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Bunny Bonanza a "Hopping Good Time"
The Saturday before Easter, Tanganyika Wildlife Park held its third annual egg hunt event – Bunny Bonanza. Despite cloudy weather that morning, they day turned out beautiful and over 250 egg hunters came out in search of prizes, candy, and photos with the Easter Bunny himself.
Despite having a very busy schedule, the Easter Bunny made time to set up five egg hunt “stations” around Tanganyika’s grounds where kids could search for prize-filled eggs. Rather than risking the mass chaos of a timed egg hunt, “egg runners” replenished prize eggs throughout the day, creating a more laid-back egg hunting atmosphere. “This is the third year that we’ve used this format,” said Education Curator Erinn Stiles, one of the event’s organizers. “Having egg hunt stations available all day really helps with crowd control and gives even the littlest egg hunters the chance to find eggs.“
Prizes included candy (a staple of any Easter egg hunt), small toys hidden in the eggs, larger stuffed animals, interactive exhibit tokens, popcorn and camel rides. In the Egg Factory, egg hunters could turn in prize slips for large prizes, get up close and personal with baby bunnies and chicks, and take photos with the Easter Bunny. And, in addition to the Easter activities, egg hunters and their families got to check out all of Tanganyika’s animals, who were enjoying the springtime weather themselves.
As with all of Tanganyika’s special events, volunteers played a key role in making Bunny Bonanza 2013 a huge success. Forty-nine volunteers helped with the event, putting in a combined 200 hours of service. “Without volunteers, events like Bunny Bonanza would not be possible,” said Stiles. “We are incredibly grateful that so many people stepped up to volunteer, both to help with the event and to indirectly support the Park’s mission of providing real experiences for our guests and to have a significant conservation impact.”
If you’d like more information about how to join Tanganyika’s volunteer team, visit our volunteer page. And be on the lookout fo
r Bunny Bonanza 2014, hopping in to Tanganyika on Easter weekend!
April Staff Showcase: Matt Fouts
Matt Fouts is the son of Jim and Sherri Fouts, the owners of Tanganyika Wildlife Park. He grew up in Goddard, Kansas
and graduated from Goddard High School. He earned two undergraduate degrees from Fort Hays State University: a Bachelors of Business Administration – Marketing and a Bachelors of Business Administration – Computer Information Systems.
While in high school and college he was a competitive runner. He won multiple state titles in cross country and track and field in high school and was an Academic All-American in college three times. He finished is academic career with a Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in entrepreneurship from Wichita State University in 2005. He is married to his wife Lisa (the top girl’s runner at FHSU during their time) and they have three children: Luke (5), Clare (3), and Anna (1).
Professionally, he was the assistant vice-president of a group of insurance companies for two years before leaving for Tanganyika Wildlife Park. He is currently the Assistant Director and oversees the wildest bunch of animals…“people”. He has grown up around animals his entire life and boasts nearly 30 years of experience working with exotic and endangered animals.
Conservation Connection: CITES 2013
The 2013 CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) talks were held in March, and delegates made important headway for the conservation of several species. The 12-day summit, which occurs once every 3 years, is designed to protect the planet’s most troubled wildlife. This year’s CITES, held in Bangkok, Thailand, was the 16th such summit. Major achievements of the 2013 summit included a host of new regulations for five major groups: sharks, turtles, elephants and rhinos, great apes, and trees.
Sharks
Rulings on sharks made at CITES were called “probably the most significant advancement” of this year’s talks by Dan Ashe, director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. New safeguards for five at-risk shark species (porbeagles, oceanic whitetips, great hammerheads, scalloped hammerheads, and smooth hammerheads) are the first protections for sharks that are widely caught and traded in masse for their meat and fins. While CITES can’t ban local fishing, they can require anglers to prove their catch was legally caught and require permits to be obtained for export.
