The “head count” at last Saturday’s Zoo Boo was 2,849, but everyone survived the annual event at the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo, according to Emily Goad at the Great Bend Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“We had a lot of returning groups manning booths and a handful of new ones, and they just made it such a great experience for the kids!” Goad said. “We could not do it without them or our sponsors. This event is such a success and really lets the city show off our wonderful zoo, all while offering a safe, fun event for the kiddos.”
One recent change at the zoo is that the lemurs and the grivet monkey have switched exhibits. Rhonda the grivet monkey is now in the exhibit across from the lions, and lemurs Ringo and Ester now live across from the Sacred Ibis.
The change better fits the physical needs of the animals. The former monkey exhibit is bigger and taller, allowing for more exercise for the young, energetic lemurs. The former lemur exhibit is smaller and offers a more stimulating environment on the ground that will be better suited for Rhonda’s arthritic joints, according to a post on the zoo’s Facebook page.
Zoo Curator and Supervisor Sara Hamlin said a new female trumpeter swan recently arrived at the zoo, replacing a female, Bella, that died in April. The new swan arrived from Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy in Connecticut.
“She is spending her quarantine period in the old black bear yard. Then she will move to the trumpeter swan pond to meet Swanson. They have a breeding recommendation from the SSP (Species Survival Plan) so our hope is that they will have plenty of time to bond this winter before breeding season rolls around in late spring/early summer.”
Hamlin said the swan is able to fly but since the swans are fed here they have no reason to leave.
Swanson came to Great Bend via the Sedgwick County Zoo after he hatched in June of 2010. Bella’s history was unknown, but in 2015 zoo staff estimated she was about 10 years old.
Annual meeting
The Great Bend Zoological Society held its annual meeting on Oct. 13. Attendees visited animal exhibits, then enjoyed a taco and sundae bar before a brief business meeting with financial reports and election of board members.
Hamlin gave a presentation featuring changes and improvements in the zoo over the last several months. Here are some highlights of her talk, as recorded in the meeting minutes:
• Our new animals are mostly birds. We have a peafowl pair named Emma and Peety and three muscovy ducks named Huey, Duey & Louie. The zoo also recently acquired some frogs.
• Five very sick birds were surrendered to the zoo from Russell Animal Control, which came from a hoarding situation. The Zoo Society covered over $5,000 in vet care and the birds were transferred to specialized bird rescues.
• The lar gibbons Zito and Rerun are still not able to be on public display due to aggression from Zito toward his female companion. Rerun’s arrival at the zoo was announced back in January.
• The Bison exhibit is still planned for the future.
• Fundraising is going on to build a winter house for the alligators. Zookeepers used to catch the alligators and move them to warmer quarters in the winter, but they are too big and dangerous to handle anymore. However, the pond is well-fed so it shouldn’t freeze over and the alligators will dig into the bank to stay warm.
Lion introductions
In August the two female lions were moved next to Luke, the adult male, but they are still in the “howdy” phase and not making physical contact. Hamlin said the lions are “living together comfortably, yet separately. Luke is not comfortable with the keepers being in the room; therefore the girls cannot go into his side of the room due to safety concerns. The progress has been slow. Hopefully there will be a pride by the springtime.”
