Topeka Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Topeka Zoo is a medium-sized zoo
in Topeka, Kansas
in the United States
. It is located within Gage Park
, just off I-70
in the north central portion of the city. Despite its size, it has a number of exhibits, including one of the first indoor tropical rain forests in the United States. It is one of the most popular attractions in Topeka, with over 150,000 visitors a year.
The Topeka zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA).
The zoo was opened in the park in 1933. Additional exhibits were constructed over the years, and in 1963 the city hired its first zoo director, Gary K. Clarke. The first major facility at the zoo was constructed in 1966 to house large mammals. Clarke went on to get many of the current exhibits constructed, including Gorilla Encounter (1985), the Koala Exhibit (1986), Lion’s Pride (1989), the Tropical Rainforest, and Discovering Apes.
The zoo lost its accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
in 2001, due to mismanagement, poor conditions for some of the animals being exhibited, and the deaths of several animals. In 2003, after a major overhaul of the zoo and the addition of several new exhibits, the Topeka Zoo regained its accreditation.
Kansas Carnivores, opened in 2009, features mountain lions and North American river otters in side-by-side exhibits.
Black Bear Woods
Black Bear Woods was built in 1997, and features animals from North America. Two small cages house North American porcupine
and red-tailed hawk
. bald eagle and golden eagle live in tall flight cages. A pronghorn
lives in a spacious exhibit, and an arctic fox
inhabits a densely planted exhibit. Four black bears
live in a spacious enclosure with trees to climb. They can be viewed from an elevated walkway, or a ground level window.
Waterbird Lagoon
Waterbird Lagoon features three ponds. Waterfowl such as Black-necked Swan
s, Nenes
, and Trumpeter Swan
s live in these ponds.
Jungle Cats
The Jungle Cats exhibit features rare Sumatran Tiger
s and an African Black Leopard in thickly planted, side-by-side exhibits. The tigers have a pool to swim in.
Tropical Rainforest
The Tropical Rainforest was the first indoor rainforest exhibit in the United States. Birds, such as Scarlet Macaw
, Bali Mynah, African Grey Parrot
, Roseate Spoonbill
, Scarlet Ibis
, White-crested Laughingthrush
, and Chilean Flamingo
, are free roaming, a well as Hoffman's two-toed sloth, a small, deer-like species called Greater Mouse-deer
, and Ryukyu Flying Fox. Small exhibits house Asian Small-clawed Otter, Fishing Cat
, Three-banded Armadillo, Southern Tamandua
, and tortoises
.
Animals and Man
The Animals and Man building features exhibits for small animals, such as solomon island ground boa, Beaded Lizard
s, Prehensile-tailed Skink, Sugar Glider
, Prehensile-tailed Porcupine
, and African Crested Porcupine
. This building also serves as the indoor house for the zoos Hippopotamus
, African and Asian Elephants, and giraffe
. They all have large outdoor yards, and the giraffes share theirs with African Crowned Crane
.
Lion's Pride
This exhibit has three lion in a spacious exhibit. Across from the lions is a yard with Grevy's Zebra
.
Discovering Apes
In the Discovering Apes building, orangutan
s live behind glass in an enclosure. They also have a spacious outdoor yard. Another room houses poison dart frog
including the Blue Poison dart frog
, Bumblebee poison dart frogs, and Splash Back poison dart frogs
, Knights anole
and tropical fish. A tunnel leads visitors through the outdoor gorilla
enclosure.
Children's Zoo
The Children's Zoo was added in 1992, and has domestic animals, such as sheep and goats to feed, as well as waterfowl. There is a playground across from the Children's Zoo.
in the zoo escaped its cage after a vandal apparently pried the animal's cage open. The bobcat was found several hours later in some bushes not far from its cage, and was tranquilized and returned to its cage without further incident. However, federal regulators cited the zoo for allowing a group of schoolchildren to enter the zoo while the bobcat was still missing.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located within Gage Park
Gage Park, Topeka
Gage Park in Topeka, Kansas is a city park of . It was established in 1899 and is one of the largest parks in Topeka. It features the Topeka Zoo, a miniature train of gauge, an outdoor theatre and the Reinisch Rose Garden...
, just off I-70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
in the north central portion of the city. Despite its size, it has a number of exhibits, including one of the first indoor tropical rain forests in the United States. It is one of the most popular attractions in Topeka, with over 150,000 visitors a year.
The Topeka zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded in 1924 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.The AZA headquarters is located in Silver...
(AZA).