Turtles
Led by the United States and China, delegates from 200 nations agreed to pass tougher regulations on international turtle trade. Protections cover several dozen turtle species, including 30 kinds of freshwater box turtles and 8 soft-shelled turtles. Even Japan, a country not normally at the forefront of turtle protection, joined in by proposing the Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle for protection under CITES Appendix II. Interestingly, this is the first time the US and China have teamed up in CITES history.
Elephants and Rhinos
Illegal trade in rhino horns and elephant tusks – mostly through multinational crime syndicates - has been on the rise in the past several years, causing a host of new regulations to be passed at CITES. This year’s convention increased restrictions on the trade of rhino and elephant parts, including boosting forensic testing of confiscated or stockpiled products. Additionally, delegates approved a requirement that the 8 countries where most illegal rhino horns and elephant ivory are traded (China, Kenya, Malaysia, the Philippines, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and Vietnam) must step up their anti-poaching enforcement or risk sanctions. CITES delegates also approved measures to set up Wildlife Incident Support Teams (WISTs) that can be dispatched to aid with anti-poaching enforcement.
In addition to increased conservation measures taken by the CITES delgates, countless organizations worldwide work to stop rhino poaching. One such organzation is the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), formed in 1993 to protect all extant rhino species. The IRF's programs include research stations, protecting rhino habitat in the wild, and mobilizing anti-poaching units to protect rhinos in the wild. Tanganyika's Indian Rhino Feeding Station supports the IRF. A portion of every feeding goes towards the IRF's anti-poaching efforts, so next time you're out to visit, give Henry a snack and support two great causes - Tanganyika and the IRF.
Great Apes
CITES delegates addressed concerns about great apes being taken from the wild. According to a United Nations report released earlier in March, nearly 3,000 live great apes are taken from the wild in Africa and Asia each year. At least 22,000 apes have been removed from the wild since 2005, according to the UN report, and nearly two-thirds of those are chimpanzees. The apes are poached mainly for private collectors in the Middle East as well as unscrupulous zoos in Asia. Unfortunately, the social nature of the animals often causes poachers to gun down entire family groups just to take one baby. In response to this growing crisis, CITES delegates voted to establish a global reporting system to monitor how many great apes are being taken from the wild. Though this is by no means an easy task, conservation groups believe that knowing more about what is going on is a good first step to increasing protective measures.
Trees
Though trees might not be as charismatic as rhinos, elephants, or gorillas, CITES delegates made some important headway to combat the global trade in illegal timber, which is said to be worth $30 billion per year. This year’s CITES talks focused mainly on two particularly troubled trees - rosewood and ebony. Both trees are harvested heavily in Southeast Asia and Africa (especially Madagascar) for furniture. Both Thai rosewood and ebony from Madagascar were put on Appendix II of CITES. This designation will require permits from exporters as well as importers of both kinds of lumber.
Trip to Phoenix Zoo
Over the past several years I have made it a point to visit other zoos when I get the chance. I have been fortunate to visit zoos around the world, which has provided me with wonderful insight and ideas to improve Tanganyika. When I visit a zoo, I look at way more than the animals. I observe their operations, exhibit design and construction, animal collection, etc,. Ultimatley, I consider everything through the lens of whether it would enhance the experience at Tanganyika or does Tanganyika already rock more. With that, below is my list of observations from my visit to the Phoenix Zoo this past week.
Honorable Mentions
Respectable Animal Collection – the animal collection was pretty good, but not overly impressive considering the size of the zoo and its market. That being said, they did have some of my favorite animals like cheetahs and rhinoceros hornbills.
Squirrel Monkey Walk-Through – Most of the exhibits are the over-built and themed exhibits typical in the larger zoos today. However, they did have a squirrel monkey walk-though exhibit. It allowed viewing from one side and a walk-through on the other. It was very big, but housed 17 squirrel monkeys (which are small). I saw 7 or 8 of them and enjoyed watching them.
