ZOO to YOU
Catch up with the latest news at LRZ with articles, press releases, and other fun updates
written and created by Zoo Staff.
July's Staff Pic of the Month
July's Staff Pic of the Month Winner was Emily S. with their submission of this photo of a white-cheeked gibbon.
The Pic of the Month winners are selected by the Zoo's Advisory Board during their monthly meetings.
Congratulations Emily!
In the Eye of the Beholder
- Houston Glover, Conservation Awareness Coordinator
Image: "Bantu" an African lion emerges from his indoor habitat.
When you spend time watching an animal—at a zoo, in the wild, or in a domestic setting—you likely find yourself watching their eyes. Whether the animal in question is a lion, a deer, a snake, or an eagle, the human brain seems to be wired to seek out and watch its eyes. This instinct has to do with the fact that we, like our cousins the primates, use our faces and especially our eyes to communicate. We can express emotions and send messages to each other in little more than a glance, and it is for that reason that we latch on to any pair of eyes we can find. While other animals may not always communicate in the same way, scientists have found that we can still learn a lot about them by studying their eyes and wondering how they see the world.
If you are lucky enough to catch one of the Zoo’s lions between naps, you might lock eyes with an animal who is essentially your visual equal. At least, during the day. Given ample light, most cats have vision that is similarly sharp to our own. As the sun sets, however, the scales tip dramatically in favor of the lion. As cats, lions have much better night vision than we do, due partly to an abundance of rod cells in their retinas, which help them to make out shapes in low light. This, coupled with the depth perception that comes with having its eyes on the front of its head, makes a lion the formidable hunter we all know and love.
If a lion has one visual weakness, it is color. Like most mammals, lions have dichromatic vision, meaning that they see the world in shades of blue and green, and cannot process red or its related colors like orange or pink. As far as we know, the only mammals who can see red are the primates. That is why, to a prey animal like a deer, the bright orange of a tiger’s stripes or a hunter’s vest blends in with the greens of the forest. To avoid being eaten, though, many prey animals have their eyes on the sides of their heads, and elongated, horizontal pupils. These give a deer over 300 degrees of vision, meaning it can see almost all the way around itself at all times. That makes it very difficult to sneak up on a deer.
Depending on the species, a snake may have round or narrow pupils, but one thing they all share is that they lack eyelids. That’s right, snakes cannot close their eyes. Instead, they have a clear scale called a spectacle that covers each eye like a contact lens. The spectacles protect their eyes from dust and debris and can be shed with the rest of the snake’s skin as it grows.
An eagle is renowned for its sharp vision, and for good reason. Bald eagles have 20/5 vision, which is four times sharper than 20/20. Ultimately, this helps them with their aerial hunting, as they can make out a rabbit from 2 miles in the air. They’re also not color blind, and in fact can see a whole range of colors that humans cannot dream of. What’s even more amazing is that that’s true of all birds, not just eagles. While humans and other primates have three types of cone cells, which allow us to see red, blue, green, and combinations of those three, birds have a fourth type of cone cell that allows them to see the ultraviolet spectrum as well.
There is so much more to be learned about animal vision, and no two species have eyes that are exactly alike. On your next visit to the Zoo, we’d like to encourage you to pay extra attention to the animals’ eyes and marvel at all their different shapes, colors, and sizes. Who knows, a few of them may be wondering about your eyes at the same time.
Getting "Wild" for Birds
- Kristi Newland, Zoo Director
Image: "Goose"a female laughing kookaburra perches in the Marie Osterbuhr Aviary.
If you like to support bird conservation or Lee Richardson Zoo, or just like having a good time, you have a great opportunity coming up in about a month. Friends of Lee Richardson Zoo (FOLRZ) are bringing back A Wild Affair on September 6, 2025, and the project they’re raising funds for is called Feathers Forever!
The Feathers Forever campaign is just kicking off. When complete, it will fund the construction of a building that will share a wall with the flight of the Zoo’s Marie Osterbuhr Aviary. The flight is the large outdoor area where a variety of birds live. Currently many of the birds that visitors can see in the flight during the warmer weather are moved to a temperature-controlled area in the back of the Zoo for the cooler part of the year since they can’t handle those temperatures. Those birds stay in their ‘winter holding area’ until the weather has stabilized at warmer levels and return to the flight at that point. This means twice a year the birds are caught and transported across the Zoo, taking extra staff time, and creating some stress for staff and birds alike.
