From May 9th to May 18th, I took a vacation to the state of Florida. While down there, I did many exciting activities and saw some awesome places, such as an Airboat Tour, Kennedy Space Center, the Fountain of Youth, and, of course, a couple of animal attractions.
The two animal attractions that I visited on my trip were the White Oak Conservation Center, and Gatorland. I’ll start out with White Oak:
Review of White Oak Conservation Center
White Oak | White Oak Conservation
On May 14th, I toured this enormous conservation center, which is located on the outskirts of Yulee, Florida. In fact, the establishment actually sits right across from the state of Georgia. White Oak began as a plantation sometime in the 1700’s until about the 1930’s. Next, the area became a large private paper business until White Oak fell under new ownership in 1982. It was then that White Oak would begin its focus on three major aspects: conservation of the natural world, cultural arts, and public policy. The conservation center then began giving arranged private tours about ten years ago.
Because this is a conservation center, my review (which will focus on the “conservation of the natural world” aspect) will be more about the experiences I had and the center’s species conservation successes rather than about exhibit quality like I have done for my zoo reviews. I will point out, though, that most of the exhibits are very nice for the sake of the animals’ comfort, and White Oak does a great job of working with the AZA and other zoos in breeding programs that take place.
Rhinos – White Oak is well-known for its success in rhino conservation. The species held here are white, black, and Indian; a Sumatran rhino was once held here for a few years, but was later shipped out. The white rhino exhibit can actually be seen when driving on the way to the main building where the tour begins, and in a more secluded area of the center are the facilities for black and Indian rhinos. At the time of my visit, there were about 10-12 white rhinos (with about 30 births occurring over the years), three black rhinos (I only saw one), and five Indian rhinos.
Hoofstock – Several enormous habitats for hoofed animals are seen throughout the White Oak woods. Next to the white rhinos on the way in is an enclosure for a single banteng; rows of exhibits are home to breeding herds of roan antelope, lesser kudu, wildebeest, addra gazelle, bongos (including one of nine sets of bongo twins born in North America), giant eland (a first for me), and Nile lechwe (another first). Scattered throughout the center are also exhibits for bachelor herds of animals, some of which are different species mixed together – an example was one for giant eland, lesser kudu, and Nile lechwe. Other hoofstock exhibits throughout the center include an enormous tree filled habitat for giraffes, a huge field for Somali wild ass, an exhibit for a trio of gerenuk, and another large open habitat for Grevy’s zebras (I was told the exhibit was about the same size as the entire Central Park Zoo).
Cheetahs – Scattered throughout the area are also several lush habitats for the world’s fastest land mammal. White Oak is currently home to almost 30 cheetahs, and has been very successful with breeding the cats, having close to 150 cubs born. One of the exhibits held not only a single female cheetah, but also an Anatolian shepherd dog. It was cool to hear how the two grew up together, along with the relationship that cheetahs and shepherd dogs have in Africa.
Birds – There are a few round cages that are connected to one another via tunnels for curassows (species include wattled and blue-billed) that were nothing spectacular, but across the road were two 1-acre wooded habitats for cassowaries. The mother was in one, and a father and chick were in the other. I always get excited when I see this unique bird species, but seeing a chick and hearing the mother’s very low rumbling sounds made the experience even more memorable.
Okapis – Another species White Oak is famous for is the mysterious okapi. The center has about 11 okapis (with another on the way), and had several births. Unfortunately, at the time of my tour, all the okapi enclosures were under going maintenance – bad luck! However, the guide went up to one of the okapi barns, looked through one of the peek holes, and then motioned to come over and take a look. There, in the corner, was a male okapi. It was cool already to see the unique creature so close, but things got really exciting when the okapi walked over to the peek hole (surprising considering the skittish nature of okapis). He even stuck his muzzle out, allowing us to pet it!
Other Animals – Apparently, White Oak also has maned wolf, Mississippi sandhill crane, and wattled crane, but the guide never took us to those areas. We did pass by an enormous (15 acres I believe), heavily wooded habitat for Florida panther. The habitat is used for the panthers for rehabilitation, and to prepare the cats for eventual release into the wild. At the time of my tour, the center only had a male Florida panther, which was in quarantine.
Animal Hospital – This cool building is located across from the Somali wild ass. Inside were many interesting rooms, including one for health exams and a research room focused on artificial insemination. While touring inside, the guide was talking about some neat information about their recent success with artificial insemination with gerenuk.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Meeting the magnificent Indian rhino up-close was by far the most amazing part of the day. I previously had an up-close encounter with an Indian rhino in 2008 (at “The Wilds” in Ohio), but it was a thrill this time around to be petting not one, but five Indian rhinos. Patrick, the center’s bull rhino, was in one paddock, a mother and one-year-old calf were in one stall of the rhino barn, and another mother and calf pair was in the other stall.
Overall: White Oak Conservation Center is without a doubt a fantastic wildlife outing! Being able to see cheetahs, okapis, rhinos, and herds of unique hoofstock up-close and personal is a real treat for large mammal fans. Also, hearing some amazing information regarding the center’s relationship with other AZA zoos and the conservation work that occurs made the trip all the more informative. I’d definitely recommend a trip to White Oak to anyone who hasn’t been there yet. The Gatorland review will be up soon – stay tuned.
