Wagon Trails Safari

Jonah and Teddy.

 

 Today we went to Wagon Trails Animal Park for a truly amazing time getting up close and personal with some serious, but herbivorous, wildlife.  Michael, somewhat sadly, stayed home and installed our water heater, extra plumbing, and new gas-line.  (Don't worry, he enjoys that stuff.  He also took two hours out of his "work time" to jam with Mitch (see previous entry).)

It was my first time seeing most of these beasts anywhere but behind bars, and I was glad to see their spacious environment and the obvious care they received at this family-run sixty acre operation.

Each patron received a ticket to the safari with the price of admission, as well as the opportunity to tour the mini-petting zoo near the gift shop at the park.  We met "Teddy", a baby camel (born this March!), our favorite animal, along with a multitude of pea fowl, goats, pigs, parrots, and kangaroos.

Within thirty minute it was time for our safari tour.  We took our red tickets and made our way to the "tour bus" - which is a mega-truck with a trailer behind where tourists sat on benches and held buckets filled with zoo feed (everyone gets a bucket with their ticket), prepared for the journey.

Maeryn with her "zoo food".

Our tour guide, who lives on site with her family and helps with the care of all the park animals, drove with dexterity and spoke with enthusiasm, while staying a stickler for the rules.  We met, petted, and fed elk, pigs, goats, deer, antelope, llamas, camels, ostriches, zebras (okay, we didn't pet the ostriches and zebras - the tour guide warned they may bite), koi (yeah, didn't exactly pet those either), bison, and water buffalo (one of whom licked my toes).  There was much laughter, much love, much learning - if you ever find yourself in Eastern Ohio, you should go!