Lagoon Amusement Park to remove zoo element from park as it looks at future additions
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- A sign for Lagoon is pictured in this undated photo.
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- From left, Thomas Peters, Landon Frady, Joseph Peters and Jenny Peters rally in support of the animals on the Lagoon train ride outside the gate as thrill seekers pour into Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington on Saturday, July 18, 2015.
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- In this undated photo, a child feeds a deer in the zoo exhibits at Lagoon amusement park in Farmington.
FARMINGTON — A long-running attraction at Lagoon Amusement Park that has drawn criticism over the years will see some major changes in the coming year.
Last week, multiple media outlets reported that Lagoon is set to phase out the zoo element of its Wild Kingdom Train Zoo and rehome the animals elsewhere.
Lagoon spokesperson Adam Leishman told the Standard-Examiner on Monday that a desire to expand the park’s offerings led to the decision about the attraction, which dates back to 1967.
“Lagoon is in Farmington City — we’ve been here for almost 140 years — and the way the lay of the land is, we are landlocked,” he said. “We are always trying to enhance and bring new attractions to the park, and the decision was to close down the exhibits so we can develop that for future attractions and experiences for our guests.”
He said the animal exhibits will be phased out throughout this calendar year while the existing train and its infrastructure will remain.
According to Leishman, efforts to rehome animals have already begun.
“We had several big cats that were rehomed late last year,” he said. “While I was not personally involved in those efforts, I would imagine that the rehoming of the other animals would be similar to facilities like that.”
He said he was unsure how many animals remain at this time, but that animals that remain on site as of mid-March include antelope, bison and elk.
In its nearly five decades of operation, the Wild Kingdom Train Zoo hasn’t been without controversy. Several protests have been staged at Lagoon Amusement Park, especially over the past decade and a half, charging that Lagoon has been improperly handling and housing the animals in its care.
Leishman said the animals have been well cared for throughout the attraction’s existence.
“It’s safe to say that the animals have received excellent care here,” he said. “We have an excellent record with the USDA. I’ve spoken on behalf of the park for several years and I couldn’t say these things if it weren’t true. We have a dedicated zookeeper staff 365 days per year. We have several veterinarians on staff.”
He said those specialized staffers that took care of the animals aren’t being forgotten about.
“They’re Lagoon employees; they are absolutely valuable employees and we would like them to stay in whatever capacity that they’re interested in staying,” he said. “That’s a fluid situation when the time comes, but they’re part of the family.”
Leishman pointed out this is hardly the first time an attraction has been retired in Lagoon’s long history.
“We did it in 2019 when we opened the beer garden, which is the old Music U.S.A. Theatre,” he said. “In (1995), we closed our stadium and opened Sky Coaster. This year, we’re opening the District, which replaces the log flume which came in the mid-’70s. Time and time again — it’s a pretty common occurrence.”
He added that there are ideas for what attractions will be added into the space occupied by the zoo but nothing is public at this time.
“We do have a several-year plan,” he said. “We don’t like to announce those things until they’re a little closer to coming online, but there are a few things — very exciting things — in the very near future.”
Lagoon Amusement Park is scheduled to hold its opening day for the 2025 park season March 22.
