Zoo supervisor hints at new arrivals

Aug. 29—Two new animals have arrived at the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo but the staff have kept their species a secret. Zoo Supervisor and Curator Ashley Burdick has posted daily clues about the mystery animals on the zoo's Facebook page (facebool.com/greatbendzoo), with plans to make a reveal announcement on Friday.

Here are the clues:

—The first clue, posted on August 25, was that this species is listed as vulnerable, with 10,000 or fewer individuals in the wild.

—The second clue revealed that the new animals are a species found in Northeast India, Southeast Asia, and into South China.

—This species weighs 25-40 pounds and can leap 15 feet from branch to branch!

—Our new arrivals are arboreal (which means they are at home in trees) and their hind feet can rotate to descend trees headfirst due to their flexible ankle joints.

—They can be strong swimmers and have inhabited islands off mainland Asia. The clue shows a map with the island Borneo highlighted.

—They have some of the largest canines in proportion to their body size.

Burdick has promised to reveal the species this week but with the clues so far, some people think the cat is already out of the bag. A few of the guesses posted on Facebook this week: Komodo dragon; clouded leopard, iguana, Sumatran rhino, langur, liger, fisher, and badger.

On Wednesday, she said the animals had arrived. "Their area will be closed off, at least through the weekend, since they need to settle into their surroundings."

This story was updated on Aug. 30 to change the date of the animal reveal and to add other information.