Press Releases

Lena, a 38 year old Bornean orangutan, passed away at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center yesterday. She became ill last Wednesday. With her condition not improving, zoo staff planned to do a full medical workup on Lena on Monday. At about 10:30 and under anesthesia, she was transported to the zoo’s animal hospital. While the zoo’s medical team was taking radiographs, Lena went into cardiac arrest. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

Lena was born at the Buffalo Zoo on April 2, 1982. She came to the Topeka Zoo from the Columbus Zoo in 2005. It was at the Topeka Zoo where she really flourished. She enjoyed interacting with people. If you were ever at the Zoo and had a kiss blown to you by an orangutan, that was Lena.

“Lena had a way of working her way right into your heart,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. Cris Sandberg, one of Lena’s Zoo Keepers, said, “She was special. I will always remember the love she had for the people she knew and her afternoon need for back scratches.”

A necropsy performed on Lena showed that she had an abnormal left kidney. “At the moment, it is not obvious as to the cause of death,” said Staff Veterinarian Shirley Llizo. Dr. Llizo has submitted for blood testing and histopathology to better understand the illness that led to Lena’s demise.

“Social distancing has made it more challenging for staff to grieve for the loss of Lena,” said Wiley. “In these uncertain times, we could not be more proud of our team and the care they offered Lena. She will be missed.”

Kay Reece, a Topeka Zoo Docent shared this, “Lena was a spirit animal. She loved her time outside watching from her barrel as visitors and friends came to see her. Lena remembered her friends and was always interested in what they had to share with her, whether pocket contents or bubbles, pictures or a kiss. Her instinct for learning and love for friends will be something I will never forget. Where a beautiful soul has lived; beautiful memories remain.”

Contact for further information: Molly Hadfield, Director of Media Relations 785-368-0991, mhadfield@topeka.org
Thursday, December 26, 2019

TOPEKA, KS – The Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center will be accepting used live Christmas trees this year beginning as early as December 26. It is as easy as dropping the tree off at the same location as last year, on the south east side of Gage Park, just east of the horseshoe court parking lot inside Gage Park.
 
When entering Gage Park from the 10th St. entrance, take your first right on Munn Memorial Drive heading north west. Look for the orange snow fence and place your tree in the grass, behind the
“trees here sign”. “There is no need to make an appointment,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “We’ll find them and get them to the animals that can use them.”
 
For the safety of the animals, in order for the trees to be able to be used by the zoo animals, the trees need to be free of ornaments, hooks, tinsel, tree stands and not in plastic bags.
“This allows the trees to be used beyond the holiday season,” said Wiley. “Animals that benefit from them include lions, tigers, owls, mountain lions, giraffes, black bears, painted dogs and many others.”
 
Once the animals have had plenty of fun with the varieties of conifers donated, they will be ground up through a chipper and made into mulch for continued reuse. The zoo will accept the trees through Jan. 8th 2020.
 
Have a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year from the Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center.

Phase 1 –Open Air Park

Phase 1 of the Topeka Zoo’s reopening plan will allow for high level restrictions to accommodate social distancing and prevent Covid-19 transmission. Phase 1 will be initiated after Stay at Home Order expires and social distancing is still required when the maximum gathering limit is set at ten or less.

 

Applicable Dates – Through the end of Shawnee County’s Phase 1 for Reopening

• May 14 – 17, 2020 – Soft limited opening for Friends of the Zoo Members. Single use or daily tickets will not be sold.
• May 18 till the end of Shawnee County’s Phase 1 – Single use daily admission tickets will be sold at regular admission price.

Phase 1 Zoo Guidelines:

