Anniversary Extravaganza - Part 4 (Finale)

After tucking in the elephants, we finally made our way back to our tent cabin. We cranked on the heater and settled in for a romantic evening. Our tent cabin was called the Big Cat House because it is closest to the lion and tiger enclosures. That means we could hear the roars of our new cat friends all night. The roars were so loud, it would wake us from a dead sleep. Then it started to really rain. It just poured! Between the roars and the rain, it made for a neat night.

In the morning, we woke up and went on the front porch to watch the animals. From our front porch we watched the elephants get their morning bath. The trainers spent about an hour and a half, bathing the big guys in the rain. Once they were clean, they moved the elephants out to the playground.

The playground is several acres big. It contains a large pond, and plenty of room to run and play. The elephants share this playground with an ostrich, a zebra, and two water-buffalo. It was a kick to watch them all play together. The Zebra loves to run and play with the elephants. The Ostrich likes to run and run for no rhyme or reason. The Water-Buffalo just kind of tolerate everyone else. So we sat and watched all of this unfold.

After a little bit, we realize that Butch, the large male, isn't out in the playground. Pretty soon we see him and his trainers walking the trail, going from one tent cabin to the next. Butch was delivering breakfast. Pretty soon he was at our place and brought us a great breakfast. He also brought us treats for us to feed to him. Once again we got to feed Butch.

After breakfast we hung around some more than headed for home. We had a blast on this trip and would highly recommend this adventure for everyone!

Anniversary Extravaganza - Part 3

OK - In parts 1 and 2 I told you about our tour and washing the elephants. I even had some pictures of me hard at work, so I guess it is time for the next installment.

After washing the elephants, we headed up to our tent cabin. We were staying in the Big Cat House. The accommodations were really nice. We had a TV, DVD, refrigerator and even indoor plumbing. The exterior walls were canvas and the tent cabin was fashioned after the authentic African style. We got back to the cabin about 3:30 and we were pretty tired.

At about 4, the trainers take the critters for a walk. Just as we were getting unpacked, we heard them outside. They had a raccoon on a leash, and they were walking him around to all 4 tent cabins for the guests to see. He was very cute. After he went on around the trail, the trainers brought by another guy for us to meet up close and personal. This time they brought by a cappybara.

I know, what is a cappybara? Well it turns out that that is the name of the giant rodent. My buddy Roy sent me an e-mail identifying him, and correcting me. It turns out that he is from South America, not Africa as I had remembered. He also pointed out that he thought that this guy we have known for years was really a giant rodent, but that is another story.

As the trainers went to leave, they told us in about half an hour it would be time to put the elephants to bed. They go to bed kind of early, so in about half an hour, we went down to do our part. We got to walk the elephants from their pasture and back to the barn.

Once they were in their stalls, we got to watch them eat their dinner, then feed them their bed time snacks. For dinner, they all got hay. For snacks, they got some leftover donuts, some loaves of bread, and lots of carrots and apples. As they were eating some hay, Paula would sneak her trunk over into her neighbors stalls and grab some of their hay. As she was discreetly turned and eating the stolen hay, her neighbors would reach over and steal some of her hay. They would actually steal hay back and forth from each other, even though they all had as much as they wanted. It was a kick to watch elephant drama unfold.

Next we went back to our tent cabin to call it a day. The last thing they told us turned out to be great advice. "Turn your heater on early." Wow. It gets cold there, and it gets cold fast!

In the next installment I'll tell you all about the morning breakfast delivery. Just a hint.... breakfast is delivered by elephant!

Kind of like my normal job......

Anniversary Extravaganza - Part 2

Our tour started out slow, but picked up quickly. We started off watching a raccoon, but quickly got into some neat critters. We got to see a huge African Porcupine. Kelly even was able to get one of his quills that had fallen out. One of my favorites was from Africa. I can't remember what he was called, but he was the largest rodent. He had fur like a rabbit, teeth like a gopher and kind of funny looking legs. We worked our way through the animals. We got to see Gators, Baboons, Monkeys, Lemurs, even a Ferret. Two of the coolest guys were the Kangaroo and the Hyena.

After a couple of hours we finally got to play, one on one with both a lynx and a little monkey. Kelly purposely did not wear any jewelry to distract the animals. She did wear kind of a black and white animal print shirt. Even though it was black and white, the Lynx took exception to her shirt and kind of gnawed at her. Even the trainer was surprised. The monkey went a little smoother. They put a diaper on the little guy and let him climb around on us. He was a little snuggle bug. He climbed up and just cuddled with me. Kind of like I would expect a grand kid to do, if I had one. Hint, Hint.

Next we had lunch with a couple of trainers then headed off to meet the elephants.

Wild Things has merged with the Elephants of Africa Rescue Society (EARS). They currently have 5 African elephants at the facility, one male named Butch, and four females named Paula, Kristi, Buffy and Manilika.

After we got to meet the elephants, the Trainer asked if we were ready to give Butch his afternoon bath. We jumped at the chance. We walked Butch over to one of the special elephant barns. An elephant barn is huge, but what is really big is the coral fencing they have to use with the elephants. Posts and rails are not wood. They are huge pieces of pipe set very deep in concrete.

Kelly and I got to scrub him up, and hose him down.

I'm going to post a couple of pictures and save the rest of the adventure for the next post. Stay Tuned!