Sedgwick County Zoo adds rhinos, equines and ectotherms to animal encounters program
Klyde and Bibi are joining Chilly the penguin and Speed the giant tortoise in the Wild Encounters program at the Sedgwick County Zoo.
Starting this Thursday, zoo visitors can get a behind-the-scenes experience with the pair of critically endangered eastern black rhinos. In the largest expansion of the program since it started two years ago, you can also buy tickets to feed and pet Vivian the Poitou donkey or have a small-group experience with a lizard, snake and invertebrate.
The zoo launched its interactive experiences in September 2018 with Humboldt penguins, then added an encounter with the Aldabra tortoise in May 2019.
“The goal behind all of the Wild Encounters is finding a new way for our guests to connect with our animals and give them a new perspective that they haven’t been able to get before,” said Jennica King, marketing and public relations manager for the zoo. She also hinted that we should expect another big announcement for the program before the summer, emphasis on big.
For the equine, tortoise and penguin encounters, you go into the animals’ enclosures. During the rhino experience, you’re inside the outermost fence but there’s still a barrier between you and these creatures weighing several thousand pounds. If the animals cooperate, you’ll get to feed them and touch them while learning more about the species from the keeper.
All of the Wild Encounters are keeper-driven, King said, based on interest shown from the public as well as which animals have the disposition for interaction.
The Ectotherm Encounter is a little different. It is inside the ectotherm room in the Cargill Learning Center and the staff decides which animals, from among a collection used to being around people, are in the best mood to participate that day. Ectotherm are animals that are dependent on external sources of body heat. A sample lineup is an iguana, a corn snake and a Madagascar hissing cockroach. They are positioned on a piece of bark and you’re allowed to touch them or can just watch them, based on your comfort level.
“This is a fun to do with your kids, whether they are really excited about amphibians, reptiles and creepy-crawlies or maybe they are not that excited about creepy-crawlies,” King said. “Our facilitators get a good read on what the people in the encounter already know and are comfortable with. So if there are people who don’t know anything about ectotherms, they’ll talk about how they regulate their body temperature and how they eat. Or if the group is a family who has an iguana at home, we’ll give them different information so it’s a learning experience for everyone.”
All Wild Encounters must be booked no later than noon the day of the event; registration is available online at https://scz.org/wild-encounters. There is limited space for each outing, and groups are not guaranteed private encounters unless they purchase all the spaces for a specific date.
King said they’ve had groups who have booked all the spots and come out for a birthday party, and they’ve also had return visitors.
“Every time you do it, it’s a different experience, just because you’re working with animals — and you can never predict how the animals are going to act,” she said. “It’s possible someone didn’t get to touch a penguin because a penguin chose not to participate that day, and maybe they do it again and this time a certain penguin decides he wants to come up, interact and be touched. Every experience will always be different.”
In addition to the new animals involved this year, the zoo lowered the price of the tortoise experience to create two price points. There are now two experiences that cost $40 for nonmembers and $35 for members and three that cost $20 for nonmembers and $15 for members. Nonmembers must also purchase zoo admission, which ranges from $11.70 for children and seniors to $15.70 for adults. Ages 2 and under are free.
Here’s what you need to know about the three new and two existing Wild Encounters.
Rhino Encounter
Klyde is an 18-year-old male and Bibi is a 22-year-old female. He is the most social, so you’ll most often get to feed him handfuls of veggies and fruit. A keeper will talk about their care at the zoo and what can be done to protect them in the wild. The critically endangered black rhinoceros has doubled its population to about 5,500 in the wild over the past 20 years, though still significantly down from 65,000 in 1970 due to loss of habitat and poaching.
Time: 2 p.m. on Thursday and Friday year-round
Available spots: 10
Cost: $35 members, $40 for nonmembers
Ectotherm Encounter
Meet inside the Cargill Learning Center, and expect at least a trio of a lizard, snake and invertebrate. You won’t hold them, but they’ll be on a piece of bark and you can touch them.
Time: 1 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Sunday year-round
Available spots: 4, and this is the only encounter with an age restriction (5 years and older)
Cost: $15 members/$20 nonmembers
Equine Encounter
Banshee the mule and Vivian the Poitou donkey are just two of the animals you’ll see when you go into the equine yards of the American Farm. Typically you’ll get to feed and pet, maybe even brush, a draft horse, mule, mini donkey and Poitou donkey, which has a thick and shaggy coat and long corded hair that looks like dreadlocks.
Time: 11 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday year-round
Available spots: 8
Cost: $15 members, $20 for nonmembers
Penguin Encounter
Feed the Humboldt penguins from inside their habitat at Cessna Penguin Cove, built to mimic their native coast of South America. You’ll learn about their nesting habits and have a chance to ask the keeper questions about them. Often, Chilly or another especially friendly penguin will let you pet him.
Time: 3 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday year-round
Available spots: 10
Cost: $35 members, $40 for nonmembers
Tortoise Encounter
Learn about Speed, Washington and Missy while feeding the second-largest tortoise species carrots and rubbing their necks. Aldabra tortoise can weigh up to 700 pounds when fully grown; the zoo’s one male and two females weigh 250-300 pounds. This is the only seasonal experience, because the tortoise are housed inside until it’s consistently 50 degrees outside and their indoor space isn’t big enough for a group.
Time: 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday May through September
Available spots: 5
Cost: $15 members, $20 for nonmembers