More Wildlife Safari

Now, when I say "more" Wildlife Safari, I have to say that it did not feel like the last time I went was in 2013, but that is what my blog history confirms.

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2013/09/wildlife-safari-in-winston-oregon.html

So when we visited again in 2021, it is not surprising that some things had changed.

A lot hasn't. There is still the strong cheetah breeding program, and a variety of wildlife, some that you can see while driving through, and others that you can see while wandering through the village.

One change is that there are more types of animals. The 2013 visit introduced us to North American animals, including a bear enclosure. The trips of my childhood seemed focused on African wildlife, though those animals are still there.

It did feel like there was a stronger bird presence, though some of that might just have been me being impressed at how majestic some of the birds were.

This includes the introduction (though I do not have a good picture) of rhea.

There have been ostriches there for as long as I can remember. I do not specifically remember emus from my previous visit, but I have seen them in other places. Now Winston, Oregon has three types of ratites living and prospering. (I suspect the cassowary and kiwi are too rare to make an appearance, but this is still pretty exciting.)

In addition, toward the end of the drive is an area where you can buy feed, and feed the animals from your car. I really enjoyed this aspect.

Accessibility and COVID: Normally I break down these two issues separately, but because of the dual nature of the park, it is a little different. For the drive, If you have transportation where you can comfortably look out, it is totally accessible. There is minimal interaction with the staff, who were all fully masked.

In the village, while it is still pretty flat and navigable, you are around other people and there were many who were not masked, I believe in spite of signs requiring masks. It is outside, but still. I recently saw someone bragging about shopping unmasked in nearby Roseburg, so it is not particularly surprising, but it is unfortunate.

Just be aware. 

Meanwhile, I hope it does not take me another eight years to get back, and maybe next time I can review some of the enrichment encounters.

https://wildlifesafari.net/