE:
There have been many proposed ideas (Creatures of Darkness nocturnal house, African Aviary, hyenas, etc.) but the big issue is what to do with a single African and a single Asian elephant? Does Topeka dig in its heels and keep the animals, thus losing AZA accreditation and free-falling even further? Or does the zoo come to a sensible solution, replace the elephants with white rhinos, and attempt to eke forward towards modernization?
OVERALL:
Topeka Zoo is unfortunately a zoo in decline as its glory days are long since gone, and what was once innovative and modern (Gorilla Tunnel, Tropical Rainforest) is now dated and has been surpassed by many institutions. The good news is that there is nowhere to go but up, and with Black Bear Woods and a handful of other decent exhibits there is a base to build on. I realize that it is a massive decision but I would urge the zoo to send away its elephants and gorillas and stop clinging to the past and embrace the future. The handful of metal cages should be destroyed as they are eyesores amongst the pretty landscaping, and no one will miss a few small mammals and birds. The Animal and Man building is almost 50 years old and seeing the new, much more spacious barns being constructed in the past decade simply makes this one appear to be even more antiquated than it already is. I hope that Topeka Zoo takes a giant leap forward before it takes too many more steps back.
