Chahinkapa Zoo, Animal park in Wahpeton, North Dakota, United States.
Chahinkapa Zoo is an animal park in Wahpeton, North Dakota, housing mammals, birds, and reptiles such as white rhinos, Bengal tigers, and orangutans. The paths across the grounds are flat and clearly marked, making it easy to walk from one enclosure to the next.
The zoo opened in 1933, roughly three decades after the city of Wahpeton took over the land from the federal government in 1903. Over the following years, what started as a small collection of animal enclosures grew into the full park that stands today.
The Rodger Ehnstrom Nature Center inside the zoo offers hands-on programs about wildlife and animal behavior that visitors can take part in directly. These programs are aimed at all ages and give a closer look at the animals on site.
A campground on the grounds offers cabins, RV sites, and tent spaces, so visitors can stay overnight without leaving the park. Allowing a full day gives enough time to see all the enclosures and take part in any available programs.
A carousel built in 1926 with hand-carved wooden horses and an original band organ still runs on the grounds today. It is one of the few working carousels of its kind still operating in the region.
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