In mid-September, I traveled to Kansas City, Missouri for the first time. It wasn't at all what I was expecting. It is a beautiful city nestled in the mountains. After leaving the airport, I headed to the zoo! During my research online, I learned that the Kansas City Zoo is best known for its polar bear exhibit and its African exhibit. The zoo itself is made up of over 202 acres nestled inside valleys and rolling hills, and is home to more than 1,000 animals.
My first stop was the polar bear exhibit which is right inside the front entrance.
Nikita was born on November 21, 2006 at the Toledo Zoo which makes him almost 5 years old. He is adorable! Seriously, I just wanted to climb inside and play with him! He is too young for female companionship at this time, but the zoo is working to eventually secure a female polar bear in the hopes that they will mate and give birth to cubs. He currently weighs about 800 pounds, but will weigh over 1,000 pounds when fully grown. Since it was a very cool day with temperatures in the low 50s, he was energized by the cool weather!
Nikita lives in a 10,000 square feet space customized for polar bear living. It includes a 140,000 gallon pool, a 105 ton sand box complete with grassy and diving areas. The enclosure is kept at 65 degrees year round. While I was there, he was very playful in the pool area. The $11 million dollar habitat is built to hold up to 3 adult polar bears plus a couple of cubs. Along one side is an indoor viewing area that can be rented out for parties. What a great venue!
The orangutans were not nearly as impressed with the chilly weather as Nikita! The baby is under the small red blanket, and the Momma is under the large red blanket.
Only Dad was brave enough to venture out in the cold! He was sitting at the very top of the habitat.
The baby would peek out from time to time. Precious!
When I took this picture, I was actually standing on the outdoor dining deck for one of the restaurants at the zoo. The kangaroos could come right up to it! The zoos Australian animal area is actually ranked among the Top 10 in the nation.
When planning my visit, I was very excited to check out the African area. It is actually ranked number one in the nation. When ranking the zoos, authors Allen W. Nyhuis and Jon Wassner had this to say: "In it's ninety-five Africa exhibit, Kansas City represents five nations with one of the most extensive collections of African animals we've ever seen."
I will be honest, it is quite a hike to get to the African exhibit. Once you get to the area, you then walk across a very long bridge. This is the view off of one side of the bridge. It was a very, very pretty walk. I later learned that there was actually a zebra print painted tram that ran out to the area. I rode it on the way back, and loved that they had the soundtrack for the Lion King playing!
This picture was taken from the African Sky Safari. On it, your toes dangle just above cheetahs, lions, giraffes, and rhinos. The journey crosses approximately 1,500 feet at 35 feet above ground and lasts about 7 minutes. I LOVED it!
Giraffe was right below my feet!
Layla the baby rhino did not like to be more than a few steps away from her Mom. If Mom would wander off, she would run after her. It was pretty adorable. Layla will eventually grow to between 2,500 and 3,000 pounds.
The enclosure for lions was enormous, but they were all hanging out in one corner together. Not a tiger, but still a very beautiful animal.
They also offer half hour boat ride on the large lake that goes throughout the African exhibit. Unfortunately, they had just switched to weekends only for the boat two days prior to my arrival in Kansas City.
Cheetahs and the Scimitar Horned Oryx
I had a great time visiting the Kansas City Zoo, and I can't wait to take Tony to see Nikita and ride the sky safari!