History
The Gage Family donated 80 acres (32.4 ha) to the city of Topeka in 1899 to use for a public park. Over the years, the park has accumulated playgrounds, a swimming pool, a fishing lake, a mini train, a rose garden, and a carousel.The zoo was opened in the park in 1933. Additional exhibits were constructed over the years, and in 1963 the city hired its first zoo director, Gary K. Clarke. The first major facility at the zoo was constructed in 1966 to house large mammals. Clarke went on to get many of the current exhibits constructed, including Gorilla Encounter (1985), the Koala Exhibit (1986), Lion’s Pride (1989), the Tropical Rainforest, and Discovering Apes.
The zoo lost its accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded in 1924 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.The AZA headquarters is located in Silver...
in 2001, due to mismanagement, poor conditions for some of the animals being exhibited, and the deaths of several animals. In 2003, after a major overhaul of the zoo and the addition of several new exhibits, the Topeka Zoo regained its accreditation.
Exhibits
Kansas CarnivoresKansas Carnivores, opened in 2009, features mountain lions and North American river otters in side-by-side exhibits.
Black Bear Woods
Black Bear Woods was built in 1997, and features animals from North America. Two small cages house North American porcupine
North American Porcupine
The North American Porcupine , also known as Canadian Porcupine or Common Porcupine, is a large rodent in the New World porcupine family. The Beaver is the only rodent larger than the North American Porcupine found in North America...
and red-tailed hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West...
. bald eagle and golden eagle live in tall flight cages. A pronghorn
Pronghorn
The pronghorn is a species of artiodactyl mammal endemic to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn antelope, or simply antelope, as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and...
lives in a spacious exhibit, and an arctic fox
Arctic fox
The arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...
inhabits a densely planted exhibit. Four black bears
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
live in a spacious enclosure with trees to climb. They can be viewed from an elevated walkway, or a ground level window.
Waterbird Lagoon
Waterbird Lagoon features three ponds. Waterfowl such as Black-necked Swan
Black-necked Swan
The Black-necked Swan is the largest waterfowl native to South America. Males are and weigh 4.5-6.7 kg ; females are and weigh 3.5-4.4 kg . The wingspan ranges from . The body plumage is white with a black neck, head and greyish bill. It has a red knob near the base of the bill and...
s, Nenes
Hawaiian Goose
The Nene, also known as Nēnē and Hawaiian Goose, is a species of goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The official bird of the state of Hawaii, the Nene is exclusively found in the wild on the islands of Maui, Kauai and Hawaii...
, and Trumpeter Swan
Trumpeter Swan
The Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator, is the largest native North American bird, if measured in terms of weight and length, and is the largest living waterfowl species on earth. It is the North American counterpart of the European Whooper Swan.-Description:Males typically measure from and weigh...
s live in these ponds.
Jungle Cats
The Jungle Cats exhibit features rare Sumatran Tiger
Sumatran Tiger
The Sumatran tiger is a tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra and has been classified as critically endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population is projected at 176 to 271 mature individuals, with no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 50...
s and an African Black Leopard in thickly planted, side-by-side exhibits. The tigers have a pool to swim in.
Tropical Rainforest
The Tropical Rainforest was the first indoor rainforest exhibit in the United States. Birds, such as Scarlet Macaw
Scarlet Macaw
The Scarlet Macaw is a large, colorful macaw. It is native to humid evergreen forests in the American tropics. Range extends from extreme south-eastern Mexico to Amazonian Peru, Bolivia and Brazil in lowlands up to up to...
, Bali Mynah, African Grey Parrot
African Grey Parrot
The African Grey Parrot , also known as the Grey Parrot, is a medium-sized parrot found in the primary and secondary rainforest of West and Central Africa. Experts regard it as one of the most intelligent birds. They feed primarily on palm nuts, seeds, fruits, leafy matter, but have been observed...
, Roseate Spoonbill
Roseate Spoonbill
The Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja, is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae...
, Scarlet Ibis
Scarlet Ibis
The Scarlet Ibis is a species of ibis that inhabits tropical South America and also Trinidad and Tobago. It is the national bird of Trinidad and is featured on the Trinidad and Tobago coat of arms along with Tobago's national bird, the Rufous-vented Chachalaca.-Taxonomy:This species is very...
, White-crested Laughingthrush
White-crested Laughingthrush
The White-crested Laughingthrush, Garrulax leucolophus is an Old World babbler. It is found in forest and scrub from the Himalayan foothills to Indochina...
, and Chilean Flamingo
Chilean Flamingo
The Chilean Flamingo is a large species closely related to Caribbean Flamingo and Greater Flamingo, with which it was sometimes considered conspecific...
