Clay Center Utility Park and Zoo

Specific Need

We believe in finishing what we’ve started and investing in the animals and improvements that will make the zoo an even better place for our community. So this year, we are focusing on two important goals: Animal Welfare and completing the Walking Trail project.

Animal Welfare:

Donations will help provide the supplies, equipment, enrichment, and other resources our animals need to live healthy, happy, and enriching lives.

Utility Park Walking Trails:

We are also working to complete the paving of the walking trails throughout Utility Park. Only one final section remains! Once completed, the entire walking trail system will be paved and ready for our community to enjoy.

We are excited about what is happening at the Clay Center Zoo in 2026. By supporting this year's projects, you are helping us care for the animals, finish what we've started, and prepare for an exciting future.

Mission

Our mission is to create welcoming and more naturalistic habitats where our animals can thrive, explore, and better express their natural behaviors. We strive to provide enriching experiences for our animals and memorable experiences for our visitors by bringing people closer to wildlife while inspiring curiosity, compassion, and a greater appreciation for the natural world. Best of all, the Clay Center Zoo remains a place where everyone can enjoy these experiences at no cost.

Profile

The Clay Center Zoo has a long history of bringing people and wildlife together. What began with a pair of wild ducks in the early 1950s grew into a zoo in Utility Park when the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) began construction in the late 1950s. Over the decades, the zoo continued to grow and became a home and rescue facility for many native animals. After renovations in the 1980s and again in 2000, the PUC made the decision in 2016 to begin fundraising for a new and improved zoo.

While the Public Utilities Commission is able to provide for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the zoo, the cost of constructing new facilities requires the generosity of our community and supporters. Thanks to that generosity, we have been able to accomplish an incredible amount over the past several years. Completed projects include a limestone retaining wall, sewer lift station, animal maintenance building, black bear exhibit, small primate building, Patagonian cavy exhibit, tropical bird aviary, Welcome Center, and Splash Pad. The Welcome Center features an education room, rental space, restrooms, gift shop space, and a covered back porch. The Splash Pad is now complete and up and running, providing another wonderful amenity for families visiting the zoo and Utility Park.

Construction is also actively underway on our Small Animal Exhibit, which will provide new homes for our Bobcats, Arctic foxes, and African Serval cat. We are hopeful that this project will be completed by late fall of 2026.

This year, our fundraising focus is a little different, and very intentional. Rather than immediately adding another major construction project to our list, we have chosen to focus on Animal Welfare and completing projects that are already underway. We believe it is important to finish what we have started and make sure our animals have everything they need to live healthy, enriching lives before we begin taking on something new.

Donations designated for Animal Welfare will help us purchase the many supplies, equipment, enrichment items, and other resources necessary to provide the animals in our care with the best lives possible while supporting their physical and mental wellbeing.

Our second fundraising focus this year is the completion of the walking trails throughout Utility Park. Only one final section of trail remains to be paved. Once that section is completed, the walking trail project will be finished, creating a fully paved trail system for our community to enjoy.

We may not be announcing a brand-new construction project this year, but that certainly does not mean there aren't exciting things ahead. Several new projects have already been funded and are planned for 2027. We have some exciting things on the horizon, but first, we want to cross a few more items off the list and finish what we've already begun.

Most importantly, the Clay Center Zoo will continue to be a place where families can experience and learn about wildlife without the barrier of an admission fee. The Clay Center Zoo has always been, and will continue to be, a no-admission-fee zoo. Every donation helps us continue that tradition while providing the best possible care for the animals who call the zoo home.