This week, Zoo Director Scott Gregory signed the contract that will bring Jack Hanna, the star of award winning animal television shows, to Great Bend this October.
Hanna made the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo and himself famous after making his first of many appearances on “Late Night with David Letterman” in 1985. He was also a regular guest on “Larry King Live.” His future appearance in Great Bend continues to be big news for the city’s Brit Spaugh Zoo.
Meanwhile, the zoo population continues to grow. Two cougar cubs will arrive soon (see related story). The lion cub and three grizzly bear cubs that were recent additions to the zoo have become the most popular exhibits. All of these animals turned 1 year old in January.
It took a while to determine the sexes of all of the bear cubs, but there are two males and one female, Gregory said. The second male was neutered Wednesday morning.
Smaller animals are giving birth at the zoo. Two chinchillas were born on Tuesday, and two agoutis were born last week.
An agouti (ah GOO tee) is a large rodent found in Central and South American rain forests, that kind of looks like an oversized guinea pig.
“We will keep one agouti as an education animal and send one to a zoo in El Paso,” Gregory said. The fate of the baby chinchillas hasn’t been decided yet.
Chinchillas are also related to guinea pigs, and are known for having the world’s softest fur. It is very dense, with 50-80 hairs growing out of a single follicle compared to a human’s which only grows two or three hairs per follicle.

Master plan

The process has begun for the creation of a master plan for the zoo, Gregory said. A committee that will guide the process will include zoo and City of Great Bend staff, at least one city council member and someone from the Great Bend Zoological Society. Having a say in the future of the zoo is another benefit of joining the Zoo Society, Gregory noted. “It’s only $25 a year,” he added. Gregory said the plan should be completed by the end of the year.