Surveillance cameras among planned upgrades at Kansas Wildlife Exhibit

In the past three months, both a beaver and a bobcat escaped from the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit at Central Riverside Park. The beaver had no one to blame but himself; however, the bobcat was set free by vandals with wire cutters.

In light of these breakouts, the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit at Central Riverside Park is slated to receive some upgrades to keep the animals in the exhibit.

Jim Mason, who doubles as director of the Great Plains Nature Center and overseer of the exhibit, said video surveillance cameras will be added soon, as part of phase one of a three-phase improvement plan.

“This has made it real obvious that we need to do it, bring things into the 21st century,” he said. “That’s a 25-year-old system there, and there’s a lot of things you can do now you couldn’t do then.”

The cameras, along with added “themework” in the animal enclosures, will be the first visible improvements as part of the exhibit’s upgrade plans. Further improvements include new signs and new mesh wiring, said to be more vandal proof, for all of the enclosures at the exhibit, Mason said.

The Friends of the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit, a local nonprofit volunteer group organized to advocate for the exhibit, met with Wichita Parks Foundation officials Thursday to discuss fundraising plans. The group’s goal is to raise $250,000.

“We would encourage people to help us refurbish and enhance the exhibit for the sake of the animals who reside there,” said Kathy Dittmer, a founding member of the friends group. “The area has not been updated since the ’80s, and our animals need to be in the most comfortable and engaging space we can possibly give them.”

Bobby, the exhibit’s 18-year-old bobcat, was released from the exhibit by vandals who had cut a hole in his cage in late June. He was found hiding in some shrubbery within feet of his residence hours later, and subsequently was returned.

At the time, the exhibit’s security system – which emits an audible alarm when an invisible laser line is crossed – was malfunctioning because ants had gotten into its wiring, Mason said.

In late May, the exhibit received a $100,000 donation from the Pamela J. Edward Pet Trust. Mason said part of that money will be used to install the security cameras, as well as make upgrades to the animal cages in the exhibit.

Bobby’s cage will now include some vertical landscaping for him to climb on, and he will also have a designated holding pen. The skunk, known as Scenthia, will get a tree stump in its cage, as well as a holding pen built into the cage.

And Chapa, Wichita’s wandering beaver, will receive some upgrades to his den, making it easier for him to get in and out of his hollowed-out hidey-hole, Mason said.

After the recent Bobby incident, some said the entire exhibit should be moved to the Great Plains Nature Center.

“It’s not as cool as maybe having it at Riverside, but the reality is you wouldn’t have the potential for vandalism where it’s currently located,” said Bob Cropp, 65, who lives in Derby. “There’s always going to be especially security issues within (Riverside). There’s no limit on access, so you can literally walk right up to the animals. It ought to be at least talked about.”

Mason said the idea of transplanting the exhibit to the nature center’s grounds near 29th and Woodlawn was proposed about 10 years ago, but “it was determined at the time it would run well into six figures of expense.” There are no plans to move it now.

“After-hours security would be no better than where it is, and possibly worse,” Mason said, as the Riverside exhibit can easily be seen from Nims Street, while the nature center is set back from 29th Street.

The Kansas Wildlife Exhibit, as it is known today, was opened in 1988 on ground in Central Riverside Park that used to host Wichita’s first zoo. The original zoo opened in 1901 and over the years it included animals such as lions and alligators. The modern wildlife exhibit plays host to more than 25 different species of Kansas-native mammals, reptiles and birds.

The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, is owned by the city, though state and federal agencies both contribute to its operations, Mason said.

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 9:43 PM with the headline "Surveillance cameras among planned upgrades at Kansas Wildlife Exhibit."