Sedgwick County Zoo - Best Kept Secret in Wichita, Kansas

Wichita Kansas has several great attractions that many outsiders may not be aware of, but one of the most spectacular is the zoo located in the western part of the city. The zoo, which first opened in 1971 has grown into a huge home for hundreds of wildlife species and draws thousands of visitors a year.

The Sedgwick County Zoo is one of the best in the world, with large, beautiful exhibits that were designed to mimic the animals' natural habitat. Lions, for example, rest on heated rocks in an open area complete with an artificial stream. Across from the lion's exhibit, Meerkats stand upon little mounds in their sandy area and, when they need privacy, they scurry into a large mound with Meerkat-sized entrances designed especially for them. The Meerkats are incredibly cute despite their odor, which takes one's breath away. Frankly, their odor resembles that of wet gym socks left out in the sun.

Recently several gorillas were brought to the zoo to inhabit the Downing Gorilla Forest, a roomy outdoors exhibit with many features to make the gorillas feel at home. A leisurely 15 minute walk away, river otters dive from the grassy bank of their zoo home into a large aquarium viewable by visitors. They pause infrequently to watch the visitors who stare at them from the other side of the glass.

Buffalo roam slowly below a footbridge built over their prairie exhibit and not far away, separated by fencing, Mexican grey wolves hide in tall grass. A huge grizzly bear sits atop a ridge near his cave, separated from humans only by a deep trench and a small rail. Orangutans and chimpanzees swing from thick rope in a large building that is partly open-air. Visitors can view the apes from outside or from inside.

Visiting the Sedgwick County Zoo is like visiting many of the world's ecosystems all in one day. Along with the African exhibits, the prairie, the forest, and the Australian outback, visitors can get a realistic experience of a tropical jungle.

Indeed, my favorite place in the zoo is the jungle building. At the entrance, the sound of a rain shower greets visitors and imbues the atmosphere with instant peace and tranquility. Within a roped-off area in the center, water falls like heavy rain drops from the ceiling there and splatters on the floor below. A few feet away is the entrance to the jungle room, divided from this darker, cooler room by a series of plastic flaps.

Walking into the jungle room is like walking into another world. The change in temperature hits you first, and then the humidity. The atmosphere of the room is controlled to provide a realistic environment for the species that live there. No matter how cold it is outside, the jungle room remains warm and muggy throughout the year.

A wood chip path leads visitors down through a tree-canopied jungle. Colorful birds fly overhead from tree to tree, squawking and chirping. Large fruit bats hang overhead one section of the path, near an artificial river where river rays swim lazily through clear water. The river is fed by a cleverly designed waterfall that is always on during the day, except for a while in the morning when it zookeepers turn it off to allow bird lovers some time to better hear the calls of the many species of birds.

The path winds past a large cage that is home to several monkeys. Their tiny faces are often seen peering out to the jungle world; other times they are busy in their own world, grooming each other or eating their fruits and vegetables.

After the monkey area, the path goes below ground, and below the artificial river. A glass wall allows a spectacular view of the many fish that inhabit the river. On down, one encounters a cave that contains a small cave pond full of blind cavefish. In a glass and cement enclosed area, small vampire bats suck blood from tiny bowls in the dim light.

The path then takes the visitor back to sunlight and dank warm air. The sound of the waterfall grows very loud as one nears a small footbridge. If a visitor continues across at this point, they will walk directly behind the thundering waterfall. It is a beautiful and invigorating experience.

From the cool and dark herpetarium, to the warm and muggy Jungle building, the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita has something to offer almost anyone. What I like most about it is that efforts are made to make better, more natural, exhibits and to get away completely from the cold cages with steel bars.

Any visitor to Kansas should schedule a visit to this remarkable zoo.