The new building will provide temperature-controlled shelter for the cooler months that is connected directly to the flight. As temperatures cool, the doors in the common wall will be opened for the birds to seek shelter and overwinter in the building. There will also be a viewing window into the building, allowing guests to see the birds during this time. If the temperatures fluctuate and give us a warm period during the cooler months, the birds can go into the flight simply by staff opening a door. Then, when the cooler temperatures return, the birds can go back into the new building. The Feathers Forever campaign comes on the heels of the completion of FOLRZ’s Playground at Primate Forest effort. The installation of the inclusive playground is to start next week.
A Wild Affair is a 21-and-over event offering tasty samples from local restaurants, caterers, and bakeries showcasing a “taste of Southwest Kansas,” with music, adult beverages, and unique auction items too! Tickets will be $70 each until August 30th, when they’ll increase to $80 each. Tickets will go on sale soon. Keep an eye on the Zoo website (leerichardsonzoo.org), the Zoo Facebook page, or the FOLRZ website or Facebook page for updates.
Zoo Mourns Passing of Bactrian Camel
Zoo Welcomes New Ambassador Animals
Images: On the left, "Woody" the blue-fronted amazon parrot, on the right, "Jupiter" the eastern screech owl.
What has the Conservation Awareness Team at the Lee Richardson Zoo all a-twitter? Why it is new ambassador animals! Ambassador animals join the Conservation Awareness Team to engage the public in our Zoo’s conservation awareness and educational efforts.
While living behind the scenes and in training, two birds have joined the Lee Richardson Zoo’s ambassador roster. A 20-year-old, male blue-fronted amazon parrot named “Woodstock” or “Woody” for short was the first to join. While tropical in sound, blue-fronted amazon parrots are from the dry woodlands and savannas in South America, making them well-suited for our Kansas zoo.
The second addition is Jupiter, a 6-year-old female eastern screech owl. These small owls inhabit most of eastern North America, spanning from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic coast and from southern Canada down to Florida and southern Texas. They are highly adaptable to a variety of habitats, including forests, parks, and even suburban areas.
Both Woody and Jupiter have already forged relationships with keepers and conservation awareness staff. Although both birds have habitats located behind the scenes, Zoo fans will be able to see them while attending Conservation Awareness Programs or occasionally during special events.
Welcome Woody, and Jupiter!
Zoo Mourns Passing of Bactrian Camel
New Gibbon Swings into Town
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Image: "Tangra" a female northern white cheeked gibbon rests inside her habitat located in the Zoo's Wild Asia area.
Lee Richardson Zoo has welcomed a new species. Female northern white-cheeked gibbon, “Tangra,” recently arrived from Lincoln Children’s Zoo thanks to a Species Survival Plan (SSP) recommendation through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). A male companion will join Tangra once the temperatures are appropriate for his travel.
White-cheeked gibbons are classified as lesser apes. Unlike the much bigger and bulkier great apes, gibbons are slender, diminutive, and more arboreal, and weigh on average under 20 pounds. Gibbons have the longest arms in proportion to their legs of any primate. Their arms are about 1 ½ times as long as their legs, an adaptation that suits gibbons perfectly for their preferred form of locomotion, brachiation. Gibbons move quickly and gracefully through the canopy of trees by swinging on the underside of branches, arm over arm. They typically live in male-female pairs with offspring, and pairs display a duetting call that helps them bond, locate one another, and advertise territory.
Northern white-cheeked gibbons are found primarily in the tropical and sub-tropical forests of Laos, and in some small pockets in Vietnam. Due to various human threats, the population has declined to fewer than 2,000 individuals worldwide. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies them as Critically Endangered.
Tangra is a very sweet and engaging gibbon who is fascinated and interested in people. You can see her in her outdoor habitat in the Zoo’s Wild Asia.
Stop by Lee Richardson Zoo soon to see Tangra in her new home and learn more about the species, or call us at 620-276-1250.
Meet Sylvia the Stanley Crane
- Emily Sexson, Communication Specialist
Image: "Sylvia" the Stanley crane explores her habitat at the Lee Richardson Zoo.
There’s a very special lady who resides at the Lee Richardson Zoo. While her habitat mates flaunt their flamboyant crowns and call out loudly to each other, she walks through the tall grass almost silently. Her beautiful silvery bluish-gray body often blends into her surroundings. She has dark gray wingtips and extra-long tertial feathers that dangle nearly to the ground. Her name? Sylvia. Her species? Stanley crane.