• Total number of guests in the Zoo will be limited to no more than 500. At an occupancy level of 500, family groups within the Zoo will have enough space to social distance at 17 – 20 feet apart.
• Employees working at the Zoo will be required to wear masks when the Zoo is open when there is a chance that they may come within six feet of contact with a Zoo guest.
• Guests visiting the Zoo will be highly encouraged to wear masks or other partial facial coverings.
• Employees working in point of sale public areas will be working behind plastic or glass shields and will be required to wipe down or spray with disinfectant their work stations hourly.
• When the Zoo is open, there will be an Environmental Services crew on site continuously working their way through the Zoo wiping down or disinfecting high touch areas and other hard surfaces.
• Brochures and maps will not be available during Phase 1.
• Membership purchases or renewals will be encouraged to be completed online.
• Single day ticket purchases will be encouraged to be made online prior to arrival.
• When making financial transactions, guests will be encouraged to make that transaction with a debit or credit card.
• Guest flow through the Zoo will be in one direction and will utilize a figure eight configuration.
• All buildings will be closed to guests with two exceptions:
  • One bathroom near the Zoo’s café will be kept open. This bathroom will be sanitized and disinfected every other hour.
  • Camp Cowabunga Building will be utilized only to allow guests to pass through a stanchioned area to exit to the connecting path.
• The sidewalk leading to the Zoo’s entry will be marked with symbols to help guests social distance while waiting in line to enter. A similar spacing system will be utilized in front of exhibit viewing areas.
• During phase 1, guests will not have access to feeding machines or animal encounters.
• Animal interaction exhibits will not be open during Phase 1. This includes the Lorikeet Feeding Aviary, Farm Yard and Saving Sharks touch pool.
• Playgrounds and drinking fountains will be closed.
• Café food and beverage and Kona Ice may be available for purchase.
• While a limited number of trashcans will be available, guests will be encouraged to take their trash with them.
• Throughout the facility signage will remind guests to maintain social distance.

 

Phase 2 –Open Air Park with Limited Access to Buildings

Phase 2 of the Topeka Zoo’s reopening plan will allow for moderate level restrictions to accommodate social distancing and prevent Covid-19 transmission.  Phase 2 may be initiated when social distancing is still required but the maximum gathering limit is increased to 50.

 

Applicable Dates – The Topeka Zoo will transition to Phase 2 of its reopening plan at the same time Shawnee County initiates Phase 2 of its reopening plan.

 

Phase 2 Zoo Guidelines:

• Total number of guests in the Zoo will be limited to no more than 900. At an occupancy level of 900, family groups within the Zoo will have enough space to social distance at 8 – 10 feet apart.
• Employees working at the Zoo will be required to wear masks when the Zoo is open when there is a chance that they may come within six feet of contact with a Zoo guest.
• Guests visiting the Zoo will be highly encouraged to wear masks or other partial facial coverings.
• Employees working in point of sale public areas will be working behind plastic or glass shields and will be required to wipe down or spray with disinfectant their work stations hourly.
• When the Zoo is open, there will be an Environmental Services crew on site continuously working their way through the Zoo wiping down or spraying with disinfectant high touch areas and other hard surfaces.
• Brochures and maps will not be available during Phase 2.
• Guests that plan to purchase single day use tickets will be encouraged to do so online.
• Membership purchases or renewals will be encouraged to be completed online.
• In the event a financial transaction needs to occur at the Zoo, guests will be encouraged to make that transaction with a debit or credit card.
• Guest flow through the Zoo will be in one direction and will utilize a figure eight configuration.
• The following three buildings will be open during Phase 2:
  • One bathroom near the Zoo’s café will be kept open. This bathroom will be sanitized and disinfected every other hour.
  • Camp Cowabunga Building will be open.
  • The Animals and Man Building will be open.
• The sidewalk leading to the Zoo’s entry will be marked with symbols to help guests social distance while waiting in line to enter. A similar spacing system will be utilized in front of exhibit viewing areas.
• Guests will have access to feed machines.
• Animal interaction exhibits will not be open during Phase 2. This includes the Lorikeet Feeding Aviary, Farm Yard and Saving Sharks touch pool.  However, on a low traffic day Saving Sharks or the Lorikeet Feeding Aviary may be opened for short periods of time.
• Playgrounds and drinking fountains will be open.
• Café food and beverage and Kona Ice may be available for purchase.
• While a limited number of trashcans will be available, guests will be encouraged to take their trash with them.
• Throughout the facility signage will remind guests to maintain social distance.

The seven zoos in Kansas accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums are working together to evaluate the ornate box turtle population across the state in eight counties. The ornate box turtle is the state reptile of Kansas.

Turtles are the most threatened group of vertebrates worldwide. Nearly 42% of turtle and tortoise species are threatened with extinction (Turtle Conservation Coalition, 2018). There are anecdotal reports of a significant decline in ornate box turtle numbers across the state of Kansas.

To guide conservation management decisions, new baseline population data is needed as the last study reporting population numbers concluded in 1956 and was not considered a viable study as it was only conducted in one county.

The project will be closely supervised by trained staff from the seven accredited zoos and will include a citizen science component designed to engage members of the public in hands-on, meaningful conservation science while increasing awareness and understanding of ornate box turtles. “Engaging citizens in species stewardship and conservation is a proven method of affecting behavior change and positively impacting wildlife,” said Topeka Zoo’s Director of Conservation and Education Dennis Dinwiddie.

