Zoo and Raptor Center of Great Bend

For a small town (Great Bend about 15K) this is a really nicely done and well kept Zoo. It also is the "Raptor Center" (birds of prey with long talons on their feet) for the nearby Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Refuge. The Raptor Center is like a vet hospital for sick hawks. The Zoo is free admission and staffed and open each day. It is a part of the Britt Spaugh Park which has a huge municipal swimming pool and water park that are located there and open to the public with a small admission fee during the summer. Plenty of parking at Main Street (US-281) and 24th Street.

Visiting my friend who lives here. The zoo is free. You can tell that they don't get enough money to properly care for the grounds or for proper habitats for the animals. It looks more like someone's backyard then a city zoo. The poor jaguar and black panther live together in a very small enclosure. Even the salt water tank is just deplorable and grey and sad. Can't the city do something better with this place for the animals?

No this zoo isn't a Denver Zoo or a Brookfield Zoo, but for the size, and no admission fee it is a great zoo. I love this zoo. I have been coming to this zoo for 23 years. I used to bring my kids to this zoo when they were young. My favorite and my kid's favorite animal was Spidey the Spider Monkey. I miss him. He was over 50 years old when he died. RIP Spidey.