HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Friends of the Zoo and the Hutchinson Zoo announced Wednesday that they will be starting a new project.
On Tuesday, the Hutchinson City Council unanimously approved a plan to develop a bison viewing area at the zoo. The project is funded by the generous donation of the Power Family and through fundraising by the Hutchinson Friends of the Zoo.
The Hutchinson Zoo is home to a herd of American buffalo, also known as bison. In September 2021, Dan and Shirley Power donated their hand-raised 15-year-old male bison, Norman, to the zoo collection. Dan and Shirley have been longtime supporters and friends of the Hutchinson Zoo. After conversations with zoo leadership about creating a bison viewing and feeding experience for guests, Power committed to donating funding to cover the area’s construction. Hutchinson Friends of the Zoo will raise the remaining $80,000 over the next two years to complete this project. The zoo’s bison herd resides in a wooded pasture on the southeast end of the zoo. Guest viewing is currently at a distance — across the lagoon or outside the zoo’s perimeter fence on Blanchard Street. The change will bring the animals closer to the public.
The bison viewing will continue the renovation of the south end of the zoo, adjacent to the new otter exhibit that opened in October of 2020. This project will allow zoo guests to see bison up-close and provide viewing of the adjacent pronghorn and white-tailed deer. The creation of this area will lay the groundwork for the zoo’s next master plan expansion that will be a prairie exhibit.
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