David Traylor Zoo of Emporia

About David Traylor Zoo of Emporia

The David Traylor Zoo of Emporia, also called the Emporia Zoo, is a municipal zoo at 75 Soden Road in Emporia, Kansas. It sits in Soden's Grove Park and is owned by the City of Emporia. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; the city's news items describe it among Kansas' AZA-accredited zoos, and Wikipedia describes it as one of the smallest zoos in the United States accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The Visit Emporia listing describes the collection as nearly 400 birds, mammals, and reptiles representing more than 80 species. The same listing says the zoo's mission centers on conservation, education, and recreation, together with what it calls cultural enrichment. The city's page lists admission as free. Wikipedia also notes that the park around the zoo includes a small train that operates in summer, the historic Marsh Arch Bridge, and the All Veterans Memorial.

The zoo is supported by Emporia Friends of the Zoo, known as EFOZ, a nonprofit that the organization says was established in 1978. EFOZ describes its purpose as providing financial support for the expansion, development, and maintenance of the zoo and supporting the zoo's mission of conservation and education. It raises funds through contributions, memberships, and donations.

History

According to Wikipedia, the zoo traces its origins to an informal collection in the early 1900s known as the Emporia Zoo. In 1934, Mayor Frank Lostutter established Monkey Island by acquiring four rhesus monkeys from Kansas State University. By the 1960s, Wikipedia says, Monkey Island was drawing many complaints about its condition.

David Traylor, then a city accountant, accepted the position of parks director in 1973 and Wikipedia credits him with converting the zoo from little more than fenced enclosures into full exhibits. Emporia Friends of the Zoo was established in 1978. Traylor retired in 2006 after 30 years of leadership, and the zoo was renamed in his honor.

Lisa Keith, hired by Traylor in 1992, became director in 2008 and served until 2024. Wikipedia reports that Brenda Young took over as director in August 2024, and EFOZ's staff listing names Brenda Young as zoo director and EFOZ liaison. In 2019, according to Wikipedia, plans were put in place to update outdated technology and exhibits, the parking lot, the education building, guest amenities, and a nature play area. The North American Waterfowl exhibit was completed in 2021, and a new education center building, described by Wikipedia as four times larger than the previous one, opened in 2024 with expanded classrooms and outdoor learning space.

Exhibits and habitats

Wikipedia names a varied collection that includes ducks, prairie dogs, cinereous vultures, bison, mule deer, red foxes, cougars, and cotton-top tamarins. It also lists bobcats, bald eagles, otters, black swans, kookaburras, alligator snapping turtles, wallabies, trumpeter hornbills, and trumpeter swans. The Visit Emporia listing mentions tamarins, lemurs, a prairie dog colony, a mountain lion, and birds. The city's zoo news items mention the zoo's American bison.

The Visit Emporia listing describes walk-through areas with native and endangered species, botanical displays, water features, and holiday light installations, and notes an education center classroom. Wikipedia says reptiles and arthropods are housed in the education center building and that the main pond uses a waterfall effect and aeration for water recycling.

Conservation and programs

Wikipedia lists 15 Species Survival Plan programs in which the zoo participates: black and white ruffed lemur, cinereous vulture, common spider tortoise, cotton-top tamarin, crowned lemur, king vulture, kinkajou, laughing kookaburra, lesser Madagascar hedgehog tenrec, nene goose, ring-tailed lemur, sacred ibis, scarlet ibis, southern three-banded armadillo, and trumpeter hornbill. EFOZ's website links to the AZA's SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program. The city's page also announces the KaZOO Wild Adventure Passport, a statewide program shared with other Kansas AZA-accredited zoos.

Wikipedia reports that the zoo engages about 30,000 students a year through education programs, runs summer zoo camps for students completing third or fourth grade, and accepts volunteers aged 16 and older. Its listed events are an annual Open House on the fourth Sunday in June, Boo in the Zoo at Halloween, winter Zoo Lights, Party for the Planet for Earth Day, and World Ocean Day activities. On sustainability, the zoo uses timed irrigation for nighttime watering and reports recycling and reuse across operations.

Planning your visit

As listed on the city's website, the zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and admission has no fee. The Visit Emporia listing adds that the zoo is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day, and that from Memorial Day through Labor Day the zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays and Wednesdays. The education center is listed as open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Memberships are handled through EFOZ, and the city's website lists zoo rules and a calendar. The zoo's telephone number is 620-341-4365 and its email address is emporiazoo@emporiaks.gov.