[do] Tanganyika Wildlife Park
Recently, my daughter’s preschool class took a field trip to Tanganyika Wildlife Park. I had heard about the interactive exhibits and unusual animals featured there, so I was pretty excited to join this group of teeny pre-K explorers.
The park is located in Goddard, on the west edge of Wichita. As I drove there for the first time, I thought my GPS navigator, “Jill,” and I were going to have one of our famous verbal disagreements when she advised me to turn into what looked to be a residential cul-de-sac, but then I saw the Tanganyika sign confirming Jill’s directions, so I drove on. Sure enough, just past a row of rural homes lies the expansive park.
Typically, visitors are allowed to wander the park and look at the animals at their leisure, but on this particular day we were traveling with curious 4- and 5-year-olds, so we took advantage of the guided tour. Lindsay, our tour guide, was fantastic. She was kind, knew a great deal about the animals, spoke in a tone that commanded attention and was careful to ask the children if they had questions before moving on to another display.
Though it’s not as large as the Sedgwick County Zoo, Tanganyika offers many unique animals, such as Colobus monkeys, Bactrian camels, white-handed Gibbon monkeys and Kookaburras. They also have a large display of colorful Lories (similar to parrots). In my opinion though, the coolest things about Tanganyika Wildlife Park are the Ambassadors. Ambassadors are particular animals that visitors can interact with by petting or feeding.
If you ask my daughter what her favorite part of Tanganyika was, her voice will get three octaves higher and she will shriek, “Ohhh, I just loved petting that baby kangaroo. He was so soft.” Visitors are allowed to walk through a gated area where kangaroos jump, sleep, wash and frolic just inches away. You’re even allowed to pet them as long as you follow one strict rule: do not leave the sidewalk!
If you ask me what my favorite part of Tanganyika was, my voice will get three octaves higher (like mother like daughter) and I will tell you, “Ohhh, I just loved it when that ring-tailed lemur jumped in to my arms and ate the cranberry out of my hand.” Let me tell you, it was pretty cool. For this experience, small groups are ushered on to Lemur Island and instructed on how to feed these busy, jumping creatures. Lemurs get where they’re going by hopping and they won’t discriminate between your shoulder and a large rock, so if you enter Lemur Island, be prepared for lots of interaction.
The park also includes a playground, traditional petting zoo, picnic tables, concession stand and many other animals. At the end of the day, what I enjoyed most about my afternoon at Tanganyika was the originality. While I’m glad they had potentially dangerous displays like the White Bengal tiger locked up tight, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to pet a kangaroo, get closer to a giraffe than I ever have at the zoo, and stand amid the frenzied Lemurs. It was an experience my daughter and I will continue to shriek about for a very long time.
Related posts:
Leave your response!