, are free roaming, a well as Hoffman's two-toed sloth, a small, deer-like species called Greater Mouse-deer
Greater Mouse-deer
The Greater mouse-deer, Greater Malay chevrotain or napu is a species of even-toed ungulate in the Tragulidae family. It is found in Sumatra, Borneo and smaller Malaysian and Indonesian islands, and in southern Myanmar, southern Thailand and peninsular Malaysia...
, and Ryukyu Flying Fox. Small exhibits house Asian Small-clawed Otter, Fishing Cat
Fishing Cat
The Fishing Cat is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. In 2008, the IUCN classified the fishing cat as endangered since they are concentrated primarily in wetland habitats, which are increasingly being settled, degraded and converted...
, Three-banded Armadillo, Southern Tamandua
Southern Tamandua
The southern tamandua, also called a collared anteater, or lesser anteater , is a species of anteater from South America. It is a solitary animal, found in many habitats from mature to highly disturbed secondary forests and arid savannas. It feeds on ants, termites and bees...
, and tortoises
Red-footed tortoise
The red-footed tortoise is a tortoise native to South America. It has also been introduced to many islands in the Caribbean. It draws its name from the red or orange scales visible on its limbs, as well as its head and tail...
.
Animals and Man
The Animals and Man building features exhibits for small animals, such as solomon island ground boa, Beaded Lizard
Beaded lizard
The Beaded lizard is a species of venomous lizard found principally in Mexico and southern Guatemala. Along with its congener, the Gila monster , it is the only lizard to have evolved an overt venom delivery system, and has long been considered the only venomous lizard...
s, Prehensile-tailed Skink, Sugar Glider
Sugar Glider
The sugar glider is a small gliding possum originating from the marsupial family.The sugar glider is native to eastern and northern mainland Australia and is also native to New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago.- Habitat :Sugar gliders can be found all throughout the northern and eastern parts of...
, Prehensile-tailed Porcupine
Prehensile-tailed porcupine
The prehensile-tailed porcupines or Coendous are a group of arboreal porcupine found in Central and South America. They are closely related to the other Neotropical tree porcupines and these three are sometimes treated as subgenera of Coendou instead of distinct genera.-Characteristics:Among the...
, and African Crested Porcupine
Crested Porcupine
The crested porcupine is a species of rodent in the Hystricidae family.It is extant in mainland Italy, Sicily, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.-Physical Attributes:...
. This building also serves as the indoor house for the zoos Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, African and Asian Elephants, and giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
. They all have large outdoor yards, and the giraffes share theirs with African Crowned Crane
Crowned Crane
Crowned Crane may refer to:*Black Crowned Crane *Grey Crowned Crane *Red-crowned Crane or Japanese Crane...
.
Lion's Pride
This exhibit has three lion in a spacious exhibit. Across from the lions is a yard with Grevy's Zebra
Grevy's Zebra
The Grévy's zebra , also known as the Imperial zebra, is the largest extant wild equid and one of three species of zebra, the other two being the plains zebra and the mountain zebra. Named after Jules Grévy, it is the sole extant member of the subgenus Dolichohippus. The Grévy's zebra is found in...
.
Discovering Apes
In the Discovering Apes building, orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
s live behind glass in an enclosure. They also have a spacious outdoor yard. Another room houses poison dart frog
Poison dart frog
Poison dart frog is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to Central and South America. These species are diurnal and often have brightly-colored bodies...
including the Blue Poison dart frog
Dendrobates azureus
Dendrobates azureus is a type of poison dart frog found in the forests surrounded by the Sipaliwini savannah, which is located in southern Suriname and northern to central Brazil. Dendrobates azureus is widely known as the Blue Poison Dart Frog or by its Tirio Indian name, Okopipi...
, Bumblebee poison dart frogs, and Splash Back poison dart frogs
Dendrobates galactonotus
The splash-backed poison frog is a species of poison dart frog. It is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and intermittent freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Rodrigues, M.T. & Azevedo-Ramos, C. 2004....
, Knights anole
Knight Anole
The knight anole is a species of lizard in the Polychrotidae family, and the largest species of anole. Other common names include Cuban knight anole.-Geographic range:...
and tropical fish. A tunnel leads visitors through the outdoor gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
enclosure.
Children's Zoo
The Children's Zoo was added in 1992, and has domestic animals, such as sheep and goats to feed, as well as waterfowl. There is a playground across from the Children's Zoo.
Incidents
On May 6, 2010, a bobcatBobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
in the zoo escaped its cage after a vandal apparently pried the animal's cage open. The bobcat was found several hours later in some bushes not far from its cage, and was tranquilized and returned to its cage without further incident. However, federal regulators cited the zoo for allowing a group of schoolchildren to enter the zoo while the bobcat was still missing.