Topeka Zoo Topeka Zoo News

The zoos first director, Gary K. Clark, has died age 79.

First Topeka Zoo director dies at 79

 

The tiger cubs made their public debut.

Topeka Zoo tiger cubs make their big debut

 

The zoo announced via social media that Cleo, one of their black-and-white ruffed lemurs, is pregnant.

 

Cleo the lemur's babies were tragically stillborn.

https://www.ksnt.com/news/local-news/topeka-zoo-s-lemur-gives-birth-to-stillborn-babies/1927733584

 

A keeper was mauled by a tiger.

Keeper injured in Topeka Zoo tiger attack

 

Once again. How does this happen?
Human error of course, but poor design and safety procedures.

 

May I recommend that for this kind of news we make a separate thread?

 

City officials are debating whether or not the zoo should be privatized.

City officials to discuss privatization of Topeka Zoo

 

In your qualified opinion a good thing or not?

 

I'm no expert, so I don't feel qualified to judge on this.

 

In my unqualified opinion, having only visited the zoo once, and only following it through this thread, it seems like a good idea. I don’t think city has done a particularly good job of running the zoo, and with many disappointing events happening in the recent months/ years make it seem like a shake up could be beneficial.

 

In my opinion, nearly everytime, it is better to keep politics out of zoos. Governments change and it is hard to keep like minded people in charge for the amount of time it takes to build a proper zoo. In the normal cases, governments make questionable decisions on staffing and planning. In the extremes, your get cases like Toronto or LA where the poor decisions made by an unqualified city government because of pressure from AR groups can cause your accreditation to be stripped (luckily not the case for LA yet).

 

https://www.wibw.com/content/news/Time- ... 42242.html
Very sad........but she is very old.

 

A seasonal shark exhibit shall soon open at the zoo.

Sharks are coming to the Topeka Zoo

 

The zookeeper that had been attacked by a tiger at the zoo in April had returned to work:Topeka Zoo keeper back on the job after tiger attack

 

The zoo is receiving assistance in surgery for butterflies from a local artist who uses dead insects for art (could have phrased that better....)

U.S. woman performs 'butterfly surgery' for local zoo using wing transplants

 

Not sure what my thoughts are. Super gluing a wing of a different species of butterfly to a Monarch?

 

One of the Zoo’s Malayan sun bears, Cup Cake, was euthanized at age 30.

Redirect Notice

 

Sad news, how many sun bears does this leave in US zoos?

 

A critically endangered Black and white ruffed lemur was born May 28:

Topeka Zoo shows off brand new lemur baby

Black and white ruffled lemurs Cleo and Sorabe had their first baby May 28, marking the first successful breeding of the lemurs at the Topeka Zoo, according to a spokesperson for the city of Topeka.

Older News

0.1 Bornean orangutan died April 2020:

Topeka Zoo Orangutan, Lena, has passed away

Lena was born on April 2nd, 1982, and was brought to the Topeka Zoo in 2005 from the Columbus Zoo and was best known for blowing kisses to the visitors.

The zoo said they could not pinpoint the exact cause of death, but said a necropsy showed she had an abnormal left kidney. There will be other tests done to determine the exact cause of death.

0.1 Coyote died February 2020:

Topeka Zoo coyote dies at age 16

The Zoo said Smokey passed away in her sleep at 16 years old. They said that is extremely old for a coyote, as they usually only live 6-8 years in the wild.

Smokey was rescued from a prairie fire as a puppy in 2003 where the rest of her litter died and her mother could not be found.