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Experience exotic environments at the zoo
Published 11/10/2007 in News : Columns
Who wouldn't love to visit far-away destinations like the plains of Africa or the rugged terrain of Asia? Unfortunately, the expense of traveling around the world to far-away locations exceeds the average travel budget.
Don't fret, your opportunity to discover rare and amazing animals is located right here in Garden City. At Lee Richardson Zoo you can experience exotic environments and marvel at nature for free when you walk in or pay a mere $3 per vehicle to drive through.
Take a walk through the zoo and you will get a first-hand view of Africa's largest inhabitants. At the start of your walk you will find the black rhino. Weighing in at nearly 3,000 pounds, the black rhino is the second largest land animal in the world. Only the African elephant, located in the exhibit south of the rhino, reaches a greater size. The two horns on the black rhino's head provide a formidable defense against predators. The longer of the two horns is found closest to the nostrils and can surpass four feet in length. The appearance alone of such deadly weapons is enough to make any predator think twice before attacking.
Even the largest of African predators, tipping the scales at 550 pounds and reaching lengths of up to 10 feet, must choose its prey wisely. A group of lions is called a pride; and within a pride, the number of females is usually greater than the number of males. Despite a male's large size, he is not the primary provider of food for the pride. The females of the group are all related and stay together for life, acting as the hunters for the pride. This is partially because the females weigh 100 to 200 pounds less and are therefore much more agile than males when chasing down prey. They use their numbers to hunt in a coordinated attack, which is more efficient than hunting alone.
As you continue your travels through the zoo, you will come across the portion of the zoo called "Wild Asia." Located in an exhibit is one of Asia's most visually perplexing animals, the Pere David deer. This odd-looking deer had a special name given to it by the Chinese, ssu-pu-hsiang that means "the four unlikes." The Chinese thought it appeared to have a stag's antlers, a camel's neck, a cow's hooves and a donkey's tail. Found mainly in the swamp plains of eastern China, this large deer can reach four feet at the shoulder and weigh up to 540 pounds. Once extinct in the wild, the Pere David deer have been maintained in captive settings for many years and are being released back into the wild with the help of zoos and species survival programs.
From Africa to Asia and beyond, visiting Lee Richardson Zoo allows you to travel the world without leaving the cozy confines of Garden City, but there are even more ways that the zoo can place the world at your fingertips. Groups looking for entertaining and interactive ways to learn can schedule a program at the zoo's education center or a zoomobile, which is when we come to your location. Both types of programs are free of charge when taught within Garden City and Holcomb. We also have discovery boxes that are available at no charge for up to two weeks at a time. Discovery boxes are themed totes that may contain a variety of pelts, skulls, feathers, photographs and activities that can be used to supplement your education lessons. Some of our discovery box and program themes include reptiles, cats, Kansas animals, rainforests and many more than can be listed in this article.
Questions about any of these education options can be answered by calling 276-1250, or hop online to view a list of available discovery boxes.
Whether you are moseying around the zoo, driving through in your car or looking for ways to educate a group of children, Lee Richardson Zoo is your free or inexpensive ticket to almost any destination around the world. Come visit us and discover the spectacular sights that the "wild" world of nature has to offer.
Visit our award-winning Web site at www.garden-city.org/zoo.
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