Press Releases

Who is going to win the big game on Sunday?  The Topeka Zoo’s orangutans know the answer.  The media is invited to the Topeka Zoo Friday, February 5, 2021 at 10:00 AM to watch the orangutans unveil their answer.  Interested members of the media should arrive at the zoo about 10 minutes before 10:00 and make their way to the Lianas Forest where the zoo’s orangutans live.  The orangutans will reveal the winner promptly at 10:00.

The Topeka Zoo is home to a family group of three Bornean orangutans ranging in age from 7 to 35.  Orangutans are the only great ape native to Asia.  The wild population of orangutans has decreased by 50% over the last sixty years mainly due to habitat loss.  We can help protect orangutans by making sure we utilize products made with sustainable palm oil.

Topeka Collegiate has selected the Topeka Zoo as a recipient of the Collegiate Cares COVID-19 Grant.  These grants are available thanks to the generosity of the Kokari Foundation.

“We’re pleased to support the Topeka Zoo’s online outreach to children and families,” said Dr. Lyn Rantz, Head of School. “Their virtual classes are a great resource – we’re thankful they are sharing the Zoo with all of us online.”

“Our environmental education programming is core to our mission,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley.  “I was amazed by how quickly our education team was able to adapt and begin offering this virtual programming that is aligned with state education standards.  We truly appreciate this partnership made possible by Topeka Collegiate and the Kokari Foundation.”

The $1,500 grant award offsets associated costs with the programming and continues the programming through the end of the school year.  The programs can be viewed live through the Topeka Zoo’s Facebook page Monday through Friday at 10:00 AM.  Programs alternate daily progressing through grades Kindergarten through 5^th Grade.  Previous programs can be viewed on the Topeka Zoo’s Education Resource Website: https://topekazoo.org/explore/zooeducationresources/.

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As the only independent college preparatory school in the region, Topeka Collegiate’s mission is to prepare students for advanced education, successful careers and responsible citizenship through a commitment to academic excellence and humanitarian ideals. To learn more, visit www.topekacollegiate.org.

During an incident with a Sumatran tiger on April 20, 2019, a Zoo Keeper at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center sustained injuries and is currently recovering at a local Topeka hospital. The injured keeper is 40 year-old Kristyn Hayden-Ortega. Kristyn began working with the Topeka Zoo on July 30, 2001.
Kristyn is a passionate and dedicated individual in this field. She has taught and mentored many other zookeepers, educators, interns, and volunteers into becoming ambassadors for animals of all species. Whether training a tiger for a semen collection, a voluntary ultrasound, or working with an African painted dog to allow the use of a stethoscope to listen to his heart, she is very determined which allows her to approach obstacles with a realistic, but also “we’ll try it” outlook. She has a great sense of humor and is a great problem solver.
During Kristyn’s tenure at the zoo:

• She began her employment at the zoo in the zoo’s education department where she helped implement a state wide Safari Edventure Day program. She also made several trips to Paraguay to work with maned wolves and train zoo keepers in South America.
• After transferring to the zoo’s Animal Care Department in 2009, she developed a passion for working with a number of different animals including African painted dogs and Sumatran tigers.
• She is the zoo’s Institutional Representative to and sits on the steering committee of the African Painted Dog Species Survival Plan Steering Committee.
• She recently presented at a conference in Texas on training techniques to enhance reproduction in Sumatran tigers.
• She has traveled to Thailand to work with Asian elephants.
• She was involved with the original release of black-footed ferrets into the Kansas landscape.
• She is the current president of the Topeka Chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers.

Kristyn is a highly valued member of our team. She is full of passion and performs great work. It is still uncertain when she will leave the hospital but a full recovery is expected.
Kristyn’s family would like to thank everyone who has sent prayers and well-wishes. At the same time, Kristyn’s family has experienced a traumatic event and needs time to process that. They have asked for privacy and hope the media and public can respect that.

Over 3,400 elementary and middle school students will be on hand for the inaugural Topeka Pilots Kids Day Game on Thursday, October 3rd at 10:30 am in Landon Arena. Prior to the game, all attendees will be greeted by Topeka Zoo Docents and Educators who will be on the main concourse featuring four different educational displays. “There will be nineteen schools from nine districts in the greater Topeka area that will be represented at the game,” Said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “This is a great opportunity for us to get our message out in a fun environment filled with kids.” The Pilots Kids Day Game is dedicated to children experiencing hockey in an educational atmosphere.
The education displays is just the first part of the Zoo’s involvement in the event. During the first intermission, the Zoo’s education department will take the ice. The intermission program will focus on animal adaptations including the need for some animals to migrate away from cold environments. “The star of the intermission program will be Lilly a rehabilitated but non-releasable Turkey Vulture,” said Wiley. “Vultures feature a lot of special adaptations. Landon Arena will be the largest indoor space she has ever flown in.”
The Topeka Zoo is one of six outside organizations coming together to partner with the Topeka Pilots to engage youth in a fun and educational environment. Other organizations involved include the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E), and the Topeka Police and Fire departments and Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office.
“The Topeka Pilots have really become engaged in family and youth related community activities,” said Wiley. “We’re thrilled to be part of the Pilots Kids Game Day.”
For additional information, contact Brendan Wiley at 785-506-3797 or bwiley@topeka.org.