Each zoo participating in the project will set up two census plots – one with known ornate box turtle observations (current or historical) and one where the presence of ornate box turtles is unknown. By surveying areas with historical records of ornate box turtles, it will confirm if those populations persist and assess their viability. Choosing a second census plot where the presence of ornate box turtles is unknown will safeguard against biased survey results that would occur if only sites known to contain turtles were surveyed. Censuses will be conducted at scheduled times between early March to early November over the next three years.

This three year project will serve as the first viable ornate box turtle population study ever conducted in Kansas. Data collected will be shared with the Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism and will be used to help guide future conservation management decisions regarding ornate box turtles at both the state and national level.

For additional information about the Ornate Box Turtle Project, contact Dennis Dinwiddie at ddinwiddie@topeka.org or 785-383-6784.

The Topeka Zoo is saddened to report that the staff has made the difficult decision to euthanize Sunda the elephant due to her deteriorating health and quality of life.

On Monday, Sunda was down and unable to get up in her enclosure and had to be lifted up with the help of the Topeka Fire Department. This morning, for the second time, Sunda was down and unable to get up. Sunda has been experiencing health issues and recently underwent a medical procedure to evaluate a sore behind her ear that has been reluctant to heal. She had also been experiencing kidney issues and a mass in her reproductive system. Biopsies and cultures are still pending from that procedure.

“It is hard to lose any animal, especially one who has been at the zoo for as long as Sunda has,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “Sunda was a wonderful elephant who has had the longest tenure of any animal at this zoo and has brought happiness to so many people who have come to see her. We will all truly miss her.”

Sunda was 58 years old and has called the Topeka Zoo home for 52 years. The median life expectancy for elephants is approximately 46.9 years.edian life expectancy for elephants is approximately 46.9 years.

In coordination with the Shawnee County Reopening Plan, beginning Monday, June 8, the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center will begin reopening some of its buildings. The first buildings to be reopened will include Camp Cowabunga, the Lianas Forest and the Animals and Man building. By the end of next week, the Zoo also plans to reopen the Saving Sharks and Lorikeet Aviary experiences.  During phase three of the reopening plan, building and experience opportunities will be limited to less than 45 people at a time and the zoo will maintain a maximum occupancy of 900 people at any given time.

Monday will also be the debut of the Zoo’s newest resident, a baby black and white ruffed lemur that was born in the early morning hours on Friday May 28 to parents Cleo and Sorabe. This birth marks the first successful breeding of black and white ruffed lemurs at the Topeka Zoo. Black and white ruffed lemurs are an endangered species endemic to the Island of Madagascar. The lemur infant can be viewed daily during normal operating hours at the Zoo’s Animals and Man building beginning June 8 when she is out of the nest box.

Two giraffes at the Topeka zoo are pregnant. Eight-year-old Hope and seven-year-old Abi are both expecting their first calve late spring or early summer.

Many people will remember Hope and the story that surrounded her when she was born. In July 2010, Hope came into this world with a medical complication. Both of her rear legs presented with hyper extended fetlocks. Through a major effort and with the world watching, she beat the odds and overcame the condition. During her treatment, she was the subject matter of local news broadcasts, major networks, and TV specials. Even the today show came to Topeka to share her story.

With life in front of her, Hope represented the future of the giraffe program at the Topeka Zoo. In 2013, Sgt. Peppers, a male reticulated giraffe born at the Oklahoma City Zoo was transferred to the Topeka zoo to be paired with hope. Two years later, Abi, a giraffe from the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo was also transferred to Topeka and together the three giraffe formed the breeding heard that the Topeka Zoo has today. In 2016, the recommendation was made to breed Sgt. Peppers with both Hope and Abi.

Earlier this year, a hormone study showed that both Hope and Abby are pregnant. Gestation in reticulated giraffe is approximately 15 months. The Topeka Zoo is expecting the giraffe calve to be born sometime between May and June.
Both Abby and hope are being closely monitored. A medical team is evaluating their progress and planning for any possible complications.

Over the next month, plans will be announced that will allow the community to watch their progress through WebCams and a rules for a naming contest will be revealed to name one of the calves. The zoo will post regular updates through its social media on the progress of both expecting moms.

