Topeka Zoo Turns the Page on 2022, Keeps Momentum in 2023.
As the Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center celebrates its 90th anniversary, we look back at 2022 as a banner year. With a calendar that provided guests key experiences like Dinosaurs Alive!, Zoo Lights, and a return to pre-pandemic events like Brew at the Zoo, the Zoo is pleased to announce that 2022 yielded record modern-era attendance with 288,486 guests.
With over 46% of Zoo guests visiting from outside of Shawnee County, this establishes the Topeka Zoo as one of the largest attractions in Northeast Kansas. Guests visited from far and wide to enjoy the zoo's diverse range of animals and events, and the Zoo is proud to have provided an educational and entertaining experience for all. 60% of Zoo guests are over the age of 12, which shatters the misconception that Zoos are designed primarily for young children.
“Our community continues to show just how much they value the Zoo experience and Gage Park,” says Brendan Wiley, CEO of the Topeka Zoo. “We value our community support more than anything. Last year we saw record attendance. This year, we are dedicated to continuing trends of growth, activity and community engagement.”
In 2023, the Topeka Zoo will celebrate its 90 year anniversary. It kicks off a historic year with the opening of Giraffe & Friends on March 10, 2023. The project will be the largest in Topeka Zoo history and will complete the Safari Experience and interact with Camp Cowabunga, opened in 2018. Though the experience opens in March, it will continue to evolve as time passes and new animals, or “Friends” arrive.
The giraffe won’t be the only ones welcoming new friends in 2023. The Topeka Zoo has recommendations from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to receive a few new additions.
A male African lion will join our existing pride of lionesses, Zuri and Asante. Though he will not arrive as part of a breeding pair, his arrival will begin to lay the foundation for the next lion pride at the Topeka Zoo. Two North American River Otters will also be joining the Topeka Zoo family in the coming months.
The Zoo’s successful Sumatran tiger program has made them a perfect home for a new breeding pair; Thomas, who arrived from the Kansas City Zoo in January, and a female tiger set to arrive in the near future.
The Topeka Zoo is grateful for the support of its guests and partners and is committed to continuing to provide a world-class experience for all of 2023 and beyond. Those interested in learning more about all that 2023 has to offer can visit TopekaZoo.org.
