The Sedgwick County Zoo is an AZA-accredited wildlife park and major attraction in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1971, with the help of the Sedgwick County Zoological Society, the zoo has quickly become recognized both nationally and internationally for its support of conservation programs and successful breeding of rare and endangered species. Housing over 3,000 animals of nearly 400 species, it is the 13th largest zoo in the United States in both number of species and total animals,[4] and 7th largest in total area.[5] The zoo has slowly increased its visitors and now ranks as the number one outdoor tourist attraction in the state.[6]
African village-themed area at the entrance to Downing Gorilla Forest
Sedgwick County Zoo opened to the public on August 25, 1971 as the result of a public-private partnership between Sedgwick County and the Sedgwick County Zoological Society. The zoo replaced a small, outdated exhibit in Central Riverside Park dating to the turn of the 20th Century.[7] The zoological society formed in 1963 and by 1966 voters approved $3.65 million in bonds to purchase the land that would become Sedgwick County Zoo and Sedgwick County Park. Richard Blakey, director of the Brookfield Zoo, was hired as the zoo's first director.[7]
The zoo originally opened with just two buildings, the American and Asian farms, although other exhibits opened over the next decade. The African Veldt exhibit opened in 1973, the Herpetarium (now Amphibians & Reptiles) opened in 1974, the Jungle (now Tropics) opened in 1977, the Australian Outback and South American Pampas (now Australia/South America) opened in 1980, and the Apes & Man building (now KOCH Orangutan and Chimpanzee Habitat) opened in 1982.[8]
Additional major exhibit openings include the North American Prairie (now North America) in 1993, Pride of the Plains in 2000, Downing Gorilla Forest in 2004, Cessna Penguin Cove in 2007, Slawson Family Tiger Trek in 2009 (expanded to Slawson Family Asian Big Cat Trek in 2021), and Reed Family Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley in 2016.[8] Major non-exhibit updates include the opening of Oliver Animal Hospital in 2000 and the 15,000 square foot Cargill Learning Center in 2006.[9] The zoo currently sits on 247 acres, of which 115 are developed.[8][5]
Exhibits
African village-themed area at the entrance to Downing Gorilla Forest
Downing Gorilla Forest
Opening in 2004, the Downing Gorilla Forest starts out in a recreation of a small Congo village with exhibits for colobus monkeys and white pelicans. Across a bridge is an exhibit for saddle-billed storks, as well as one for black crowned cranes and okapis. The main attraction is a large gorilla exhibit. They can be viewed in their indoor home, outside through large viewing windows or across a moat.[10][11]
Lioness with (imitated) zebra kill
Pride of the Plains
Opened May 29, 2000, A path winds around exhibits of lions, red river hogs, and two exhibits of meerkats. Each exhibit has several views from all sides. The whole area has a kopje theme with giant boulders. At the end is an exhibit for African painted dogs.
Penguin Cove
Opened in 2007, Penguin Cove is the zoo's first marine exhibit, and home to a colony of Humboldt penguins,Inca terns, and grey gulls.[12] The $1.5 million exhibit features a 42,000-US-gallon (159,000L) pool with rocky areas and coves on each side.[13]
African Veldt
This exhibit as of August 2025 features two generic giraffes, eleven African bush elephants, two grévy's zebras, and one black rhinoceros. On March 11, 2016, six African elephants arrived at the zoo from Eswatini's Hlane Royal National Park to survive a drought.[14][15] A new elephant exhibit named The Reed Family Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley opened in May of that year, housing all of the elephants.[16] At over 5 acres in area, it is the third largest elephant exhibit in the United States and includes a 550,000 gallon pool.[17][18] The pool is separated from a boat canal by an underwater barrier, giving visitors the impression of sharing the water with the elephants.[19][20]
A male African elephant, Ajani, from Alabama's Birmingham Zoo, joined the six female elephants for breeding purposes in May 2018.[21] In May 2023, Callee was introduced to the herd from Omaha, Nebraska's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.[22] A few months later, Ajani transferred to the Toledo Zoo to breed with its two female elephants.[23] On March 14, 2025, the zoo's female African Elephant Simunye gave birth to the first elephant calf ever born at the zoo, but unfortunately, the calf was stillborn. The deceased calf was given the name Malaika meaning "angel" in Swahili.[24] On April 10, 2025, another female elephant, Talia, gave birth to the first surviving elephant calf in zoo history. The male calf was named Bomani, meaning "warrior" in Swahili.[25] Xolani, a third elephant, gave birth to a male calf named Kijani on April 14, 2025, and Arusi followed with a female calf named Asali on June 3, and Zuberi rounded out the breeding by giving birth to a female calf named Dakari on August 22, 2025.[26]