Hope – born at the Topeka Zoo on July 11, 2010

Abi (Abiquiu) – born at the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo on April 20, 2013

Sgt Peppers “Sarge” – born at the Oklahoma City Zoo on Jan 17, 2012

The Topeka Zoo wants your old worn out and broken Holiday Lights. Tired of trying to figure out which one of those little bulbs is causing that strand of lights to stay dark? Join the Topeka Zoo’s Holiday Lights Recycling Drive!
The holiday lights recycling drive is designed to prevent thousands of pounds of unused, unwanted, or broken holiday lights from going to a landfill. Through the holiday season when so many holiday lights are found to be broken or unwanted, simply drop them off at the front entrance of the Topeka Zoo. Holiday lights dropped off will be collected and turned in where their parts will be separated, allowing 100% of each light unit to be recycled.
All drop-offs of holiday lights must be deposited in the marked containers at the zoo’s front entrance, and can be accepted at any time of the day seven days a week. Rope lights, garland lights, C7, C9, mini lights, and LED holiday lights are all accepted. Yard light displays can be accepted as long as they contain electric wiring and can be broken down to lay flat for storage and transportation. Please do NOT drop off holiday trees with lights still attached to them. Separate lights from the trees before drop off.
Holiday lights can be turned in for recycling from November 15th, 2018 – January 15th, 2019. Lights cannot be accepted after January 15th.
For questions or more information on the Topeka Zoo’s Holiday Lights Recycling Drive, please contact Dennis Dinwiddie at ddinwiddie@topeka.org, or 785-368-9134.

Veterinary staff at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center made the difficult decision to euthanize a 16 year-old African Lion named Avus Friday morning. “Avus had been experiencing age-related issues for some time.” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “Earlier this week we noticed a significant decline in his well-being. We did a comprehensive exam and tried new medication but did not see an improvement in his condition. Today is a sad day for our extended zoo family. Avus led an impactful life at our zoo, inspiring guests to care more about wildlife and conservation.”
Avus was born at the Henry Vilas Zoo on October 14, 2004. Following a recommendation from the AZA’s Species Survival Plan, Avus came to Topeka in the summer of 2006 to pair with lionesses Zuri and Asante. In 2007 Avus and Asante had one offspring, Adia, who in turn provided the pair with two grandsons that live in other AZA zoos. Avus was able to see his home at the Topeka Zoo transform with the opening of Camp Cowabunga in 2018. Zuri and Asante are also classified as geriatric at the ages of sixteen years as well. In the wild, the lifespan of lions is a range between 12-15 years of age.
Avus was an easy favorite to staff and guests alike. He had the most amazing eyes and a face framing mane. He was very laid back and known for pretending he didn’t hear zookeepers when it was time to go inside so he could get a few more minutes of sleep. Avus enjoyed enrichment like cologne and taco seasoning, and was excited about participating in training sessions.

Veterinary staff at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center made the difficult decision to euthanize a thirty year old Malayan Sun Bear named Cup Cake Monday morning. “We knew this day would come,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “She was already beyond her normal life span when she arrived here two years ago but that doesn’t make it emotionally easier.”
Cup Cake and Ho Ho came to the Topeka Zoo in November of 2017 when their former zoo had to close their previous exhibit for construction reasons. “We talked about it for a long time,” said Wiley. “They were really old but it seemed like the right and fitting thing to do.”
Cup Cake and Ho Ho moved into the exhibit formerly occupied by Tiffany the gorilla. “The keepers in the area had become specialized in working with geriatric animals. We simply thought that if the two bears needed our home and our care to live out their remaining years, we were well equipped to care for them,” said Wiley.
Caring for geriatric animals isn’t unlike caring for geriatric people. “You need a comprehensive view of the animal’s health status,” said staff veterinarian Dr. Shirley Llizo. “In Cup Cake’s case, we dealt with advanced arthritis, severe dental issues and anemia.”
With an established medication regimen paired with a training program, Cup Cake thrived. “One of her favorite things to do was to watch her keepers and train with them,” said Animal Care Supervisor Shanna Simpson.
This past Saturday, Cup Cake was noticed to be limping. By Sunday, a neurological condition had rendered her hind legs useless. Throughout the weekend, additional medications were tried but did not produce noticeable results. Because of the positive relationship between the bear and her keepers, medications were able to be administered by injection and in Strawberry Newtons. Early Monday mornings as the condition progressed with head tremors, the decision was made to humanely euthanize her.

Ho Ho, Cup Cake’s mate (although the two never produced offspring), was allowed to be with her just
before she passed. The two bears were very tightly bonded. Ho Ho’s keepers will be keeping a close eye
on him and giving him a lot of extra love and attention.