Giraffe Outlook – The giraffe exhibit featured some other animals like ostrich and eland, which was cool. Other than that, the yard wasn’t anything fancy and was on a hill. The giraffe were on the other side of hill, so they were hard to see unless you went up an observation tower. The tower was pretty neat and included sliding stairs, a rope bridge, and a great view of the yard from up high.
Playschool Area – In their children’s zoo they had a play area designed by Playschool. It featured some of their characters and was a neat place to play. I have actually seen them at a couple of zoos before and they are great for little kids.
Why Tanganyika Rocks More Than This “Zoo”
Parking – We shouldn’t say much here because our parking lot isn’t very large either. However, we are a small, family-owned wildlife park in our 5th year. Phoenix Zoo is a large, municipal zoo in a huge market and celebrating their 50th
year. I feel they should have a parking lot able to accommodate a normal Saturday crowd. As it was, I had to park at the municipal parking lot and walk more than ½ mile to the entrance.
Layout – We have been meticulous about the overall layout of Tanganyika and we had the advantage of having one designer for the entire Park. Phoenix lacked a smooth flow and required me to backtrack quite a distance in multiple locations. There were also large gaps between several exhibits, which made the zoo feel even emptier. While we haven’t been the best a grouping animals, their collection is scattered with no rhyme or reason to the placement.
OK Zoo to SEE Animals – Like most of the large zoos in the US, they have little to no interaction with animals. Sure, you could “see” animals in most of the exhibits, but you could get close to just a few animals and interact with even fewer. They did boast a giraffe feeding experience but the times were limited and it was $5.00 a feeding like other large zoos I have been too such as D allas & Tampa’s Lowry Park. That makes the $2.00 we will be charging a steal.
In all, the Phoenix Zoo was not one of my favorite zoos. It wasn’t bad necessarily, but it did little to inspire me. In all, I
don’t believe the Phoenix Zoo holds a candle to Tanganyika Wildlife Park or Sedgwick County Zoo for that matter. If you are ever in the area, it might be worth checking out, but I would recommend the Wildlife World Zoo instead. I’ll write a review on that one soon.
America's Best Zoo Exhibits
Each year I take a "zoo-cation" and visit other zoos across the country. I recently visited 3 zoos in Wisconsin. My favorite was Wildwood Wildlife Park in Minocqua, WI (however, Timbavati Zoo in the Wisconsin Dells was still under contruction). In the spirit of the annual trip, I have listed some of the craziest exhibits I have seen around the country.
America's Best Zoo Exhibits
- Snakes: Somewhere In This Room!
Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, GA - The Fascinating World Of Dead Capybaras
Bronx Zoo, Bronx, NY - Why Sloths And Chimps Can't Have Babies
Chehaw Wild Animal Park,
Albany, GA - Anacondo
San Francisco Zoo,
San Francisco, CA - You Deal With This Sick Rhino
Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth, TX - Kanga-Roofied
Sea World/Busch Gardens, Orlando, FL - Inside The Digestive Tract Of The Mighty Boa Constrictor
Toledo Zoo, Toledo, OH - Nature's Videos We Rented
Birmingham Zoo, Birmingham, AL - Feed Twizzlers To The African Waterbuck
San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, TX - Watch The Zookeeper-Mauling Polar Bear Get Euthanized
Memphis Zoo, Memphis, TN - Polaroids Of Koalas
Mesker Park Zoo, Evansville, IN - Peacocks And Turkeys: Nature's Unlikely Best Buddies
Fort Wayne Children's Zoo,
Fort Wayne, IN - Suddenly There's Bears!
Wildlife Parking Lot
Gladys Porter Zoo, Brownsville, TX - Mr. Hippo Loves Mrs. Hippo Very Much
Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, MA - Hamm's Bear Cardboard Stand-Ups Behind Bars
Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, Chicago, IL
Ok, this list was actually created and stolen from the satire site, The Onion. They have some great material. I hope you enjoyed it. I have posted a link to their site below.
