Last Chance for Summer Fun

By coming early you will not only avoid most of the heat but you will also be able to take advantage of seeing the animals as they are having their breakfast. Our Animal Care Staff generally starts feeding around 8:30, if you are here then, you will have a chance to observe their interactions as these splendid animals get their day off to a good start.

If afternoon is the time you have available to come out, don’t despair. The animals are still visible but they are likely to be watching you from among the trees as they instinctively are aware that temps will be lower in the shade. While it is true that they are likely to stay in the shade, look at this as a chance to observe more natural animal behavior, not actions we invoke by offering them snacks. Some of the animals like being in the water, and that is often a fun sight to see. Observing the red deer in the creeks, guanaco in the tanks, and rhinos in the mud may provide the most action these animals show in the afternoons. Now, if your kids have been bugging you all summer to take them to Fossil Rim, you better get on it because you are running short on time.

As I am writing this we have nearly 20 baby Wildebeest for you to enjoy. They are so cute to begin with and watching them follow mom around and getting a chance to see them nurse is such a treat. They don’t yet duplicate their parent’s color or proportions but the faces do mirror that wide, dark stripe that gives the adults such an uncommon appearance. These will likely be the most recent additions to our herds that you will have a chance to see but don’t neglect your chance to follow the progress of some of our other babies such as the Sable antelope, blackbuck and gemsbok while you are here.

The giraffes may still come up to observe you. Who knows, this time you might find the benefit of being slobbered on as the movement of wind over this slobber could actually have a cooling effect.

As always you can find respite at the Overlook. Here you will find restrooms, Café, Gift Shop and the Children’s Animal Center. Enjoy one of our marvelous sandwiches and cool off with an iced drink or some ice cream. Stay in the shade a little longer under the canopied section of the Children’s Animal Center before you begin your descent into the “Game Preserve”.

When you arrive at the Haas Cheetah Facility you will definitely need to look closely under the trees as the cheetah’s spots do blend in so well with the mottled sunshine coming through the tree leaves. On the last part of the tour you may get a chance to see the rhinos in their mud wallow. Mud helps protect their skin from sunburn and insect bites as well as cool them down during the warmer months of the year.

Come out an enjoy yourselves, enjoy our animals, and enjoy spending a little more time with your children before they start spending additional time with their school and studies.