'Everything we dreamed it could be' — Topeka Zoo's Giraffe & Friends exhibit opens

A new home is now open for the Topeka Zoo's giraffe population.

After ground broke in June 2021, Emily Williams and her children, CJ and Lisette, are finally able to enjoy the zoo's new giraffe exhibit. They are no strangers to the zoo, trying to take a trip the zoo once a week. Although they admire all the animals, 7-year-old Lisette said her favorite is always the giraffes.

"It's awesome!" Lisette said as she looked over to the giraffes walking on the decomposed granite.

A grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was Friday for the $8.3 million, 3.5-acre Giraffe & Friends exhibit — the largest habitat in the Topeka Zoo's history. Giraffe & Friends is located on the southern edge of the zoo.

Exhibit is everything leaders expected it to be

The Williams family have been members of the zoo since 2015, said Emily Williams, and watching the exhibit come together in recent years has been quite the sight.

"We've been waiting for years to see it, and we've been following the construction, peeking when we had a chance to see all the stuff that was changing and they were adding to it," Emily said.

As hundreds of people filled the exhibit, zoo director Brendan Wiley said the experience was amazing. He said it was better than expected.

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"We were very humbled by the generosity of the community to support a project like this," Wiley said, "and it just points to a trajectory of where the zoo is going, and there will be more great things to come."

"It's everything we dreamed it could be," he said.

The exhibit features four back stalls, with a front dayroom stall along with an upper level that lets members of the public be eye level with the giraffes. The outdoor sector allows for feeding of the giraffes, in hopes of connecting people with the animals.

"We've been building on this for years now, hoping this day would get here and it's here," said Fred Patton, Friends of the Topeka Zoo board president. "It's a great home for the giraffe, which is the most important thing, and now people can show up and interact with them."

More:Hope comes full circle. How a baby giraffe helped inspire and inspire the Topeka Zoo.

Giraffes now in a more comfortable area

The new exhibit is home to the zoo's two female reticulated giraffes, Hope and her daughter Liz, and one male reticulated giraffe, Sarge. Reticulated giraffes are an endangered species.

Rachel McNemee, Topeka zookeeper, said the new home has been great for the giraffes as it has allowed them to develop better.

Other animals — which will include lesser kudu, ostrich, grey crowned crane and Thomson's gazelle — will be moved to the exhibit gradually over time as weather warms and as the giraffes become more familiar with the exhibit.

"Hope has already lost some of the weight that she's been carrying that was extra, because she has extra space to walk around. Liz has grown quite a bit since being here, she looks great," McNemee said. "Sarge is still pretty cautious of some of these doors — he's just still a little bit timid — but the size of this barn he's able to stand up and fully be himself, which is exciting. So, it's a good fit for him as well."

McNemee said the zookeepers are now able to access stalls from different angles and have the ability to keep the giraffes together, separate one from others and more.

Wrylie Guffey, Topeka zookeeper, said, "It gives us a lot more flexibility to work with these animals, and we're excited to see them outside with the other stock."

Within the next two weeks, giraffe feeding will be introduced as zoo leaders look for a week of good weather. They want the lows to be in the upper 30s, so the animals can be introduced outside, said Wiley.

"We just need to make sure that as our overnight lows are still getting in the 20s, we need to make sure we can have everyone inside at night," Wiley said. "By next winter, they should be used to it, but right now, it's still a little new."

The Topeka Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the Giraffe & Friends exhibit, go to topekazoo.org.

Keishera Lately is the business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached at klately@cjonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lately_KT.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka Zoo's Giraffe & Friends opens for Hope, Elizabeth and Sarge