Wright Park Zoo Wright Park Zoo News

2021 News:

On April 13th, it was announced that a (0.1) American black bear named Hyde was transferred to the Mill Mountain Zoo in Virginia.

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On May 12th, the zoo announced that (0.0.17) Muscovy ducks were hatched.

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On May 27th, the zoo announced that a (1.0) American (white) bison named Berry passed away at age 2.

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On September 15th, the zoo announced that their miniature horses have been moved in with their miniature donkeys while their former exhibit gets renovated for new inhabitants.

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On September 29th, the zoo announced they have acquired a (0.1) Pineywoods cow named Peaches and a (0.1) Holstein x Angus hybrid cow named Emma which are on-site in the former miniature horse exhibit.

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On October 26th, the zoo announced they have moved their (0.1) American badger named Buddy into the former porcupine exhibit while the former badger exhibit will be demolished for future renovations.

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On December 13th, the zoo announced that their (1.1) red-tailed hawks named Graham and Ellis have been moved into a new exhibit next to the tigers.

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On December 16th, the zoo announced that they have moved their (0.0.1) turkey vulture named Gibbs into a new exhibit in-between the red-tailed hawks and porcupines.

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*Other news from the facility in 2021 includes several exhibits that were demolished in January (including 3 that were bought second-hand from a closed zoo in Minnesota in the 1990s) as well as (0.0.3) barn owls were released back into the wild in August.
 
2022 News:

On February 5th, it was reported that the zoo received a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Southwest Kansas.

Friends of Wright Park Zoo receives $5,000 foundation grant – Dodge City Daily Globe

On February 10th, the zoo announced they are demolishing more exhibits in preparation for starting the master plan.

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On March 6th, the zoo announced that due to avian influenza, they announced they have closed the aviary and removed the fish and duck feeder machines.

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On July 11th, the zoo announced that a (1.0) La Mancha goat named Sebastian passed away on July 10th.

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Wright Park Zoo is closing Sept 18th, possibly for good. Some animals, like their tiger, will be leaving permanently. For others, they're hoping to find temporary homes. The zoo will be reassessed at the budget planning meeting Sept 23rd. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=383804730608206&set=a.163574205964594
The City Manager responded in the comment section following some negative reaction from the community. Sounds like the plan is to start the zoo over from scratch rather than closing it permanently, but again, nothing has been determined yet.
 
The City Manager responded in the comment section following some negative reaction from the community. Sounds like the plan is to start the zoo over from scratch rather than closing it permanently, but again, nothing has been determined yet.

That seems like an odd thing to do when they're already short on cash, unless they do rehome a lot of species.
 
On April 16th, 2023, the zoo announced they transferred a (1.0) Arctic fox named Yukon to Wildlife Prairie Park in Illinois.

Also on April 16th, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (0.1) Amur hybrid tiger named Shakira to the Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary in Missouri.

Wright Park Zoo - A nice update on Yukon!
Wright Park Zoo - Support Shakira at her new facility for...
Shakira – Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary

On May 4th, it was announced that the zoo transferred (1.1) wolf hybrids named Grandpa and Grandma (formerly named Geronimo and Delilah) to the Reborn Animal Refuge in Colorado.

Wright Park Zoo - Here is Geronimo being adorable at his...
Wolf Hybrids

On August 30th, the zoo announced they transferred the remaining capuchins, ring-tailed lemurs, and red-tailed hawks to the Canton Grand Safari Adventure (formerly East Texas Zoo & Gator Park) in Texas.

Wright Park Zoo - With heavy hearts and moving forward...
 
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