The Tanganyika Wildlife Foundation
The Tanganyika Wildlife Foundation is a 501(c)(3) with the purpose of supporting exotic and endangered animal conservation and education efforts locally (via Tanganyika Wildlife Park) and around the world.
The Tanganyika Wildlife Foundation (TWF) was originally created by Jim and Sherri Fouts to increase awareness and educate potential visitors about the various rare and endangered species housed at their facility. In 2006, the Fouts’ decided to dramatically increase the amenities available to visitors and the number of species at their facility. In other words, they chose to build an entirely new zoo. This ultimately required that they create a for-profit entity for the purpose of securing financing to build Tanganyika Wildlife Park. Tanganyika Wildlife Park had a significant opportunity to enhance TWF’s mission by allowing more people access to these amazing animals and by providing a Wildly Different Experience.
Since Tanganyika’s opening in 2008, the TWF has hosted several events to raise money for the animals at Tanganyika as well as to support conservation around the world. Starting in 2007, TWF held an annual charity concert to benefit Tanganyika. The first year was to raise money to import African penguins and was called “Pickin’ for Penguins”. The next two years featured Ty Herndon (2008) and Kenny Loggins (2009) and benefited the Indian Rhinos that arrived at about that time. Those events were called “Rockin’ for Rhinos”. The TWF also hosted two charity dinners at Tanganyika with Jack Hanna as the guest of honor. Jack has been a big supporter of the Tanganyika Wildlife Foundation and Tanganyika Wildlife Park. He frequently uses the animals from Tanganyika in his conservation shows around the country.
Tanganyika Winter Fund
While we love the four seasons of our park’s home on the Kansas plains, caring for animals during the winter when the park is closed is our biggest financial challenge each year. Our annual cost to provide for our hundreds of animals is nearly $600,000, with not a penny coming from government funding.
This figure grew when we rushed to the aid of another zoo destroyed by a flood in 2011, adopting their entire big cat collection into our family literally overnight, including two lions, two Amur leopards, a Bengal tiger and an Amur tiger, with the exception of the lions (and only by a thread), all endangered in the wild. With them came three reticulated giraffes, as we were one of the only zoos in the country able to offer the unique type of habitat they need.
This stretched our young zoo’s budget past its limits, prompting us to set aside a special Tanganyika Winter Fund as part of our 501(c)(3) efforts. With the help of donations from the community and our growing fundraising events, the many endangered and at-risk animals in our care, including our newest family members, will continue to thrive, furthering our bigger mission of preserving these magnificent animals in the wild for generations to come.
Help us in honoring the life of Rick by donating on his behalf to support the rare and endangered animals at Tanganyika Wildlife Park.
Become A Part of Our Legacy
We’re honored that you’d consider us for any financial contribution that fits your needs and hopes for our foundation. As such, we have some creative ways to help you expand your legacy by joining in ours.
Preservation
Tanganyika Wildlife Park is accredited by the Zoological Association of America and passionately believes they have a responsibility to be stewards for animals in their care and the wild (in-situ), so they strive to strengthen the connection between people and the natural world by providing REAL experiences that are entertaining and educational.
The Park has been operating for more than 30 years, and first opened to the public August 2, 2008.Tanganyika’s primary goal isthe conservation of animals. The Park contains some of the most rare and endangered species in the world, and gives guests unique ways to learn and interact with some of these species, in order encourage stewardship and education. The Park is dedicated to helping visitors improve their connection with the wonders of the animal world and to be one of the premier facilities for breeding endangered species.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park is well known as one of the most successful and prolific breeding facilities for big cats in the world, with the goal of species conservation. Prior to the 2016 litter of cheetahs, the first born in Kansas, eight different cat species had been bred at the Park, including clouded leopards, lynx, snow leopards, caracals, Bengal tigers, jaguars, Amur leopards, and servals.
Tanganyika is known for providing visitors the opportunity to observe species unique to the area, interact with endangered species and enjoy the natural and stunning environment around them.
Below is a list of the In-situ Projects we support:
Corporate Sponsorships
Tanganyika Wildlife Park passionately believes it has a responsibility to be stewards for animals in their care and the wild, so we strive to strengthen the connection between people and the natural world by providing REAL experiences that are entertaining and educational, and we welcome corporate sponsorships for exhibits, events, structures, landscaping, signage and more.
Planned Giving
There are plenty of advantages to making a gift to Tanganyika Wildlife Park in your will, trust or other gift plan. Tax savings are one benefit, as well as helping to support the perseveration and protection of wild and endangered species, both in our care and around the world.
Bequests and memorials to Tanganyika Wildlife Park honor the life of someone whose passion for wildlife will live on through our efforts to preserve and protect wild and endangered species. We are grateful and honored to be considered for such gifts.
Children's Zoo Expansion
Tanganyika Wildlife Park believes that we as humans have the responsibility of being stewards for the earth's rare and endangered species. To fulfill our mission, we have to have a significant impact in the lives of people by providing REAL experiences that are entertaining and educational. For our first major expansion, we want to focus on the future: Our children. Our new children's zoo will feature more than 20 new exhibits and 14 interactive and immersive experiences to ensure we can touch the hearts of children, and adults.
