Sedgwick Co. Zoo

If there is one place in Wichita I truly miss, it's the zoo. I have so many memories at this zoo from annual school trips (including the one where my mother provided tough love to a student who didn't listen to her as she was on of the first grade chaperones) to being a junior zoo keeper and then graduating to the Zoo Crew to dressing up as a komodo dragon at Zoobilee every year during high school to working in the Farms with the Zoo keepers to working in concessions and getting paid!

I have so many fond memories of growing up at the zoo. I even knew the "real" names of many of the animals.  Since I visited the chimpanzees every day on my lunch break during the summer months Marbles, a very old chimpanzee who has since past away, would give me a kiss through the glass. 

The Sedgwick Co. Zoo has always been an amazing place of learning. They have so many learning activities and classes throughout the year. I am very sad that I won't be able to take Wyatt to this zoo on a regular basis since we live 1300 miles away, but we will be taking every opportunity to visit when we are in town. We do have a free access to Zoo America at Hershey with our season passes; but nothing compares to the childhood memories at my zoo.  

On our trip to Wtown it has been very cold for May! But today the sun came out and we took the opportunity to meet Jojo and AdyJo at The Zoo!

The Jungle Exhibit- a childhood favorite including vampire bats in a cave and piranhas! And sometimes the komodo dragon! A few of my favorites! - no seriously! I love going in the cave and looking at the bats! 

I think it was 1995 and the zoo announced they would have penguins by 2012! I thought that was so far away! And then they came 2 yrs early!!! It was so much fun to watch them swim.  

Watching the bison and the Mt. Lion

The newest exhibit- the Tiger's new home!!! Their old exhibit was small and you never could see them, that's not the case anymore!

We love the newer lion exhibit too!

The giraffes were out having fun!

There were two baby giraffes too!

One of the best chimpanzee exhibits in my opinion - it has air conditioning!

Hello Orangutan sculptures :) There are many sculptures throughout the zoo! Next year we will most likely get a few photos with Wyatt climbing on them.

Here's to next year!