Journey into Africa: More to Explore
Journey into eight new exhibits
The Wild Animal Park’s Journey into Africa safari tour is about to become a whole lot richer in wildlife—more species, more animals, more to explore! Soon, we will be creating eight new animal habitats alongside the tour route.
More than 200 charismatic birds and mammals representing 17 rare and endangered species will flourish in mini-ecosystems that range from inland marshes to desert savannas. You can help us make a difference in the lives of our animals with your gift today!
A lakefront haven for the flamingo flock
A fanciful flock of more than 125 greater flamingos will dazzle guests in a mudflat refuge that will include an up-close nesting area. Depending on the time of year you visit, you’ll be able to watch natural flamingo behaviors from courtship to chick rearing.
Local birds like blue herons, grebes, egrets, and mallard ducks will cohabit the flamingos’ four-acre pond.
A marshland in our midst
On the fringes of southern Africa, yellow-billed storks, silvery blue cranes, and a trio of Egyptian geese will thrive in a shallow marsh fed by a cascading waterfall. Lilies of the Nile, lavender morning glories, and ornamental fountain grass will enhance the environment.
A wooded grassland for grazers
Adjoining the marsh habitat, a herd of fawn-colored steenbok will graze along a grassy bank under the sweeping canopy of an African sumac grove. Steenbok are small antelope with huge ears that constantly twitch to hear predators creeping up in the wild.
Scrub for scavengers
One of the largest vulture species in the world—the lappet-faced vulture—will share a scrubland habitat with highly social western Ruppell’s vultures. Their abode will include a pond, low shrubs, boulders, and colorful red hot poker plants. This will be the first time lappet-faced vultures have ever been exhibited at the Park.
A hillside for the herd
The Park’s Somali wild ass breeding herd—the largest and most successful in the Western Hemisphere—will roam in an expansive, semiarid hillside habitat. The herd is expected to produce four to six foals each year. Sharing this environment will be Barbary sheep, which should feel right at home clambering up a natural rock face near the back of the exhibit.
A kopje for klipspringers
A rockscape located directly alongside the tour route will make an ideal home for klipspringers, small African antelope famous for their rock climbing and jumping abilities. As the klipspringers bound from boulder to boulder, rock hyraxes will scurry in and out of crevices and cavities, just like they do in the wild.
Feathered friends along the fringes
Four impressive bird species—southern ground hornbills, East African crowned cranes, blue-winged geese, and European white storks—will reside in sage and scrub surroundings along the edge of a savanna. They will share a water hole nestled among clusters of stalked bulbine, which are pale green succulents with frilly yellow flowers.
Stripes on the savanna
Cantankerous Hartmann’s mountain zebras will roam on a spacious savanna dotted with acacia trees. They are among the smallest zebras but most certainly have a big attitude when it comes to getting along with each other. Just beyond the zebras, the sweeping plains of southern Africa with its multiple species of mammals and birds will add a bit of drama to this picturesque setting.
Please join us on our journey
With your support, greater flamingos, zebras, hornbills, Somali wild asses, and more than a dozen other mammal and bird species will thrive in splendid new habitats that will resemble their native homeland. This new multi-exhibit project for Journey into Africa will become a memorable addition to each and every trip to the Wild Animal Park.
Please help us create new homes for our animals by making your donation today.