Stanley cranes are also known as blue cranes or paradise cranes. Most crane species, like Sylvia’s habitat mates, the African crowned crane, possess red patches of scaly skin on their heads that they use for threat displays. Stanley cranes, along with their close relatives, the demoiselle crane, do not have these red patches but instead have head feathers that become erect when excited or threatened.
Sylvia stands around three and a half feet tall and has a nearly six-foot wingspan. Her species is native to South Africa, with a small population residing in Namibia. This crane has the smallest range of any crane species. Stanley cranes are the national bird of South Africa. Both the Xhosa and Zulu tribes of Africa revere the Stanley crane. Zulu royalty were the only tribe members traditionally allowed to wear Stanley crane feathers. Only warriors in the Xhosa tribe were permitted to wear Stanley crane feathers into battle.
Unlike larger cranes, Stanley cranes are more terrestrial, prefer grasslands to wetland habitats, and will nest at high elevations. Their shorter toes are better suited for running on solid ground, while other crane species that inhabit wetter areas have longer toes for walking on soft mud. A slightly shorter beak allows Stanley cranes to forage more efficiently in the grass for seeds, insects, and small prey animals.
Sylvia’s habitat is in the African Plains portion of the Zoo; it neighbors the addax habitat and is across the road from the African lions. Sylvia shares her habitat with four male East African crowned cranes, a slightly larger species of crane that as their name implies, have a crown of golden feathers on the top of their heads. In addition to the Stanley and East African crowned cranes, Africa is home to two other resident species of crane, the wattled crane and the black crowned crane. Migratory species such as the demoiselle or Eurasian crane may overwinter in Africa.
Stanley cranes are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources due to habitat loss caused by residential and commercial development, agriculture, and mining. We can prevent further disturbances in habitats worldwide by reusing and recycling what we already have, instead of needing more resources for new items. To learn more about crane conservation and how we can help, visit the International Crane Foundation at www.savingcranes.org.
Don’t let Sylvia’s demure appearance stop you from taking a moment to admire her during your next Zoo visit. There is true beauty in her simple features, and her calm demeanor can be very comforting in our fast-paced world. Time in nature is never wasted, and the Zoo is the perfect place to slow down and soak in the natural world. The Zoo is currently open from 8 am to 7 pm.
2025 Employee of the 2nd Quarter
Photo: Emily Sexson holds up her certificate for Employee of the 2nd Quarter.
Congratulations to Emily Sexson for being recognized as the Lee Richardson Zoo's Employee of the Quarter for the second quarter of 2025.
To acknowledge her efforts and outstanding performance, Jarrett was nominated for this award by fellow zoo employees.
Emily is the Zoo's Communication Specialist.
Thank you Emily for your dedication and hard work!
Zoo Mourns Passing of Bactrian Camel
New Conservation Awareness Manager at LRZ
Image: Conservation Awareness Manager, Alice Nelson.
Lee Richardson Zoo has a new Conservation Awareness Manager. Alice Nelson was promoted to fill this key leadership role at the Zoo. Alice began her employment with the Zoo as an Education Specialist in 2021. In her new role, she will be responsible for guiding staff and volunteers of the Zoo’s Conservation Awareness Team as well as educational programming and public engagement.
"I am looking forward to leading the Conservation Awareness Team and working closely with our community members to create new programs! I am hoping to build connections with our currently more under-reached members of Garden City and provide them with a uniquely zoo point of view. If this sounds exciting to you, too, feel free to contact me,” said Alice.
For more information about the zoo’s educational opportunities, you can contact Alice directly at alice.nelson@gardencityks.us, visit our website at www.leerichardsonzoo.org/education-services, or call us at 620-276-1250.
Zoo Mourns Passing of Bactrian Camel
Zoo Mourns Loss of Eastern Black Rhinoceros
Image: "Jabari" a male eastern black rhinoceros stands in the pachyderm pool inside the rhino habitat at the Lee Richardson Zoo.
Staff at the Lee Richardson Zoo are mourning the loss of eastern black rhinoceros “Jabari”. On the morning of Friday, July 11th, Animal Care Staff entered the rhino barn to find the Zoo’s eldest male rhino deceased. A necropsy (animal autopsy) was performed, and the final results are pending.
Jabari was born in 2013 and arrived at the Zoo in May of 2016 as part of the Association of Zoo & Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for Eastern Black Rhinoceros, a critically endangered species. The SSP matched Jabari with resident female rhino “Johari”. The pair was a success and welcomed their son “Ayubu” in January of 2021.