With a new Health Order in place for Shawnee County, the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center is strengthening its COVID-19 rules for visiting guests. “It’s part of our Help Us Keep You Safe campaign,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “Over the last six months we have seen how important it is to our community that we are open. We want to make sure we stay open and do everything we can to provide a safe and healthy experience here.”

The Help Us Keep You Safe campaign strengthens current protocols and makes changes to both ticket purchasing guidelines and mask wearing policies. The campaign focuses on the following points that become effective Saturday, November 14:
• Masks or face coverings will be required to be worn by zoo guests during the entirety of their stay except when eating or drinking. This includes times when guests are outside on zoo grounds. Masks or face coverings must cover both mouth and nose.
• Pre-order of online tickets will be encouraged for daily admission and is required for the Zoo Lights event beginning November 27.
• During the current health order, entrance into the zoo will be through the outdoor admission booth so that guests never have to enter a building if they don’t want to.
• Door foot pulls have been installed on many of the bathroom doors. Guests are encouraged to use those where available.
• As soon as they arrive, touchless fixtures will be installed in public bathrooms.
• Guests are encouraged to be conscious of others at viewing windows and not monopolize prime views for extended periods of time.
“The biggest change is guests being required to wear masks during their entire stay,” said Wiley. Prior to this, guests were allowed to remove masks when outside and they could social distance. “What we have seen is that even when outside, one group of guests can come close to another group of guests faster than they can put masks back on. As we are seeing the spread of COVID-19 ramping up, we have to do what we can to keep everyone safe.”

“It’s also about the animals,” said Wiley. The Topeka Zoo is home to a number of non-human species that are susceptible to coronaviruses including COVID-19. Some of those include tigers, giraffes, sloths, armadillos and the zoo’s critically endangered black-footed ferret. “We have an obligation to not only keep those animals safe and healthy but the staff that work with them as well.”

Effective tomorrow, March 17, 2020 and until further notice, the Topeka Zoo will be transitioning to Level 2 of its Covid-19 Protocol. While the Zoo will remain open to the public, all of the public buildings will be closed. One public bathroom will remain open and will operate on an every other hour disinfection schedule. For the time being, the Zoo will operate as an open air park.
“The Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center is a valued asset in our community,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “For those of us that work here, we deeply care about our animals, guests, volunteers and coworkers. We realize that we are living in an unprecedented situation. We want to assure you that as we go through this situation, our animals, guests, volunteers and coworkers are our top most priority.”
In efforts to help keep our community connected to the Zoo during these uncertain times, also beginning tomorrow at 2:00 each day, Zoo staff will post on its Facebook page a story about one of the animal residents that lives here.

The Topeka Zoo is holding its annual Native Wildflower Sale on Saturday, May 9^th from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The selection will include flowers to cover all blooming seasons through spring, summer, and fall. There will be more than 1,700 native wildflowers available representing over two dozen different varieties of available at this sale. Native wild flowers are hardy and already adapted to our local soils and climate, and to our local pollinators! Once established, native wild flowers are care free and return to you every year with minimal or no maintenance for care. All plants sold will be native to this part of NE Kansas.

Sale location will be near the zoos parking lot entrance and social distancing rules will apply. All flowers are $4.00 each. 100% of proceeds from the sale will go to the zoos conservation fund to support conservation of endangered species here at home and around the globe.

Due to the Covid-19 situation there are some enhancements to the sale. Plants can be purchased online by going to the Zoo’s Facebook page or Website. If purchased on line, the plants will be delivered to your car when you arrive between 8:00 and 2:00 tomorrow.

The zoos wildflower sale will occur on the day before Mother’s Day! So come to the zoo on May 9^th and pick up some flowers for mom!

For questions or more information, contact Dennis Dinwiddie at 368-9134, or ddinwiddie@topeka.org.

