Press Releases

In its ongoing commitment to support community endeavors and quality of place, Vision Bank will make a $10,000 donation to support the Topeka Zoo as a zoo Business Partner during a check presentation Friday, March 1, at 2:00 PM. Media are invited to attend. “The Topeka Zoo is a cornerstone of our community,” said Vision Bank President Gary Yager. “Over 200,000 people go there every year. It’s one of the great places where our customers and our community go to play. Vision Bank is proud to support this cause for our community.”

Vision Bank’s support of the Topeka Zoo dates back to 2010. Not long after a giraffe named Hope was born, a Nile River hippopotamus unexpectedly gave birth. The following weekend at a charity auction attended by Yager, the naming rights to the baby hippo were auctioned off. A few days later the baby hippo was named Vision. With Hope and Vision, the Topeka Zoo began an upward trend still being experienced today.

“The support from Vision Bank goes well beyond the financial support,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “Gary and his team helped form relationships with other community stakeholders and got us into conversations we otherwise would have been left out of.” Vision Bank support has led to other zoo improvements that can be found in the zoo’s Bug Zoo, Camp Cowabunga and the future Kay’s Garden and they have supported numerous fundraising events which help offset operating costs at the zoo.

Business Partnerships are a fun way for local businesses to support the mission of the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center. Business Partners receive promotional opportunities and access to special events.  They award field trip tickets to local schools and promote access to the zoo. For more information about Topeka Zoo Business Partnerships, contact Fundraising and Event Specialist Shelby Revelle at 785-368-9133 or shelbyr@fotz.org .

Following the check presentation, Gary and Vision will be available for comments and photographs.  When Gary first met Vision, the tiny hippo weighed only seventy pounds. Today, Vision weighs in at approximately 2,700 pounds. The Topeka Zoo would like to extend its thanks to Vision Bank for all of the ways they promote growth in our community.

The City of Topeka Utility Department is advising Topeka area residents to avoid contact with local waterways flowing throughout the City until further notice due to the inundation of the City’s storm and sanitary sewer systems. With the heavy rains the local infrastructure is struggling with excess water (commonly referred to as inflow and infiltration) in the sanitary sewer system. Stormwater can enter into the sewer system through illegally connected residential sump pumps and roof drains, as well as cracked sewer pipes and manhole covers. This excess water is currently causing areas of the system to overflow into nearby waterways.
The Department is also actively working to complete repairs to a broken sanitary sewer force main near 2501 SW Randolph that caused untreated sewage to flow into a small tributary that flows to Shunganunga Creek near Big Shunga Park. Temporary repairs were completed Tuesday, however the pipe was compromised again early Wednesday morning. Permanent repairs are ongoing.
Residents are advised to practice safe and common sense hygiene, like avoiding immersion and ingestion, keeping pets out of the water and washing hands before eating. Topeka staff will continue to monitor the water in local creeks and waterways and provide notification when the advisory can be lifted. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has been notified and is advising.

The City of Topeka water system received notice on February 16th from Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) stating that we went out of compliance on haloacetic acids (HAA), which is 1 of the 87 contaminants that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates for drinking water quality.

When disinfection (such as the use of chlorine) is used in the treatment of drinking water, disinfectants combine with organic and inorganic matter present in water to form compounds called disinfection byproducts (DBP). The EPA sets standards for controlling the levels of DBP in drinking water, including HAA. Compliance is based on the four-quarter average of sample results for each of the eight locations where HAA samples are collected in Topeka, called a locational running annual average (LRAA). The LRAA standard for any one location is 60 micrograms/liter. We received results on February 7th that showed 60.6 micrograms/liter at one location—all other locations were within the standard. According to our records this is the 1st time that The City of Topeka has been out of compliance for any drinking water standard.

This is not an emergency and customers do not need to seek an alternative water source such as bottled water. However, if you have specific health concerns please consult your doctor.

We are working with our consultant to evaluate and modify our water treatment process to avoid any future violations. The modifications to the treatment processes we are examining include the use of powdered activated carbon (PAC) and changes in our polymer.  With the use of PAC and changes to the polymer we would be able to improve the removal of organics that cause the formation of HAA and provide improved taste and odor control. These process modifications would allow the City’s water treatment operators better control of the quality of water that is being delivered to our customers.

The City of Topeka Utilities Department is dedicated to providing clean and safe water to every customer, and we anticipate resolving this issue within 180 days. We will continue to keep you, the customer, informed as we move forward.

Please go to our City of Topeka website Topeka.org where we have crafted some FAQ’s.

If you have any other concerns regarding this incident please call

City of Topeka: 785-368-3111

Jingga, an eight year old female Sumatran Tiger, at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center is pregnant. Ultrasound has confirmed two, probably three and possibly four cubs.
The cubs are due to be born sometime in October. “While we know there were a lot of fireworks going off in the tiger habitat on July 4, we don’t know if that is the actual date the cubs were conceived,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. Sumatran tiger gestation typically has a range of 90 to 110 days.
The father of the cubs is Sanjiv, a seven year old Sumatran Tiger who was born at Zoo Atlanta. He transferred to the Topeka Zoo in 2017 from the Akron Zoo at the recommendation of the Sumatran Tiger SSP. This is the first time that Sanjiv has fathered any offspring.
Eight year old, Jingga was born at the Sacramento Zoo and came to Topeka in 2012. In 2014, Jingga gave birth to three tiger cubs who now reside at the Nashville Zoo.
Sumatran Tigers are critically endangered with only about 400 Sumatran Tigers left in the wild. The Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center is an active participant in the Sumatran Tiger Species Survival Plan which strives to maintain enough genetic diversity to manage a healthy population of tigers under human care for 100 years. During that 100 year time frame, it is hoped that enough problems can be corrected in their native habitats that it will be safe enough for tiger populations to begin growing through natural breeding and tiger reintroductions back to the wild.
Patrons of the locally owned Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant who drink Tiger Bite IPA also support Sumatran Tiger Conservation. A quarter from every draw sold goes to the Topeka Zoo’s Conservation Fund. The funding then goes to the Sumatran Tiger Species Survival Plan housed at the Minnesota Zoo. From there, the funding goes to the Wildlife Conservation Society which has a field office on the Island of Sumatra in Southeast Asia. The funding is then used to hire an armed wildlife ranger by the name of Badar Johan who works daily to prevent illegal poaching and illegal farming and deforestation.

For the past several years, Trumpeter Swans hatched at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center have been released back to the wild to bolster the wild population. This morning, two wild Trumpeter Swans dropped in for a visit with the pair of Trumpeters that call the Topeka Zoo home.
In the early 1900’s, Trumpeter Swans nearly became extinct. With laws in place to protect them and active breed and release programs, the species has made a dramatic turnaround and the population today is estimated to be in excess of 35,000 birds.
Trumpeter Swans range from Alaska and Western Canada down into the Northern United States. Kansas is typically not considered to be part of their normal range. The weather front that passed through this past weekend most likely pushed them further South.
The arrival of the visiting swans made for an interesting morning at the zoo. “It definitely got our attention,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. ”We don’t know how long they will stay with us but they are welcome for as long as they want.”