5. Kiemga Veldt: - (6+ exhibits)
To begin our African adventure, one must first pass through a safari-style archway that serves as both the entrance and exit of this expansive attraction; and once you do, up ahead to your right is the first of many vantage points that allow guests to overlook the first of four main enclosures.
Now while I did mention before that the complex would comprise of a single large exhibit. Later on, would I realize that while it was a nice idea to think about back then. I’ve decided that if such a mix were to end up being successful; it would be better safe than sorry to divide the exhibit into several interconnected yards intentionally designed to allow the flexibility of success and/or failure. Which thus, future-proofs the complex as a whole; while also maintaining the welfare of all four species involved moving forward, as seen in the image below:
But coming back to the exhibit we overlook; this two-acre yard which is labeled
Veldt Alpha, is the second largest of the four exhibits, and of those four, contains the most amount of public vantage points. At the moment, you might have noticed the zoo’s tower of
Masai Giraffes passing by in unison, and as of today they are also given access to a smaller yard that we’ll encounter momentarily.
From here, we turn towards a sudden commotion as crowds of other guests gather around a more loosely themed archway not too far from the first viewing area. Soon, several keepers begin to stand by and close off the entryway with massive gates from both sides, which connects Veldt Alpha to the nearest major veldt. Given the width and size of this crossing, it allows the zoo’s
Southern White Rhinos to walk along a section of visitor walkway, and in between the surrounding crowds. Typically occurring once in the morning and once near closing hours; guests that are viewing the animals from the opposite side from where we stand, are confined there until all of the rhinos are transferred.
But once the keepers open the entryway once again, we can now continue our tour by following the animals to the adjacent exhibit. While the following one-acre enclosure labeled as
Veldt Bravo is primarily designed for the rhinos in mind. Sometimes, the zoo’s
Impala herd will occasionally find their way in and peacefully coexist alongside them. Nearby are the rhino night quarters that the rhinos transfer to once they’ve passed through the nearby crossing. On the opposite end of this area, there is a separate access gate which is directly attached to the nearest veldt.
Continuing on, the views into Veldt Bravo can still be seen, even if it is through a different perspective in the form of bleacher-style seating. That is because we have now reached a sectioned off portion of the next main enclosure that can be closed off from the rest of the habitat via, a heavy sliding gate. During certain times of the day, is when the elephant keeper demonstrations take place, in which one or two elephants that choose to participate show off their impressive size and skills to the viewing public. But since the bleachers are roped off and no keepers are present at the moment, we are going to continue on and view the remainder of the enclosure that the demonstration yard is attached to.
Like the previous two yards, this habitat labeled as
Veldt Charlie is also an acre in size and is currently attached to the fourth and final main yard which are both displaying the zoo’s all-female herd of
African Bush Elephants; all of whom are post-reproductive and are now here with us to spend the rest of their days in rotation with the other inhabitants of the veldt. While there have been times when the elephants do coexist alongside the giraffes and rhinos; for the most part, they prefer to be alone with their own kind and thus, it is more likely for us to see them alone rather than being mixed with the other large animals. Sometimes, if the elephants want nothing more than a bit of privacy, directly attached to Veldt Alpha is a smaller, 14,000 sq ft reserved just for the elephants.
Next door, in the much larger three-acre
Veldt Delta, is the largest body of water present in the complex. During the hotter months of the year, the elephants are given exclusive access to an impressive 150,000-gallon swimming hole deep enough for the elephants to swim with ease; and given their age, the pool also allows them to improve and maintain their physical health while swimming.
Behind us nearby is an extension of the veldt that can also be closed off with an even taller gate hidden beneath an overhead visitor footbridge. Rather than being enclosed by typical fencing, the barriers used for this section are man-made mud walls that replicate a dry riverbed. At the moment, this section is currently attached to Veldt Alpha, and is used by keepers during non-visitor hours to transfer the elephants from their night quarters to the adjacent habitats that we previously covered; and on days like today, visitors are permitted to get up close and feed the giraffes firsthand from a designated feeding platform connected to this part of the veldt. Looping back to where we first began, we’ll turn to our right and walk towards a semi-outdoor kiosk that overlooks a previously unseen section of Veldt Alpha.
Here guests can learn and interact with a variety of interpretative signage among other features, in addition to the temporary kiosks assembled by zoo educators to better engage with guests about the conservation efforts that the zoo actively supports. From this overlook, we can barely make out both the private yards and night quarters that the giraffes and impala share since more mud walls and assorted foliage help block the view of this area from the eyes of most guests.
Further down the path, a smaller extension of the veldt comes into view, which is often labeled as a separate exhibit by some. No matter how temperamental their larger neighbors can be, this “self-separation” area is utilized by the impala as an important refuge for these flighty antelope to safely hide away from both guests and their cohabitants. Soon afterward, we cross over yet another visitor footbridge and are greeted by the same entryway from before, albeit without crossing rhinos. But before we continue our way back, you are given the option to look out into Veldt Alpha for a final time, and perhaps bid farewell to the giraffes and impala. Which from there, we’ll return to the entrance of this attraction and conclude our adventure.
(All photo credits, in order, go to
@Maguari,
@Julio C Castro, and myself respectively)