“Jabari was definitely a favorite for many staff and guests. He was a gentle giant who absolutely loved melons and pumpkins. He would eat the whole thing in a matter of minutes. He will be greatly missed,” said Animal Keeper Jarrett Ho.
Black rhinos can currently be found in 12 countries in Africa with fewer than 6,500 individuals remaining in the wild. Populations of black rhinos decreased by 96% between 1970 and 1993, due to poaching. Rhinos are illegally hunted due to the demand for their horn (which is made of keratin, the same material as your hair and fingernails) on the black market. Since 1996, conservation efforts, including intense anti-poaching efforts and translocation to safer areas, have allowed the species to slowly recover.
Zoo Mourns Passing of Bactrian Camel
Red Ruffed Lemur Pup Names Announced
Image: Two red ruffed lemur pups snuggle up to mom Sorsha at either side while the third pup nurses with mom in the center.
After a week of voting, the three red ruffed lemur pups born at the Lee Richardson Zoo have names! Zoo Staff would like to thank the 330 individuals who voted either in person or online. The public has chosen “Baobob”, “Ocotea”, and “Ramy” for the triplets. Zoo Staff presented a ballot of three themes, each with Malagasy words inspired by the pup’s native country, Madagascar. The winning names were from the “Tree Theme”. Baobobs are known as the “tree of life” and are an iconic tree of Madagascar. Ocotea trees are a common food source for lemurs, and Ramy are a notably tall tree native to the forests in which red ruffed lemurs live.
Brothers Baobob, Ocotea, and Ramy reside in Primate Forest - Lemurs!, sharing a habitat with older siblings Mafy, Toky, and Zo, as well as Mom, Dad, and Uncle. The Zoo is also home to black and white ruffed and ring-tailed lemurs. There are over one hundred species of lemur and they are all native exclusively to the island of Madagascar.
Red ruffed lemurs are critically endangered due to threats including deforestation, hunting, and trapping. Visit Primate Forest – Lemurs! at the Lee Richardson Zoo to learn more about this species and how we can help conserve these amazing primates! The Zoo is currently open daily from 8 am to 7 pm.
Behind the Curtain of Enrichment
- Alice Nelson, Education Specialist
Image: Zoo Keeper Josh Bazdar works on weaving fire-hose to create enrichment for animal residents at the Lee Richardson Zoo.
Many of our guests are familiar with Lee Richardson Zoo; likewise, many of us are familiar with the Wizard of Oz. Behind the curtain of animal care at the Zoo may be a little different from a phony magician, but it is, nonetheless, magical. So, what goes on behind the scenes at the Zoo?
Building and placing enrichment may seem like an odd part of most keepers’ days. However, enrichment items that encourage animals to use their senses or engage in normal species behaviors play an important role in our residents’ lives. Enriching animals’ lives is not as easy as just throwing a tennis ball into their habitat and hoping for the best. Each type of animal has different requirements for “toys”. The tennis ball, for example, is too small for the lions, as they may eat it and it could potentially cause a blockage that would require surgery to be extracted. In a similar vein, a tennis ball is too large for an Amazon Milk Frog to interact with safely. Keepers must consider the size of the item and the size of any holes on the item; this helps prevent ingestion injuries and injuries from getting part of them entrapped in the item.
Keepers need to know what material makes up each item. Is that material toxic to the animal? Is the material too hard for the animals’ teeth? Can the material be safely cleaned? Will the cleaners affect the integrity of the material? Will the item, if broken, fall into sharp or otherwise dangerous particles? If intended to be digested, like special food items or sometimes cardboard, will it affect the nutrition the animal must get daily? Will it cause stomach upset or other illnesses? Will the animal like the taste? Will the essential oils of the herbs burn the skin of the animal? Will the scent of an herb, spice, or even perfume affect the animal’s behavior negatively? Will the saps and oils from tree woods affect the health of animals who come in contact with them? And many other questions.
Placement of enrichment also has many considerations. Is the enrichment too close to the water? Water may disintegrate or destroy the enrichment. Enrichment may also simply sink, which, depending on the animal type, may make the enrichment impossible to interact with. Is the enrichment hung too high in the habitat? Could an animal get hurt by the string, rope, chain, or other material that the enrichment was secured with? If the animal has a negative reaction to the enrichment, is it placed in such a way that they can no longer access food, water, or shelter without interacting or getting close to the enrichment item? Many enrichment items are considered carefully before being approved for each animal individually, as even within species, some animals have different needs than their species conspecifics. After the approval process, the enrichment is only placed with the animal under supervision the first few times so that the keepers can monitor any negative interactions. Keepers evaluate the effectiveness of all enrichment given out every time to see if it encourages the animal to use more of their senses or natural abilities.