The Onion, September 3, 2003 | ISSUE 39•34
TIME: Are Lemurs Mom Enough? (spoof)
Tanganyika's ring tailed lemurs have recently had babies, but their methods in raising their young have sparked public outrage. Lemur Island's mothers jump from rock to rock with their babies clinging tightly for life underneath, but that isn't the controversy that has people talking.
The lemur mothers breastfeed their young, ranging in age from new-born to two months old, in public. Some think that breastfeeding a two-month-old lemur in-public is irresponsible parenting and the offspring's self-esteem will suffer when other young lemurs poke fun, although science has yet to prove that breastfeeding older lemur babies is detrimental. .
"They're really pushing the limits of decency here. It’s just wrong seeing a lemur so old breastfeeding right out in the open. I mean, they don't even wear shirts!" an anonymous Park visitor said.
Another Park visitor thought otherwise. "I don't know, I mean people breastfeed their children in public; why is it so wrong for an animal to do it in public? I do think they could wear shirts, but it seems kinda impractical?"
The lemur mothers are offended by the outrage. "I think we (I) should have the right to jump from trees and rocks with our young and we should be able to feed them wherever and whenever we want. Also, we're animals - why does everyone want us to wear shirts?" a spokeslemur for the Lactation Emancipation of Mammals Under Ridiculous Scrutiny (LEMURS) organization said.
According to an official statement from the Park, Tanganyika has been breeding the endangered ring-tail lemurs for over 20 years. Every year they have several babies that grow up to contribute to the survival of their species. They support the lemurs’ decision to care for their young and have yet to receive any formal complaints.
In fact, the baby lemurs are often one of the biggest attractions at Tanganyika Wildlife Park, which features the only Lemur Feeding Island in the United States. The Lemur Island allows visitors to have the opportunity to experience these amazing animals up-close by feeding them a healthy snack. As the babies get older, they take part as they start to adventure away from mom, curiously interacting with and entertaining visitors.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park isn’t only known for its Lemur experience. It is actually the most interactive zoo in Kansas and offers a giraffe feeding experience, kangaroo walk-about, lorikeet feeding experience, a children’s zoo, and more. In addition, Tanganyika is home to some of the rarest animals in the country including Diablo, the famous honey badger that has been featured with Jack Hanna on David Letterman and Good Morning America.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park is an organization dedicated to sharing their passion for animals by providing REAL experiences that are entertaining and educational in order to have a significant impact in the stewardship of selected species. The Park has been operating since 1986 and first opened to the public August 2nd, 2008. Tanganyika Wildlife Park is West of 183rd St W on Maple in Goddard, KS. The Park’s hours are currently 9:00-5:00 daily. For more information on the Park, please visit www.twpark.com.
Baby Boom
The baby boom of 2012 is starting at Tanganyika Wildlife Park. We continue our outstanding conservation efforts with a number of new babies including:
- 10 endangered African penguins
- 4 endangered Clouded Leopards
- Many ring-tail lemurs
- Many baby Red Kangaroo Joeys
We are also expecting a number of other babies including Reticulated giraffes, snow leopards, colobus monkeys, and a few other suprises.
Tanganyika started as a breeding facility more than 25 years ago in order to help create sustainable captive populations of many rare and endangered species. Many of the animals at Tanganyika were chosen because zoos as a whole were/are struggling with breeding these animals. In order to keep from capturing more animals from the wild it is imperative zoos have sustainable popluations. Tanganyika fulfills an important role in the zoo industry trying to maintain these captive populations. In other words, by visiting Tanganyika you are not only receiving a truly unique experience, you are supporting one of the most prolific zoos in the United States. Thanks to eveyone that has allowed us to continue our conservation efforts!
Finally, I want to know what you think of our conservation efforts and/or which babies are your favorite.
Matt Fouts, Asst Director
Voted #1 "Best Place For Family" by the Wichita Family Magazine
Tanganyika Wildlife Park was voted by the Wichita Family Magazine as the #1 "Best Place for Family" in Wichita.
