Cool Air, Active Animals: Autumn at the Sedgwick County Zoo
The animals prefer November even if the crowds thin. Wichita's zoo — home to more than 3,000 animals — rolls into its quiet season.
There is a trade every zoo makes in November: smaller crowds for livelier animals. At the Sedgwick County Zoo, the cool mornings that settle over Wichita this month are prime time for the big cats, bears and apes that spend July conserving energy in the shade.
The zoo, founded in 1971 and owned by Sedgwick County, is home to more than 3,000 individual animals representing roughly 400 species. Its signature exhibits include the Downing Gorilla Forest, the Pride of the Plains lion habitat, the Slawson Family Tiger Trek and the Koch Orangutan and Chimpanzee Habitat.
Fall programming has long included the zoo's popular after-dark Halloween event, Wild Lights' predecessor Night of the Living Zoo, and the calendar turns quickly toward the holiday season's evening events. Daytime visitors in November get the run of the grounds at the year's most comfortable walking weather.
The zoo also functions as a conservation organization, participating in species survival plans and supporting field research — work that staff highlight in keeper talks that continue through the fall schedule.
Zoo officials remind visitors that hours shift with the seasons and that some exhibits rotate animals off view for habitat work during the quiet months, so checking the day's schedule before visiting is worth the minute it takes.
For many Wichita families, the zoo is the default answer to a free Saturday. November may be its best month — sweaters for the people, energy for the animals.
