Manhattan's
Sunset Zoo is an idyllic small town zoological park, nestled deep in
the Flint Hills. The zoo is more than just beautiful, though. From the
beginning it embraced the natural cycle, creating life out of death.
Sunset Zoo's similarity in name with the neighboring Sunset Cemetery is
no coincidence – it sets on land that was deemed too rocky for
internment. Dr. E.J. Frick, head of surgery and medicine at Kansas
State University School of Veterinary Medicine, began procuring animals
in 1933 when he rescued two abandoned Works Progress Administration
(WPA) mules and relocated them to graze on the Sunset property. They
would become the first exhibits when he officially founded the zoo later
that year. With financial backing from local businesses and the
assistance of his former students, Dr. Frick continued to head animal
acquisitions for the next forty-three years. During that time, Dr.
Frick and his students also provided veterinary care. His relationship
with the animals was more than professional. His affinity for his
charges was personal – it is rumored that Dr. Frick would even load up
Satan the bear in his convertible and take him to the drive-in. It
should be noted that despite the menacing name, Satan was a personable
and well-trained former circus act. The expeditions made him a local
legend, but Satan was far from the only famous resident of Sunset Zoo.
A
fellow bear named Brownie was a favorite fixture at the zoo from
1968-2009. He was so popular that, after his death, Sunset Zoo accepted
remembrances and published seventy-seven of them on their website.
Many recounted how guests would attempt to coax Brownie into waving at
them and the glee they experienced when he did. It is not uncommon to
still hear visitors share memories of Manhattan's beloved bear with
their children and out-of-town friends on trip to the zoo. Another
august alum was one of Camel Cigarettes' “Joes”. The company kept
multiple camels that would tour the country, smoking a pack of
cigarettes at a time, lined up and lit like Black Cats. After his
retirement from the Camel Company, he resided at Sunset Zoo where he led
a much healthier life until sadly, if predictably, he died of lung
cancer. The zoo was also host to several live Kansas State University
mascots, all named Touchdown, from 1922-1978. While K-State
cheerleaders no longer jog a bobcat in a rolling cage around the field
after every score, two of them do still call Sunset Zoo home. There is
also a current celebrity at the zoo.
A
living legend, both in Manhattan and the zoological community, is Susie
the chimpanzee. Last year, Susie, at fifty-six years of age, gave
birth to a healthy baby girl named Siri – making her the oldest
chimpanzee in captivity to become a new mother. This is especially
impressive since she was approximately one hundred in “human years!”
Sadly, Susie, because of her advanced age, could not produce enough
nutrition for her progeny and Siri was moved. Despite the separation,
their story has a happy ending. Sunset Zoo is accredited by the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), allowing them to partner with
the fellow AZA accredited Oklahoma City Zoo, home to a surrogate
chimpanzee troop. There, Siri lives with, and is loved by, a highly
trained adopted mother. Susie has continued in Manhattan as the
respected matriarch of the Sunset chimp troop, lording over the largest
exhibit of its kind in Kansas. She also remains a fan favorite, sitting
close to the enclosure window, and even occasionally tapping on the
glass in acknowledgment of her guests. As exceptional as Susie's story
is, the chimp surrogate program is only one benefit of AZA affiliation.
Sunset
Zoo became AZA accredited in 1989. Ever wonder why there is a house at
the zoo? One requirement of AZA accreditation is to have a zookeeper
on premises at all times. Beyond higher standards of immediate care for
animals, the AZA also looks ahead for species' long term survival with
breeding plans ensuring genetic diversity – think of it as eHarmony for
the zoo set – and monitoring their population in the wild. This network
also benefits zoo members; Friends of the Sunset Zoo (FOSZ) not only
receive free admission to the zoo and invitations to members-only events
here in Manhattan but free or reduced entrance to AZA zoos across the
country.
Sunset
Zoo has significantly evolved since the 1980's. Besides the AZA
accreditation, the zoo also developed a master plan for modernization
and began charging a small entrance fee to finance the planned
improvements. In keeping with the zoo's motto, “to inspire conservation
of the natural world,” much of the limestone construction erected by
the WPA under the direction of founder Dr. Frick has been repurposed.
What was old is new again, and Brownie's enclosure is being refitted to
house the coming Gibbons exhibit. The other construction at the zoo is
the new Nature Exploration Center which will not only house a full-time,
nature based day care but will act as a ticket booth, year-round gift
shop, and provide space for both private and corporate functions. While
Kansas State University has remained tied to Sunset Zoo via veterinary
care, its partnership has expanded - the zoo is housing two hyenas owned
by a K-State professor whose research team collects the animals' saliva
to study its antiseptic properties. Sunset Zoo, like the nature it
strives to preserve, has always cycled. Whether it's the coincidence of
the zoo being founded on mules that were left by the organization that
would later construct it, the fact that life has flourished on land once
meant for death, or its history of and continued collaboration with
Kansas State professors, the zoo has always come full circle.
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