We do not allow pets in the zoo. It can agitate our animals and it is also a health risk for our animals. Only trained service animals are allowed, we do not permit Emotional Support Animals in the Zoo.

No. Bread is not healthy for birds in large quantities. It fills them up, but does not provide any nutrients that they need to grow properly. A diet of a lot of bread can lead to a deformity called Angel Wing, which is when a bird’s wings develop incorrectly and can make them unable to fly. It also can make the birds obese, which can make them unable to fly to escape predators. Uneaten bread in waterways can also lead to algae blooms and even botulism in the water. 

Generally, we have a specific housing plan for the zoo and we rarely have space available to house animals outside of our collection plan. On occasion we can assist with placement at other facilities.

We are mostly trying to focus on improving the enclosures we currently have and generally bettering our zoo. We may bring in smaller animals from time to time, but have no plans for large animals for the immediate future.

Some of our animals are fed twice per day and some just once, in the evening. Some of our animals, like the primates and bears, will get fed in their yard in the morning, but all the animals are fed inside their buildings at night. This helps to encourage them to voluntarily shift in and out of their buildings when we need them to.

We are a city run zoo, so we are provided with an annual budget that allows us to provide our animals with day-to-day care. Our fundraising group, The Great Bend Zoological Society often provides us with funds for the items not covered within our budget, like enrichment items and new exhibits. Visitor purchases in the gift shop and donations given also go towards the care of our animals.

We are regulated by the US Department of Agriculture and all food we offer the animals must not be expired and must be kept at controlled temperatures for food safety. Unfortunately, this means we can't take meat or other food items that have been stored for a long period of time or that were left at room temperature for any length of time. Our rule of thumb is, if we wouldn't eat it, we won't feed it to the animals!