Wild Side: Sedgwick County Zoo brings otter pelts, whale bone to share importance of protecting local waterways
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Sedgwick County Zoo Curator of Graphics and Exhibits Schanee Anderson brought otter pelts and a whale bone to Wild Side Tuesday afternoon to share the importance of protecting local waterways.
“Here in Kansas, being landlocked, we sometimes forget the importance of our waterways,” said Anderson. “The thing that we always need to remember is that all water leads to the ocean.”
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She says we can make a big difference in the lives of native animals, like the river otter.
“River otters are animals that are not common here in Kansas. Historically, they were, but as our waterways became polluted as over-harvesting occurred, we saw they actually disappeared from our state, and it wasn’t until the 1980s that we started introducing otters back into the state,” said Anderson. “Today, if you’re really lucky on the western side of Kansas in several of our waterways you might be able to find an otter or two, but they’re pretty unique.”
Anderson says finding the whale bone she brought would be a huge rarity.
“This large bone is actually the vertebra, the backbone of a whale,” said Anderson. “The blue whale is the largest whale, the largest animal to ever roam the earth and they’re still in existence today.”
Every drop of water leads to the ocean, according to Anderson.
“What we do here in Wichita, Kansas, to protect our waterways can ultimately help the aquatic animals like whales, dolphins, porpoises in our ocean. Especially in the Gulf of Mexico, which is where the Mississippi River dumps out into,” said Anderson.
Anderson says that is one of the reasons the SCZ is excited to be a part of the Ark River Cleanup again this year. Last year, 1.6 tons of trash were picked up during the three-hour-long event.
The Ark River Cleanup is from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 beginning at 151 N. Waco. Stay up to date with the latest through the “2024 Annual Ark River Cleanup” Facebook event. For more details and to register, visit arkrivercleanup.org.
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