Animals and Conservation Efforts at a Wichita Wildlife Park

Zoos like Tanganyika, a Wichita wildlife park, greatly impact species conservation. From breeding endangered animals and raising money for conservation organizations, to educating the public about wild animals and their preservation, zoos have an essential role to play in animal conservation efforts.

Tanganyika Wildlife Park itself has a snow leopard breeding program that has seen massive success. In addition, this Wichita wildlife park hosts conservation weekends annually, like GCF’s giraffe weekend, and educates the community through its education programs. In this blog, we will talk about how this Wichita wildlife park is making a difference, how you can help, and how to make the most of your visit to Tanganyika. 

How a Local Wild Animal Park Has Been Making a Difference

You might not know that Kansas’ local wild animal park, Tanganyika, has helped relocate giraffes in Africa, saved 51 penguins on Dyer Island, encouraged breeding efforts to ensure a healthy population, and raised funds for animal conservation. Let’s dive more into some of these specific projects so you can learn more about why zoos are essential to the protection and preservation of different animal species. 

Giraffe Relocation Project

The Giraffe Conversation Foundation’s Operation Twiga was a translocation program aimed at conserving giraffes, particularly the critically endangered Nubian subspecies. “Twiga” is Swahili for giraffes. Tanganyika, a local wild animal park in Wichita, KS held a giraffe conservation weekend to raise funds for this project. 

The program relocates healthy giraffes to protected national parks in areas where the Nubian giraffe population has been devastated or is already extinct. The project’s goal is to re-establish local populations. GCF works hard to ensure the safety and survival of these majestic animals as they breed and form herds within their new homes. 

Recently, GCF and Operation Twiga introduced about 15 more Nubian giraffes to Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, where they joined the giraffes that were relocated in 2019. The team has high hopes for the Nubian subspecies within the protected areas of these parks and is leading the charge in conserving Africa’s gentle giants. 

Tanganyika is home to one of the largest herds of giraffes, and to date, 84 babies have been born at the park. This is more than all but one other zoo in the United States. Not only does Tanganyika work to preserve the species by ensuring a healthy population in human care, but we also work with conservation organizations like GCF to raise funds for projects like Operation Twiga. 

Saving Penguins in South Africa

Tanganyika Wildlife Park recently donated a generous sum of money to help rescue 51 penguins in South Africa. The penguins were in dire need of assistance due to a shortage of food caused by overfishing, which resulted in starvation and illness in the colony. 

The Dyer Island Conservation Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of marine wildlife, worked tirelessly to rehabilitate the penguins and nurse them back to health. 

Tanganyika’s donation played a significant role in making this rescue mission possible, and it’s heartening to see a company committed to using its resources to protect and preserve endangered species. It’s a great reminder that we all have a role to play in conservation efforts, and every little bit counts in positively impacting our planet.

Conserving Rare and Endangered species

The Wichita wildlife park, Tanganyika, continues to breed rare, endangered species successfully. Through this program, endangered species populations can take steps away from extinction in a safe, regulated space. The wild animal park has had rare species come from their program. For example, they had a litter with three black, or melanistic, Amur leopards. This small litter helped double the melanated Amur leopards’ population, which shows why these programs are so important. 

Tanganyika Wildlife Park also hosts many conservation fundraisers for giraffes, rhinos, hippos, and other species. These events help educate the public about what is happening to animals out in the wild. Saving these animals from extinction significantly affects the future of rare and endangered species populations. 

Species like penguins, giraffes, and Amur leopards need our help. If we don’t take action to save rare and endangered species, future generations will never get to see these majestic creatures first hand. 

Check out our Tanganyika Wildlife Foundation for more information on how you can set up recurring monthly donations to help Tanganyika and their mission to inspire stewardship of animals!

How to Partner With Tanganyika Wildlife Park, Goddard, KS, and Help With Animal Conservation  

Tanganyika Wildlife Park, Goddard has plenty of unforgettable experiences, but did you know that every experience you pay for makes a difference within that park? So when looking for a “wild animal park near me,” consider the benefits you and the park animals get from your visit.

