Tanganyika’s original lemur experience is back. Book a special tour to see lions, too.
Asking when the lions will be on exhibit is a question Matt Fouts often hears from Tanganyika Wildlife Park visitors. The park in Goddard on the west edge of Wichita added lions in May 2019 to start a breeding program.
The assistant director’s answer: Not for a few years, when the for-profit park can renovate existing areas or open new public space to make room for the two females and one male. But when the park opens for its 14th season on March 14, you can see the trio on the Origins Tour, a new behind-the-scenes experience that the lions inspired.
“One, we wanted to give people a chance to see the lions and, two, it gave us an opportunity to do a different type of encounter in terms of getting to feed the lions and feed the jaguar,” Fouts said. “Three, our facility is very unique in that we are probably one of the largest family-owned zoos in the country.”
The Origins Tour runs 45-75 minutes and is offered at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday for groups no bigger than a dozen. It costs $50 per person and regular admission to the park is not required, though you won’t see the entire park so most tour-goers also buy admission and explore the rest of the animal exhibits (more than 560 animals across 85 species) on their own before or after the guided tour.
Fouts said people are fascinated by the story of his parents, Jim and Sherri, building an animal park on the 51-acre property. They started private tours in 2000 and opened to the public for the first time in August 2008. Tanganyika is accredited by the newer Zoological Association of America (ZAA), not the better-known Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) by which Sedgwick County Zoo and most major zoos are accredited.
He wanted to be able to tell that story while showing people, before some of the original roots are gone.
“When we go to remodel more of the park in the next couple of years, all of that will get knocked down,” Fouts said.
He’s talking about the area surrounding where the Fouts’ home once stood and where people were first able to see their seven species of wild animals by private tour, an original barn built in 1985 that has housed more than 70 species through the years and a second barn, added in 1987 for the tigers, the species that helped establish the private business as a breeder and supplier of exotic and endangered species.
Tanganyika staff tell the park’s origin story at the beginning of all their tours, but it’s a 10-minute or less version. This extended cut covers the history more in-depth and shows you this first settlement, which is to the east of the public part of the park. In addition to the lions, you’ll see other big cats during the tour that aren’t regularly on display to the public including jaguars, lynx, caracals, Amur leopards and servals.
While this is where the clouded leopard breeding facilities are, you don’t go in because they stress easy.
“We have one of the largest clouded leopard collections in the world,” Fouts said “Our facility alone has increased the worldwide managed population of clouded leopards by over 20% through our breeding programs at the park.”
Individual experiences are not guaranteed but typically tours include feeding a jaguar, a lion and ring-tailed lemurs, if the animals are agreeable during your visit. The lemurs in this staff-only area are older animals who are no longer part of the public display on Lemur Island. That plays into the tale of the park’s origin because the lemur station launched Tanganyika’s venture into animal encounters, which now includes eight feeding stations and a camel ride.
Lemur Island was the No. 1 attraction at the park until keepers had to tone down the experience and limit the lemurs to perching on a post while visitors held out a treat. The more intimate encounter has been the most requested park feature since it went away, Fouts said, and fans have been happy to hear that “lemurs on the lap” is back this season.
“There were no formal rules changes, some of those rules just come down to the interpretation of the USDA inspectors,” Fouts said of the United States Department of Agriculture. “Over the past couple of years we were able to demonstrate to them that our format would meet the rules and guidelines about maintaining control and supervision of the animals.”
With the change, you’ll now sit on a rock and the lemurs can walk across your lap as they take the treat from you.
Another change to the park experience is expected to open by summer: a $1.3 million animal-themed splash park being built next to Troublemaker’s Cove, the penguin exhibit. The 5,000-square-foot Tanganyika Falls splash park won’t have a separate fee from regular admission and is planned to have a giraffe centerpiece with overhead tipping buckets, small slides and a fountain show among its play features.
If you’re planning to go to Tanganyika more than once this season, consider buying a season pass during the current flash sale. For $24.99, the regular cost of one adult visit, you get a season pass if you purchase before the end of the day on March 14 at www.twpark.com/seasonpass. That means unlimited visits for one person, and Fouts said one family came 82 times last season using their season passes purchased during the sale that has become an annual tradition.
The sale price is the same for all ages and does not include the popular frequent feeder pass add-on, which allows you up to five animal encounters per visit. That can be added for $35 during the sale, or you can add it as you go during the season for $10 each visit.
There are a few blackout dates and a frequently asked questions section about the sale, so check the website for details.
The park’s hours this season are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 14-22 (spring break), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 23-May 22, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 23-Sept. 7 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 8-Nov. 8. There are a few special events during the season that alter public hours; check the website before you head out.
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 5:01 AM.