From Far and Wide: Tanganyika Wildlife Park Professionals Share Why They Chose Wichita

Four Wichita professionals with four unique backgrounds and stories to tell have all chosen to call Wichita home.

Hailing from as close as Missouri and New Mexico to as far away as Pennsylvania and Mexico, the four Tanganyika Wildlife Park employees not only share the same employer but have each embraced Wichita’s dynamic opportunities.

Below is a snippet of everyone’s distinct move to Wichita and what they enjoy most about the city.

Kayleigh Eberhardt
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri

“Being from Missouri, the butt of our jokes was always Kansas. After living here for more than a year, I can say it's not what was always portrayed to me. Yes, it is flat, but that is the only stereotype that holds up,” said Kayleigh Eberhardt.

Eberhardt, whose fiancé is a Wichita native, moved to the Air Capital in March 2023 after landing a job as an animal experience specialist at Tanganyika Wildlife Park.

The park, known for its interactive animal experiences, is located just west of Wichita in Goddard, Kansas. It offers hands-on and behind-the-scenes excursions with penguins, monkeys, lemurs, rhinos, otters and more.

“What I love most about my job is the diversity. I get to work with the coolest animals every day. Some days it’s primates other days it's hoofstock or carnivores,” Eberhardt said.

When she is not doing an animal training session or facilitating an animal experience, Eberhardt said she enjoys exploring Wichita.

“You can go from the middle of downtown to the middle of nowhere in like 20 minutes. It’s big enough to offer all you could want but small enough to escape the hustle and bustle when needed,” she explained.

Eberhardt especially enjoys the community pride.

“I’ve never lived in a city where I even know what the city flag looked like, much less seen it so often. The residents are proud of their city!” she exclaimed.

Kiana Lucero
Hometown: Ruidoso, New Mexico

Kiana Lucero, 36, moved to Wichita in 2017 to join the staff at Tanganyika Wildlife Park. Like Eberhardt, she too is an animal experience specialist and no two days of work look the same.

“I might do an otter meet and greet, facilitate our public hippo feeding then do a penguin feeding, sloth tour or lemur meet and greet,” explained Lucero.

Lucero, a native New Mexican, has also lived in Los Angeles. She enjoys arts and entertainment and said she was pleasantly surprised by Wichita’s cultural landscape.

“I love going to concerts. I was shocked at how many big-name artists perform here. Plus, I have gotten to see the artists at some really cool, smaller venues like The Cotillion,” she emphasized. “I like that Wichita is a big enough city with things to do but still small enough that everything is easy to get to!”

Omar Luna 
Hometown: Tampico, Mexico

Hailing from Mexico, Omar Luna, 30, moved to Wichita in 2022. Working as a veterinarian tech at Tanganyika Wildlife Park, Luna oversees the health of new and current animals.

“I was looking for new challenges and it blew my mind to find out about all of the animal experiences Tanganyika Wildlife Park offers to people. I hadn’t ever seen anything like that,” Luna said.

Having grown up in a highly populated area, Luna said he appreciates Wichita’s charm and accessibility.

“Driving times are usually fast. I like nature around us and clear skies with beautiful stars at night. The people are nice, warm and welcoming!” he explained.

Samantha Olbrich
Hometown: Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

“There is more than meets the eye when you think of Wichita,” said Samantha Olbrich.

Olbrich, 25, moved to Wichita from Pennsylvania in 2021. As the Trouble Maker’s cove keeper, Olbrich works directly with Tanganyika Wildlife Park’s colony of penguins.

When she is not caring for the animals (which requires a lot of work and cleaning!), she enjoys discovering Wichita’s vast foodie and entertainment scene.

“Wichita has some incredible restaurants!” Olbrich explained. “There are so many things to do especially during the spring and summer like going down to the Arkansas River or catching a Wind Surge baseball game.”

Olbrich said she is especially pleased by the area’s cost of living and central location.

“It’s affordable to live here and you still have the ability to go explore, go to festivals, sporting events and travel,” she said. “Since we are in the center of the country you can do some amazing long weekend road trips without needing to fly anywhere.”