 When visiting Tanganyika Wildlife Park, Wichita, KS, our goals are for the guests to learn something new about the rare and endangered species you can find throughout the park. The park’s goal is to bring in funds to educate the public and be able to continue to care for its animals. 

You can make a difference at your local Wichita wildlife park. Paying a visit to the park is an immense help, but there is so much more you could do. For example, in 2022, everyone helped raise $3,000 for the Giraffe Conservation Foundation during their annual Giraffe Weekend. This weekend was full of giraffe-themed activities and handmade merchandise that was donated to raise money. 

Also, numerous items in the gift shop help support conservation and humanitarian efforts when purchased. For instance, we have Torrain Recycled Bags made from old feed bags. These crafts were created by women in Africa, and buying them help reduce poverty. We also have seeds and plants to help pollinators and other handbags and jewelry made by African artisans. 

A recurring monthly donation to Tanganyika Wildlife Park helps us continue our breeding programs. The money goes towards caring for our animals, as care and maintenance costs can easily exceed $300,000/year.

Tanganyika Wildlife Park is constantly working to raise money for many conservation organizations around the world. Check out our website for more information about the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and how you can help their cause, or take a look at Tanganyika Wildlife Foundation for more!

Schedule a Family Outing at a Wichita Wildlife Park That’s Saving Our Planet’s Animals

Discover various engaging activities at the Wichita Wildlife Park, Tanganyika, where adventure and conservation come together. Choose whether to feed rare animals, have an up-close encounter with gentle sloths, or have an immersive weekend stay within the park grounds. Each visit contributes to the park’s ongoing mission to preserve and propagate endangered species, ensuring a future for these remarkable creatures.

Making Admission Easier

Sometimes, the simple pleasure of visiting the park is all one needs to enjoy a memorable experience. By purchasing even a single ticket, you contribute to the park’s welfare in a meaningful way. To streamline this process further, consider acquiring a season pass, which will allow you to easily reserve your visit at no extra cost.

Season passes range from the Basic Season Pass, which covers admission only, to the premium Gold Season Pass, which offers an array of enticing perks. With a Gold Pass, enjoy limitless access to feeding stations and extra feedings for friends. These sought-after passes sell out annually, so be sure to join our mailing list and follow our social media channels to ensure you don’t miss your chance to secure one.

Feeding Rare and Endangered Species

At this Wichita wildlife park, you can feed anything from a rabbit to a rhino. Our most popular is  our Ring-Tailed Lemur feeding. These animals are on the endangered species list and it is an experience nobody would want to miss out on. Unlike all of the other encounters, the lemurs do not get lettuce or carrots. Their treat is actually craisins! 

Come and visit the park to see how crazy these lemurs are for their favorite snack. Connecting with these animals helps visitors understand why we must care for different animal species. Other ways to help include donating to Eden Reforestation, using Ecosia as a search engine to help the company plant trees, or using sustainable wood in building projects. 

Hang Around With Sloths

Tanganyika has wildly different experiences where you can hang out with giraffes, otters, small cats, and even sloths! During these experiences, you can do anything from tossing some toys to an African serval or even hand-feeding a two-toed sloth. 

Purchasing one of these experiences is something the average zoo visitor doesn’t see every day. With a season pass, you could come in every day during the season and feed a giraffe, but booking one of our Wildly Different Experiences is one of the best ways to get a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Sleepover at a Zoo

Whether it is with your family, or friends, a weekend trip is usually one to remember. Imagine if you were able to stay the night in a zoo. At Tanganyika Wildlife Park, they offer an Ultimate Weekend where you can upgrade to our onsite AirBnB and stay in the park. You also get to do EVERY experience the zoo has to offer.  This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will give the whole family memories they will tell for generations to come.

To learn more about these unique experiences, read our blog about our season passes and share with your community. 

About the author:

Tori is a marketing intern at Tanganyika Wildlife Park but started her career as a zookeeper intern with Tanganyika. She has a unique perspective from both the marketing standpoint and the animal side of the park.