Visited the park yesterday, New Years Day 2010, in their newer location. Since there are no threads yet for them, I will post a review.
LOCATION. The park operated for over a decade (I think) near Fountain Hills, Arizona, on the outskirts of Phoenix. When their lease ran out, they purchased land in Camp Verde, Arizona, their current location, which is off Interstate 17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff. This is a very scenic valley between two mountain passes. Since they are on the opposite side of the freeway as the main town, they have lots of open land on a hillside with great views. Ideal location (except that there is no way to get to Camp Verde without a car).
PRICE. At $36 per adult, they have the dubious dishonor of being the most expensive zoological park in the entire four corners region. (For non-Americans, that is the region made up of the four states whose corners all meet at one point: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah). I got in on an Arizona resident special for $28, but even that is a bit high for what you get.
AMENITIES. Virtually non-existent. The park has been open for four and a half years, but they are just now building proper restrooms. As of my visit, you still have to use a plastic porta-potty, like the kind you see at a construction site. Food cafe is a trailer you walk up to and eat at picnic tables. None of the paths are paved. There are no indoor exhibits (except the gift shop in a trailer at the entrance). No drinking fountains. Very minimal signage.
EXPERIENCE. Basically two sections: a flat area near the front with savanna hoofstock and a plateau with large carnivores, plus a few odds and ends. Mostly just large areas of the existing scrubland fenced in, which visually works very well. The savanna has thick brush, all the way it was when they bought the property, but it looks very much like footage I have seen of sub-saharan Africa. Not the manicured lawns of many safari parks. Giraffe, zebra, eland, sable, watusi cattle (which I am not crazy about - throwing in domestic animals), and very out of place Indian nilgai. You can see one side of it from the road or take the bus tour inside (one tour included with admission).
In a large gully between the savanna and the hillside exhibits is a very large white rhino exhibit (one male) with equally thick brush. I have never seen a rhino exhibit with such thick brush, which again looks much more like Africa (from the footage I have seen) than any other zoo rhino exhibit. On that basis, I might rank it as the top rhino exhibit in the country. In case you are wondering how a non-AZA facility recently aquired a white rhino, one of their supporters bought him from a Texas game ranch, which had bought him from Catskill Game Farm when they closed.
The predator habitats on the mesa, dubbed Wildlife Preserve, has some very nice size, simple habitats for a variety of predators. There is no theming or logic to the assemblage. Several tiger habitats, several lion habitats, a serval habitat (biggest I have seen), jaguar, black leopard, some mixed big cat species, a pair of spotted hyenas, a cougar and two black bears (together), and the only two grizzly bears in Arizona. On Sunday, Wednesday, Friday (the day I was there), they do a big feeding at 3pm where you can follow the feed truck.
SHOW. Their signature show, which is a carry-over from the old location, is Tiger Splash, daily at 1:15pm. Caretakers swim with tigers, luring them to jump in after toys, while the park founder narrates and explains cat behavior. Sounds crazy, but I believe they have never had a serious accident in all those years.
CONCLUSION. I have decidedly mixed feelings. For the high admission fee, it is a bit of a ripoff. They do not participate in any SSP's and as far as I know they do not contribute to any conservation programs. They do not have many visitor amenities and they do not really have any animals you could not see elsewhere. On the other hand, the animals have huge habitats, larger than most zoos, and the photo opportunities are quite good. The bus tour is fun and the guides are very friendly and humorous. They are adding more features, including a reptile display and a real restroom (which looks like it should be done in a month or so). But unless they do more to involve themselves in real conservation efforts, it may be difficult to pay that much money to a private park like this.
LOCATION. The park operated for over a decade (I think) near Fountain Hills, Arizona, on the outskirts of Phoenix. When their lease ran out, they purchased land in Camp Verde, Arizona, their current location, which is off Interstate 17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff. This is a very scenic valley between two mountain passes. Since they are on the opposite side of the freeway as the main town, they have lots of open land on a hillside with great views. Ideal location (except that there is no way to get to Camp Verde without a car).
PRICE. At $36 per adult, they have the dubious dishonor of being the most expensive zoological park in the entire four corners region. (For non-Americans, that is the region made up of the four states whose corners all meet at one point: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah). I got in on an Arizona resident special for $28, but even that is a bit high for what you get.
AMENITIES. Virtually non-existent. The park has been open for four and a half years, but they are just now building proper restrooms. As of my visit, you still have to use a plastic porta-potty, like the kind you see at a construction site. Food cafe is a trailer you walk up to and eat at picnic tables. None of the paths are paved. There are no indoor exhibits (except the gift shop in a trailer at the entrance). No drinking fountains. Very minimal signage.
EXPERIENCE. Basically two sections: a flat area near the front with savanna hoofstock and a plateau with large carnivores, plus a few odds and ends. Mostly just large areas of the existing scrubland fenced in, which visually works very well. The savanna has thick brush, all the way it was when they bought the property, but it looks very much like footage I have seen of sub-saharan Africa. Not the manicured lawns of many safari parks. Giraffe, zebra, eland, sable, watusi cattle (which I am not crazy about - throwing in domestic animals), and very out of place Indian nilgai. You can see one side of it from the road or take the bus tour inside (one tour included with admission).
In a large gully between the savanna and the hillside exhibits is a very large white rhino exhibit (one male) with equally thick brush. I have never seen a rhino exhibit with such thick brush, which again looks much more like Africa (from the footage I have seen) than any other zoo rhino exhibit. On that basis, I might rank it as the top rhino exhibit in the country. In case you are wondering how a non-AZA facility recently aquired a white rhino, one of their supporters bought him from a Texas game ranch, which had bought him from Catskill Game Farm when they closed.
The predator habitats on the mesa, dubbed Wildlife Preserve, has some very nice size, simple habitats for a variety of predators. There is no theming or logic to the assemblage. Several tiger habitats, several lion habitats, a serval habitat (biggest I have seen), jaguar, black leopard, some mixed big cat species, a pair of spotted hyenas, a cougar and two black bears (together), and the only two grizzly bears in Arizona. On Sunday, Wednesday, Friday (the day I was there), they do a big feeding at 3pm where you can follow the feed truck.
SHOW. Their signature show, which is a carry-over from the old location, is Tiger Splash, daily at 1:15pm. Caretakers swim with tigers, luring them to jump in after toys, while the park founder narrates and explains cat behavior. Sounds crazy, but I believe they have never had a serious accident in all those years.
CONCLUSION. I have decidedly mixed feelings. For the high admission fee, it is a bit of a ripoff. They do not participate in any SSP's and as far as I know they do not contribute to any conservation programs. They do not have many visitor amenities and they do not really have any animals you could not see elsewhere. On the other hand, the animals have huge habitats, larger than most zoos, and the photo opportunities are quite good. The bus tour is fun and the guides are very friendly and humorous. They are adding more features, including a reptile display and a real restroom (which looks like it should be done in a month or so). But unless they do more to involve themselves in real conservation efforts, it may be difficult to pay that much money to a private park like this.
