Sedgwick County Zoo reports 702,000 visitors in 2025, previews $10M elephant-barn expansion

Sedgwick County Zoo officials told commissioners on Feb. 11 that attendance and community-access programs were strong in 2025 and that major capital work is advancing on an expanded elephant barn.

Scott Newland, the zoo director, said the zoo recorded about 702,000 visitors last year — the second-highest annual attendance on record — with nearly 600,000 daytime visitors and roughly 90,000 visitors to the zoo’s evening 'Wild Lights' event. Newland highlighted education and access programs, including Sunflower Summer (nearly 28,000 participants) and the Zoo for All program (about 16,000 visitors), and noted that roughly 11,000 students used formal education programs in 2025.

The zoo also reported animal-breeding successes: four elephant births and a chimpanzee birth in 2025. Newland said the zoo’s $10 million fundraising goal for an expanded elephant barn is “in sight,” with construction progressing and trusses now visible on site. He said the commission can expect an opening in May, with an exact date still under consideration.

Newland described several unplanned expenses in 2025: acrylic panels in the Cessna Penguin Cove failed during cold weather, forcing a temporary closure and about $400,000 in unbudgeted repairs; a ruptured city water line and hail damage also generated significant repair costs (including an estimated $252,000 in smaller projects and multiple compromised roof systems). He told commissioners the zoo will work with risk management and insurance to process claims and that staff will bring budget requests and master-plan proposals to the February budget retreat.

Commissioners praised the zoo’s stewardship and community partnerships and approved receipt and filing of the report (vote recorded as 5-0). Newland said the zoo anticipates additional births and new exhibits in 2026, including a new female rhino, a potential tiger acquisition, and returning lemurs to exhibit.