Sunset Zoo

About Sunset Zoo

Sunset Zoo, also known as Sunset Zoological Park, is the city zoo of Manhattan, Kansas, at 2333 Oak Drive. It houses more than 300 animals representing over 100 species and has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1989. The zoo sits on land the city of Manhattan purchased in 1929 as Sunset Cemetery; a portion unsuited for burials because of rocky soil was converted into the zoo, with animals present from 1930 and official founding in 1933.

The zoo's terrain reflects its setting in Kansas's Flint Hills, with steep inclines in some areas — a detail the zoo flags for visitors planning their route, particularly near the gibbon exhibit and the entrance to Expedition Asia. Sunset Zoo organizes its collection into named trails grouped by world region, and it states its mission as "Inspiring Conservation of the Natural World."

History

Dr. E. J. Frick, the zoo's founder and a former head of surgery and medicine at the Kansas State University School of Veterinary Medicine, volunteered to acquire, care for, and display the zoo's animals for 43 years. The city's original funding for exhibits, buildings, and walkways came from the Works Progress Administration, and much of that original native limestone work has been preserved as an example of the zoo's early history, remaining part of its Master Plan today.

In 1980, Manhattan residents pushed the City Commission to build a modern zoo, leading to a Zoo Master Plan and city approval to charge a small admission fee, with the resulting revenue directed toward new construction, renovations, and maintenance. Sunset Zoo applied for and received accreditation from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (now AZA) in 1989.

Exhibits and habitats

Sunset Zoo groups its animals into themed trails by world region. African Trail houses the eastern black-and-white colobus, chimpanzee, violet turaco, cheetah, spotted hyena, and okapi. Australian Walk-About holds the emu, black swan, cattle egret, chestnut teal, laughing kookaburra, silver gull, straw-necked ibis, and both parma and red-necked wallabies.

Kansas Plains, focused on native wildlife, houses the raccoon, swift fox, bald eagle, bobcat, American kestrel, turkey vulture, and black-tailed prairie dog. Trails of South America is the zoo's largest themed area by species count, home to the maned wolf, giant anteater, American flamingo, Chacoan peccary, American white pelican, Canada goose, crested screamer, Indian peafowl, ruddy duck, white-faced whistling duck, red-eared slider, red-footed tortoise, Cuvier's dwarf caiman, reed titi monkey, Geoffrey's marmoset, two poison dart frog species, llama, Nigerian dwarf goat, and pot-bellied pig.

Expedition Asia rounds out the trail system with the Malayan tiger, sloth bear, red-crowned crane, western tufted deer, Amur leopard, cinereous vulture, chukar partridge, golden pheasant, Asian small-clawed otter, red panda, and lar gibbon. The zoo notes that its Expedition Asia area includes an ADA-accessible pathway, a response to the steep inclines elsewhere on the hilly grounds.

Animal highlights

Sunset Zoo lists at least 100 species on its website, housing more than 300 individual animals — figures the zoo presents together as the scale of its collection. Beyond the trail-by-trail roster above, the zoo's own visitor materials point to maned wolves, leopards, and otters as animals guests can get close views of, alongside "a jumping, hooting array of primates." The zoo has not published a fuller species list beyond its trail groupings in the material available here.

Conservation and programs

Sunset Zoo describes its accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums as tied to a requirement to support in-the-field conservation efforts, alongside its stated mission of "Inspiring Conservation of the Natural World." The zoo notes that many animals in its collection face serious threats to their wild populations, with some species predicted by scientists to become extinct within the current generation.

The nonprofit Friends of Sunset Zoo (FOSZ) provides financial support for the majority of the zoo's conservation initiatives and has established a Conservation Team named for Dr. Bob Klemm, the zoo's inaugural Director of Conservation and Research; this volunteer committee works with zoo staff to direct FOSZ support. FOSZ also runs a Conservation Scholar Program that awards scholarships to graduate and undergraduate students supporting field conservation projects. The zoo participates in AZA-wide efforts to save endangered animals across Kansas and globally.

Planning your visit

Hours are listed as 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and admission is listed at $11 for adults and $9 for children, as listed on the zoo's website; the zoo participates in the Museums for All program. Because of the Flint Hills terrain, the zoo describes itself as wheelchair accessible overall but flags steep inclines near the gibbon exhibit and the Asian Trail entrance, recommending the ADA-accessible pathway at Expedition Asia; guests can also call Guest Services during their visit for a ride back to the entrance in a zoo vehicle.

Water fountains and refill stations are located in the gift shop, inside the Nature Exploration Center, and behind the Expedition Café concession stand, with free ice water available at the café or flavored fountain drinks for $2 plus tax; the gift shop also sells canned and bottled beverages, and vending machines sit under the pavilion near the playground. The gift shop's own hours run 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily from April to October and noon to 5:00 p.m. daily from November to March. The zoo is open year-round, including winter, though some birds are not on exhibit in colder months while most animals retain access to heated behind-the-scenes spaces.

Sunset Zoo also hosts private events: its rental facilities, available year-round with a two-week minimum booking notice, range from $80 to $260 per hour, with additional fees possible for alcohol service or a damage deposit; alcohol is permitted at events after the zoo closes to the public at 5 p.m. The Nature Exploration Center can hold up to about 298 people depending on layout, and outdoor rental spaces across the zoo's grounds can accommodate up to 300 guests for exclusive after-hours animal encounters. As always, confirm current hours, admission, and any closures on the official website before visiting.