A Safari to The Wilds

The Wilds is a 10,000 acre animal conservation program in Southeastern Ohio near the town of Cumberland.

As one person who appreciates nature and the animals God put on the planet, I find a trip to The Wilds to be well worth the investment of time and money.

I visited there for the first time in 2010, and this year had opportunity to take with me 3 of my adult children – John, Seth, Julie – and John’s girlfriend, Lauren.

Don’t be fooled by their looks these are seasoned travelers, having spent time in Asia, Africa, Central and South America besides trips to Hawaii, the Everglades, Yellowstone and other national parks.

Where else in Ohio could you see a rhinoceros crash?  A crash in this case is a technical name for a herd of rhinos.

At The Wilds you see rare and endangered animals besides some that are already extinct in their native lands.

Some of the animals are quite happy to see you.

Just your coming there will bring a smile to their faces.

And you even have opportunity to become better acquainted with them.  It’s even possible to become a BFF.

Gobi the Bactrian Camel and Julie were enjoying a moment in the sun.

While some of the other animals will come out to greet you, even with a smile, you may appreciate a little personal space.

Nursing mothers abound at the wilds, breast feeding is quite natural, though it is hard to think about the rhinoceros as a mammal.  And the baby – 85 pounds at birth has a horn right where it might hurt.

There are a few predators at The Wilds.

They do have a Cheetah reproduction program which is run in cooperation with a number of zoos throughout the country.

Sometimes the males are a bit testy, if you get the pun.

The female cheetah pretty much governs the reproduction business.

She chooses the male, it’s not the male who chooses her.

So the males are always hoping to be chosen, but it turns out that female cheetahs are quite picky in who they select, so the males are often left frustrated.

The Grevy’s Zebra like all Zebras cannot be domesticated.  They kick and bite and so even the staff keeps their distance from them.   Each zebra’s rump is unique, like a finger print and that’s the view scientists need to identify the individual zebras.

Better than a zoo, you get to see the animals up close and personal, and sometimes they come to see you too.

You also get to appreciate the variety of life which God has created on this earth.  The Sichuan Takin is one of a number of unusual species you can find at The Wilds.

It is said that even Ghengis Khan couldn’t tame the Przewalski’s wild horses, though he tried.

Some animals are just a bit goofy.

This Masai Giraffe looks like he is giving a turn signal with his ear.

That’s part of the fun of looking, learning and taking photographs.

You can see my entire set of photos from Our Trip to the Wilds.

Just click on the “Slideshow” button above the thumbnail photos to start the show.  Once you start the slideshow click on the “Show Info” button above and to the right of the photos to see the animal identification and comments.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/frted/sets/72157626940435608/with/5823480762/

See also my 2010 Trip to the Wilds

 

 

 

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