The two animal attractions that I visited on my trip were the White Oak Conservation Center, and Gatorland. I’ll start out with White Oak:
Review of White Oak Conservation Center
White Oak | White Oak Conservation
On May 14th, I toured this enormous conservation center, which is located on the outskirts of Yulee, Florida. In fact, the establishment actually sits right across from the state of Georgia. White Oak began as a plantation sometime in the 1700’s until about the 1930’s. Next, the area became a large private paper business until White Oak fell under new ownership in 1982. It was then that White Oak would begin its focus on three major aspects: conservation of the natural world, cultural arts, and public policy. The conservation center then began giving arranged private tours about ten years ago.
Because this is a conservation center, my review (which will focus on the “conservation of the natural world” aspect) will be more about the experiences I had and the center’s species conservation successes rather than about exhibit quality like I have done for my zoo reviews. I will point out, though, that most of the exhibits are very nice for the sake of the animals’ comfort, and White Oak does a great job of working with the AZA and other zoos in breeding programs that take place.
Rhinos – White Oak is well-known for its success in rhino conservation. The species held here are white, black, and Indian; a Sumatran rhino was once held here for a few years, but was later shipped out. The white rhino exhibit can actually be seen when driving on the way to the main building where the tour begins, and in a more secluded area of the center are the facilities for black and Indian rhinos. At the time of my visit, there were about 10-12 white rhinos (with about 30 births occurring over the years), three black rhinos (I only saw one), and five Indian rhinos.
Hoofstock – Several enormous habitats for hoofed animals are seen throughout the White Oak woods. Next to the white rhinos on the way in is an enclosure for a single banteng; rows of exhibits are home to breeding herds of roan antelope, lesser kudu, wildebeest, addra gazelle, bongos (including one of nine sets of bongo twins born in North America), giant eland (a first for me), and Nile lechwe (another first). Scattered throughout the center are also exhibits for bachelor herds of animals, some of which are different species mixed together – an example was one for giant eland, lesser kudu, and Nile lechwe. Other hoofstock exhibits throughout the center include an enormous tree filled habitat for giraffes, a huge field for Somali wild ass, an exhibit for a trio of gerenuk, and another large open habitat for Grevy’s zebras (I was told the exhibit was about the same size as the entire Central Park Zoo).
Cheetahs – Scattered throughout the area are also several lush habitats for the world’s fastest land mammal. White Oak is currently home to almost 30 cheetahs, and has been very successful with breeding the cats, having close to 150 cubs born. One of the exhibits held not only a single female cheetah, but also an Anatolian shepherd dog. It was cool to hear how the two grew up together, along with the relationship that cheetahs and shepherd dogs have in Africa.
Birds – There are a few round cages that are connected to one another via tunnels for curassows (species include wattled and blue-billed) that were nothing spectacular, but across the road were two 1-acre wooded habitats for cassowaries. The mother was in one, and a father and chick were in the other. I always get excited when I see this unique bird species, but seeing a chick and hearing the mother’s very low rumbling sounds made the experience even more memorable.
Okapis – Another species White Oak is famous for is the mysterious okapi. The center has about 11 okapis (with another on the way), and had several births. Unfortunately, at the time of my tour, all the okapi enclosures were under going maintenance – bad luck! However, the guide went up to one of the okapi barns, looked through one of the peek holes, and then motioned to come over and take a look. There, in the corner, was a male okapi. It was cool already to see the unique creature so close, but things got really exciting when the okapi walked over to the peek hole (surprising considering the skittish nature of okapis). He even stuck his muzzle out, allowing us to pet it!
Other Animals – Apparently, White Oak also has maned wolf, Mississippi sandhill crane, and wattled crane, but the guide never took us to those areas. We did pass by an enormous (15 acres I believe), heavily wooded habitat for Florida panther. The habitat is used for the panthers for rehabilitation, and to prepare the cats for eventual release into the wild. At the time of my tour, the center only had a male Florida panther, which was in quarantine.
Animal Hospital – This cool building is located across from the Somali wild ass. Inside were many interesting rooms, including one for health exams and a research room focused on artificial insemination. While touring inside, the guide was talking about some neat information about their recent success with artificial insemination with gerenuk.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Meeting the magnificent Indian rhino up-close was by far the most amazing part of the day. I previously had an up-close encounter with an Indian rhino in 2008 (at “The Wilds” in Ohio), but it was a thrill this time around to be petting not one, but five Indian rhinos. Patrick, the center’s bull rhino, was in one paddock, a mother and one-year-old calf were in one stall of the rhino barn, and another mother and calf pair was in the other stall.
Overall: White Oak Conservation Center is without a doubt a fantastic wildlife outing! Being able to see cheetahs, okapis, rhinos, and herds of unique hoofstock up-close and personal is a real treat for large mammal fans. Also, hearing some amazing information regarding the center’s relationship with other AZA zoos and the conservation work that occurs made the trip all the more informative. I’d definitely recommend a trip to White Oak to anyone who hasn’t been there yet. The Gatorland review will be up soon – stay tuned.
In addition, I was able to catch the dorsal fins of either dolphins or porpoises breaking the surface on the coast that the Space Center is located.