Congresswoman catches praise for Cowabunga assistance

The Topeka Zoo's newest exhibit is one step closer to opening, thanks to some help from a Congresswoman.

Rep. Lynn Jenkins R-Kansas, toured progress on the Camp Cowabunga exhibit Monday afternoon.

To make the exhibit as real as possible, the zoo sent two employees to Africa to acquire authentic artifacts. Among them was a genuine safari vehicle.

However, the zoo says it ran into trouble trying to import the car into the U.S. Zoo officials reached out to Jenkins and her staff, and they were able to assist in getting through the red tape.

Jenkins says she was happy to assist the zoo's growth.

"They're doing great things here at the Topeka zoo and this project is going to be phenomenal and a real gift to this community," Jenkins said. "It will attract a lot of visitors and we're very anxious to see it open and the excitement surrounding it."

Camp Cowabunga is the first phase of the zoo's master plan to design a much larger elephant habitat.