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

Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners · February 11, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Zoo director Scott Newland told commissioners the Sedgwick County Zoo had about 702,000 visitors in 2025, noted four elephant births and other successes, summarized unplanned repairs that cost roughly $400,000 for penguin cove and additional roof/repair needs, and said fundraising for an expanded elephant barn is nearing $10 million.

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…

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