Zookeepers from the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo visited Azria Health Woodhaven before Thanksgiving. Zoo Director Ashley Burdick said the residents got to see an armadillo, a bearded dragon and a pot bellied pig, who was the favorite.
“This was our first trip to Azria but we have been to most of the facilities in town this year,” Burdick said. “We also go to Country Living of Larned every year. If we go more than once we try to bring different animals, but the animals we take usually are Dwight the bearded dragon, frogs, ball python, and Norbert the armadillo. We have taken Penelope the Mississippi Kite in the past and this year we’ve been able to take Spud the Kune Kune pig to several. Our keepers and myself do the education programs and Becca (Curtiss, vet assistant) and myself often do the assisted living and nursing home programs.”
Smaller animals that can visit nursing/assisted living facilities and schools are called education animals or ambassadors. They also make appearances at educational programs at the zoo. When they aren’t meeting the public up close, most of the zoo’s education animals can be seen in their regular zoo exhibit areas.
Boil water advisory
We asked Burdick how the boil-water advisory in Great Bend affected the zoo this week. Her response:
“Part of our USDA license includes contingency planning. We are required to have a detailed plan in place for various types of emergencies, weather or otherwise. Because we have this in place we already have items in place prior to there being a need. For example, we reverse osmosis filter water and have a couple tanks stocked at all times as we use this water for the fish, reptiles and amphibians daily. Part of the zoo is also run on well water so we can pull from there for animals’ water needs as well.
“We also have ways to purify water in the event of extreme issues that we can pull water from the pond if we had to. For things like power outage, we have generators on the main buildings and can hook up gas powered generators as well if we need to. We have plans in place so we are prepared for the unexpected at all times; this is good practice for people to have in place for their own homes as well. To summarize, we are still essentially, business as usual over here.”
Giving thanks
Thanksgiving Day was one of the few days of the year when the zoo was closed to the public. The zoo will also be closed December 24 and 25 for Christmas. It will be open on New Year’s Day. Keepers still come in and provide the same level of care, regardless of if it is a holiday or not, Burdick said.
“The animals got some sweet potato pies with marshmallow on top on Thanksgiving,” she said. “We try to do fun enrichment on holidays and their birthdays, but the animals get enrichment items and activities at least once a week. Many animals get enrichment daily and it can be puzzle feeders, toys, foraging, scents, training, food and much more.”
Santa is visiting the Zoo
Santa Claus will be at the zoo from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14. Be sure to stop by and tell him your Christmas wish list. He will be in the Education Building (Ed Shed) at the zoo. The Great Bend Zoological Society will provide cookies and cocoa and keepers will bring a few animal visitors as well.
Everyone is in the holiday spirit at the zoo. Leroy the elf has returned to help out the keepers. Leroy is a toy elf who moves around the Raptor Center. Check out the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo Facebook page this month to see what fun activities he’s up to.
The Great Bend Zoological Society also participated in Giving Tuesday, but financial gifts are welcome anytime. Donations are used for upgrades at the zoo. In the past, these have included adding a playground with a swing designed for wheelchairs and an additional lion yard so the females and the male can be outdoors at the same time. Admission to the zoo is free. Membership to the Zoological Society is $25 a year for the entire family. Membership entitles supporters to unique activities including a “first look” welcome to new animals to the zoo, “Zoo News” emails and quarterly newsletters, a 20% discount in the gift shop, free wagon rental for the kids, $1 mobility cart rental, and involvement in the annual meeting where members elect Society Board Members and learn about all the work done at the zoo throughout the year. Additionally, the membership card is often good for discounts at other zoos.
