Zoo breaks attendance milestone as long-time director retires

Christmas Eve was a unique day for the Sedgwick County Zoo.

On Dec. 24, the yearly attendance for the zoo passed 700,000 guests for the first time in the zoo’s history. It was also Mark Reed’s last day as zoo director, a position he has held since 1991.

“I never dreamed it would happen on the last day,” Reed said Tuesday, the third day of his retirement. “I was pretty excited about that.”

Deputy Zoo Director Ryan Gulker said the previous record for yearly attendance at the zoo was set in 2009, when the Slawson Family Tiger Trek opened. That year, the zoo saw 654,494 visitors.

“From the perspective of the zoo staff, it’s sort of a milestone we’ve never hit before,” Gulker said. “We’re very excited that we not only set a record but went over 700,000.”

Reed said when he first interviewed for the job, he thought the ceiling for the zoo’s attendance would be around 650,000 guests per year.

The zoo opened its Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley exhibit in May, which contributed to the boost in attendance. The exhibit was named after Reed and his family.

“The zoo will continue to grow and get better,” Reed said about the zoo’s future attendance.

Reed began working for the zoo in 1979. He and his wife, Mary, plan on moving to Oregon in the spring of 2017.

Search for new director

There is now a national search for a new executive director of the zoo, which is a public-private partnership between a nonprofit zoo board and Sedgwick County government. Both the board and the county are included in the search.

The zoo’s interim director during the search process is Tim Kaufman, the assistant county manager of Public Services.

County spokeswoman Keturah Austin said Kaufman was working with senior zoo officials “to maintain continuity for guests and staff.”

In his assistant county manager role, Kaufman presides over the county’s contributions to attractions like Lake Afton Park, Sedgwick County Park, Exploration Place and the Sedgwick County Zoo.

His department also oversees health and human service agencies like the Aging Department, Comcare and the Developmental Disabilities Organization.

Austin said the search committee is chaired by zoo board trustee Sam Marnick, who is working with Kaufman and County Human Resources Director Eileen McNichol.

This story was originally published December 27, 2016 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Zoo breaks attendance milestone as long-time director retires."