The zoo kept a pair of Nile hippopotamuses named Pudgie and Sweetie Pie for over 50 years, starting shortly after the inception of the zoo, until their deaths in May 2023 and August 2025 respectively.[27]
Asian Big Cat Trek
This $3 million Asian themed naturalistic exhibit was opened in 2009 as the Slawson Family Tiger Trek, and housed Amur tigers, Malayan tigers, red pandas, and brow-antlered deer. In 2021, the exhibit was expanded and reopened as the Slawson Family Asian Big Cat Trek, and added amur leopards, snow leopards, and an area where they can be seen above guests' heads.[28]
Tropics
The Tropics building is the second oldest indoor rainforest exhibit in the United States and remains one of the largest.[29][8] The 28,000 square foot building opened in the late 1970s and includes over 300 species of live plants, approximately 50 species of free-flying birds, and multiple additional species of tropical fishes, reptiles, bats, and invertebrates.[30][29] The exhibit underwent a $3 million upgrade in 2015 which replaced the roof, allowing for more natural light and consistent humidity, resulting in healthier plants and natural circadian rhythms for the animals.[29]
When the zoo first opened to the public in 1971, the American Farm and Asian Farm were the only completed exhibits. These were later joined by the African Farm in 1982,[9] and together they are referred to as the Children's Farms. This section of the zoo features more than 40 breeds of domestic animals from all over the world, including many breeds of sheep and goats that visitors are able to feed and pet.[8][36]
Rides
Martha C. Buford Safari Express
The Martha C. Buford Safari Express is a C.P. Huntington electric train manufactured by Chance Rides that opened in 2022. Two locomotives, each with four cars and capable of carrying up to 50 visitors, travel on a 1.3 mile track around the zoo.[37][38] The train stops at two stations: one near the zoo entrance and one near the Downing Gorilla Forest. Much of the path travels behind the scenes of the zoo, including past the pasture for the Children's Farm animals and behind the elephant exhibit.[37][38]
Boat Ride
Visitors are able to board a boat ride in the zoo's Africa section that passes an island inhabited by Eastern white pelicans, the Downing Gorilla Forest, and much of the North America exhibit before returning to Africa at the Reed Family Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley.[39] An underwater barrier separates the boat ride from the 80-yard long, 550,000 gallon pool in the elephant exhibit, allowing riders to share the water with the elephants.[8]
A new entrance for the zoo opened on May 27, 2021 [40] which, along with the completion of the Slawson Family Asian Big Cat Trek and an electric train route around the zoo, completed Phase 1 of the 25-year master plan.[41][38] On April 16, 2022, the zoo opened a Shark and Stingray touch-tank exhibit.[42] As of October 2024, the zoo is fundraising to expand the indoor elephant habitat to meet the needs of the growing herd.[43] Future phases of the master plan call for an expansion of the Amphibians & Reptiles complex to include an aquarium featuring a 55,000 shark tank. Plans are also in place for an onsite, 200-300 room "African lodge" style hotel overlooking a mixed-species African savanna exhibit. The lodge and an indoor water park would be built on 40 acres of currently undeveloped land at the back of the zoo.[41][44]
Incidents
In June 2005, two flamingos escaped from the zoo during a stormy night. Since then, one of the flamingos, identified as No. 492, has been spotted in Wisconsin, Louisiana, and Texas.[45]
On May 6, 2011, a first-grade student on a class field trip climbed over a four-foot fence then crossed the eight-foot gap of the Amur leopard exhibit. The boy was attacked. He suffered lacerations and puncture wounds to his head and neck before a bystander kicked the leopard in the head. The injuries were not considered life-threatening, and the zoo did not euthanize the endangered animal.[46]
↑ Stokes, Keith. "Sedgwick County Zoo". kansastravel.org. Kansas Travel and Tourism. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
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