Zoos have come a long way from animals sitting or pacing in small concrete boxes. The Lee Richardson Zoo uses large, naturalistic habitats filled with enrichment for the animals to investigate. Some enrichment may be non-visible, like scents, certain herbs, and perfumes, or very noticeable, like the climbing structures found in many habitats throughout the Zoo. Placing food in novel places or feeding out new food types is also very good for engaging animals in foraging behaviors, an almost universal animal behavior. So next time you see a box in an enclosure, think of all the thoughts, observations, and work that went into making sure that the box is not dangerous but still interesting to the animals. Let’s see how many enrichment items you can find during your next visit. For more information about Lee Richardson Zoo, visit leerichardsonzoo.org or call 620-276-1250 with questions.
Zoo Mourns Passing of Bactrian Camel
Trumpeter Swan Cygnets Hatched
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Image: Adult trumpeter swans "Abigail" and "Will" are joined by their two cygnets on the pond.
On May 29th, the trumpeter swan couple at the Lee Richardson Zoo hatched a pair of cygnets. These are the third and fourth cygnets for the pair, “Abigail” and “Will”. The cygnets have downy gray and white feathers and are already taking trips around the pond alongside mom and dad.
Trumpeter swans were once an endangered species due to overhunting for skins and feathers. The pair’s previous hatchlings in 2023 and 2024 have since been reintroduced to the wild in Oregon as part of a reintroduction project between the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) and participating zoos, Zoo Idaho, AZA’s Trumpeter Swan Species Survival Plan (SSP), the Trumpeter Swan Society, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The program’s goal is to continue to restore trumpeter swan populations in their native habitat.
Once they reach the appropriate age, this year’s hatchlings will follow similar paths as their older sibling and parents. Each playing a significant role for their species, furthering the SSP goals, one cygnet will be released in Oregon’s Summer Lake Wildlife Area and the second will help support breeding efforts within the AZA-managed population. Until then, you can visit the swan family on the “Duck Pond” located near the flamingo habitat and along the zoo’s drive-through route.
Zoo Mourns Passing of Bactrian Camel
Anteater Returns to Lee Richardson Zoo
Image: "Chili" a female giant anteater lifts her long snoot towards the camera as she investigates her new habitat.
Photo by Cameron A. Lead Keeper
A giant anteater is back at Lee Richardson Zoo. A young female arrived from the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, California, earlier this month. 3-year-old "Aji," or "Chili" as she's known, has been in routine quarantine behind the scenes as she adjusts to her new surroundings. She was recently introduced to a holding area adjacent to the habitat and will debut in the larger area in the Zoo's South American Pampas this week. Chili will join three greater rheas, 2 of whom arrived just this past fall.
Giant anteaters are insectivores named for their diet, consisting primarily of ants and termites. They use long, stout claws to rip apart termite mounds and logs in search of insects. They have very narrow mouths with no teeth and use long, slender tongues to extract their prey. Insects are then smashed between the tongue and palate while being constantly swallowed. Because anteaters do not produce stomach acids on their own to digest their food, they ironically use the formic acid produced by their prey for digestion. Managed as a Species Survival Plan within zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), there are now around 90 individuals at nearly 50 facilities.
Native to both the forests and grasslands of Central and South America, giant anteaters are currently considered Vulnerable in the Wild, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (CITES). Populations have been reduced due to habitat destruction, particularly by fires and poaching for fur and bushmeat.
Stop by Lee Richardson Zoo soon to see Chili and the rheas in her new home and learn more about the species, or call us at 620-276-1250.
2024 Employee of the Year
Photo: Alice Nelson, Education Specialist, holds a plaque for 2024 Employee of the Year.
Please join us in congratulation Alice Nelson, Education Specialist, for being awarded 2024's Lee Richardson Zoo Employee of the Year!
As an Education Specialist, Alice is part of the Zoo's Conservation Awareness Team, you may have met her during a Zoo event or Education Program both at the zoo or with a Zoo Mobile program. She also provides husbandry for the Zoo's animal ambassadors, and much, much more!
Alice's hard work and dedication to the Zoo, Zoo guests, the animals in our care, her coworkers, and our mission goes above and beyond!
Thank you Alice for all that you do! We appreciate you so much!