 

The Topeka Zoo and Mohan Construction have been awarded the Associated General Contractors of Kansas (AGC) State Building Award of Excellence for their work on the Camp Cowabunga exhibit.
“We are honored that Camp Cowabunga will receive the Award of Excellence from both the AGC State Building Awards and the Kan-Struct Collaborative Awards,” said Steve Mohan the CEO of Mohan Construction. “These awards are the result of the work and cooperation of the City of Topeka, The Topeka Zoo, GLMV Architecture, Studio Tectonic and the many subcontractors and suppliers on this project. This is a great addition for the Topeka Zoo and the City of Topeka, and Mohan Construction is proud to be part of it.”
Camp Cowabunga broke ground on July 6th, 2017 and was completed and opened to the public on August, 31st 2018. Camp Cowabunga was the largest project in the Topeka Zoo’s history and creates the atmosphere of being on a safari in Africa, with the exhibit honoring Gary K. Clarke’s safari experiences in Africa as a tour guide. Camp Cowabunga houses several animals including African lions, African painted dogs, Red Patas monkeys, guinea fowl and ostriches. Camp Cowabunga also features interactive learning experiences that are fun and education for guests. Opening weekend of Camp Cowabunga saw 9,857 guests who enjoyed their first experience of the Topeka Zoo’s master plan. Camp Cowabunga cost $4.5 million and was funded privately and through sales tax. Private donations to Camp Cowabunga were represented by donors in 38 states.
“It is an honor to receive the AGC Award of Excellence for Camp Cowabunga.” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “Camp Cowabunga gives our guests a chance to experience what it is like to be on an African safari. Mohan Construction perfectly executed the vision that we had for Camp Cowabunga and it has been wonderful to see all of the positive reactions from zoo patrons.”
The award will be presented on Friday, February 1st 2019 in Wichita at the Associated General Contractors of Kansas State Building Awards Luncheon. Head to the Topeka Zoo to experience the award winning exhibit. The Topeka Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the gates closing at 4:30 p.m. The Zoo will be closed on New Year’s Day.

Following a Special Meeting and Executive Session on Tuesday, the City of Topeka’s Governing Body authorized the city to purchase Hotel Topeka at City Center by a vote of 7-2. Hotel Topeka, located at 1717 SW Topeka Blvd., is set to go to auction next week.

“When we learned that Hotel Topeka was going to auction, we saw an opportunity to strengthen our tourism economy, and attract convention business we know we’re currently losing to other communities,” said Topeka City Manager Stephen Wade. “The city will look to experts to develop a holistic approach, along with private sector partners, to re-develop the hotel, to ensure we’ll have a successful and attractive convention center for many years to come.”

According to a study commissioned and funded by Visit Topeka, the community’s tourism agency, the Conventional Hotel inventory in Topeka is, “dated and in dire need of repositioning.”

“We know that hotels and convention centers can have a massive economic impact on a destination. In the first quarter of 2023, Topeka sold more hotel rooms than the first quarter of 2008, which was a record year. Our current success is thanks to incredible sporting events, a full legislative session, and great leisure activities and events. However, we continue to lose meetings and conventions from groups concerned about the condition of the Hotel Topeka. Today, the City of Topeka has stepped up and ensured that our future as a convention destination isn’t left to chance,” said Sean Dixon, President of Visit Topeka.

It’s not uncommon for municipalities to own or finance hotels and convention centers. In Kansas, the City of Overland Park owns and operates its hotel and convention center, and the City of Manhattan previously financed its hotel and convention center. Data provided by Visit Topeka shows that if the hotel is re-developed, in 2027, the hotel would sell nearly 50,000 room nights a year, generating an estimated annual sales tax revenue of nearly $1 million, and an estimated $440,000 in annual Transient Guest Tax (TGT) revenue. Additionally, it’s estimated that the overall economic impact of visitor spending tied to the hotel would be $20 million annually.

“The action taken by the Governing Body today demonstrates to the community that we are a government of possibilities. In the past, we’ve seen economic development opportunities slip through our fingers, and this is a time for us to take control of our own future, and look at our community health as a whole,” said Topeka Mayor Michael Padilla. “This is a group effort to showcase our city as a place that is looking to the future, to become a place of choice for conventions that we have already lost.”

The purchase of the property is not final. The action taken Tuesday allows the city to make an offer to purchase the hotel. The purchase price will not be disclosed until the sale goes through. If the purchase goes through, the city, in consultation with the Governing Body, private partners and industry experts, will determine how to best re-develop the property.

 

The City of Topeka’s Governing Body announced Tuesday night during the Topeka City Council Meeting that the city will be taking a phased approach to the implementation of the new restricted areas for camping as outlined in the amended ordinance set to take effect on November 17, 2023. This decision is due to several factors including timing and anticipated upcoming winter weather, resources, and the ongoing homeless initiative process that is well underway.

With this phased approach, the city will immediately begin stepping up its enforcement of existing areas where camping is not permitted. This includes areas where the city receives complaints including proximity to infrastructure (bridges, bus shelters, buildings, water towers, etc.) and in our business corridors like Downtown and NOTO.

When enforcing the existing no camping areas, the city will prioritize connecting those who are unsheltered with resources and partners who provide housing assistance and other services.

The Governing Body also wants to send a strong message to those who are unsheltered that camps must be maintained in a clean and safe manner. Additionally, structures are not permitted and will be addressed.

The Governing Body plans to evaluate the implementation of all pieces of the ordinance in early 2024.