Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita, Kansas – Sunday, June 7, 2026
Today started with a bang. Meg has 2 dogs (Great Pyrenes mix, and a Greyhound). Both were outside in the backyard when I hear her yelling ‘Leave it! Leave it! Leave it!’ with the voice pitch getting progressively louder. When I look out all looks okay, so I figured it wasn’t life and death. One of the dogs had gotten a fledgling bird just learning to fly. Once the first one dropped it on command, the other picked it up! Mom and Dad bird were yelling and squawking and dive-bombing Meg and the dogs. They came in, with Meg telling the dogs how great they were for ‘leaving it’. Meg says it was not the way she wanted to start her morning!
After that we went to church at Grace Presbyterian Church. This is a church just a few blocks from Meg’s house. It’s a lovey old light stone building filled with light and space. It was a great service!
After that we decided that the Sedgwick County Zoo was on the agenda. Meg had heard good things about it and that there were 4 new baby elephants! It was relatively cooler today (I guess – felt hot to me!) with the temperatures in the low 80s with higher humidity, and low overcast, so Meg said it was the perfect day to go.
The zoo is the 13th largest in the US, and it covers 247 acres. Reading about it, the zoo seems to put a high value on conservation, education, and naturalistic habitats. The zoo is on the west edge of town, but feels like it is way out in the middle of nowhere. Everything about it was lovely. The grounds look to be as much conservatory of plants as well. According to the information I found about the zoo, they maintain a large horticultural team that designs and maintains the habitats, gardens, and greenhouse. They also accept donations of container plants to be use in the winter holding areas and indoor habitats.
Throughout the gardens, exhibits and benches, there were plaques of the same metal as the statues and information plates stating donation information. All of them had some kind of phrase such as ‘animal lover’ or ‘loved the zoo’ or someother personal touch. They were tastefully done, just like everything else here, and had a personal touch that you don’t normaly see. Everything here was done with such care and just done right!
I was really impressed with the zoo and the grounds. They are lovely. Because we were there in late afternoon, and I’m still significantly lame today, we didn’t see a lot, but saw enough to know that I want to come back. The paths are large and expansive, and there is a small train that runs around the perimeter of the grounds. Growing up, I spent a lot of time at the Portland, Oregon Zoo, and loved the similar train that was there. I really want to come back and go on this train!
Because I’m not moving to fast, Meg and I each voted on two specific exhibits that we wanted to see. She chose the Elephants and the Prairie Dogs. I voted for Giraffes and Zebras. So, we started off, and promptly got lost!
The first thing we saw was a large pond, and a whole lot of Flamingos! They were fascinating, standing and resting on one leg. That is until a couple decided to start trouble, and we watched a small quarrel break out. I loved the light color and dark colors of the birds. In front of the Flamingo viewing area there was a statue of a flamingo and a large metal sign with information about the birds. It was a lovely way to impart information, and added elegance to the area.
As we headed along the path, we saw the children’s barn entrance. On the sign was the images of a cow, horse, rabbit, etc. I immediately decided I wanted to see the horse, because I was going through horse withdrawal. Meg reminded me that I could see my own horse when I got back home. She’s right. I’ll just have to wait!
Everywhere we looked were gardens, trees and waterways. At the entrance, you could buy fish food, and there were signs about feeding the fish on bridges and certain points on the trail. And all around those points there were huge Koi fish congregating. Clearly, they were well fed! They were large, round, shiny and very active.
The next exhibit we came on was the Prairie Dogs. We didn’t think they were out in the open as the large enclosure looked empty at first glance. But it wasn’t. It was full of Prairie Dogs, and they were adorable. They blended into the background. The information said that out on the prairie, their burrows aeriated the soil and left it in better condition as they moved on. They were quick and really fun to watch.
We passed the Giraffe area, but no Giraffe’s were to be seen. Signs mentioned that they may be inside their enclosures if it was hot. That was a bummer.
The next exhibit we came to on our quest for elephants was the big cat area. The habitat was amazing. Multilayered with bridges and burrows, we were lucky to see the snow leopards. That was really fun. They are really gorgeous!
We never did see the elephants, so we’ll just have to go back. I’ll have Meg send me pictures of the baby elephants when she gets to see them. The Zoo is supposed to have one of the largest and best laid out habitats for elephants.
On our way out, one of the Giraffes had finally ventured outside. So we each got one of our votes today. I had to laugh because the Giraffe reminded me of Meg’s Greyhound, Elmo. Elmo is long. Long legs, long back, long neck and long nose. The Giraffe is just much taller.
We had fun. And we returned to Wine Dive for dinner again. It was worth a second trip! Now we are just kicking back and relaxing.
