ELEFANTES POST
I've finished my entire zoo. I had featured the drive-through section previously and have now added that and the walk-through section. I may need to take a break from this for a while. Enjoy!
Austin Wild Safari Park and Zoo
This zoos is outside of Austin, TX, an area without a zoo.
Our Backyard
As visitors enter the park in their own vehicles, they first go into a preserve called Our Backyard. This features wildlife from Texas that currently exist in the state and wildlife no longer found in the state. The terrain resembles East Texas at the beginning and at the end of the drive will resemble West Texas. The barriers between the sections will not be visible to the motorists. The first section of the preserve is a wooded area featuring animals from East Texas. White-tailed deer are able to approach the vehicles and black bears and red wolves, while visible from the road, are kept away from their prey.
The visitor then exits the forested area and is now in an area resembling the plains. In this area, bison and pronghorn are able to approach the vehicles. Visible but separated from their prey are coyotes. Ponds are also present to attract native waterfowl.
The visitor exits this transition area to reach an area with rocky outcroppings as well as pinyon and juniper trees. This is the West Texas area. In this area, desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, elk, and javelinas are able to approach visitors' vehicles. Separated from their prey are Mexican wolves. Upon leaving the Texas exhibit, visitors prepare to enter the Africa section.
Okavango Delta
This area will mostly focus on animals found in a wooded savannah. Animals that are able to approach the vehicle include greater kudu, sable antelope, red lechwe, sassaby, impala, and waterbuck. Animals that are visible from the vehicle but not able to approach are black rhino, Cape buffalo, warthogs, and bull elephants, each in their own sections. Hippos live in the largest lake in the exhibit, separate from the road. As the motorist prepares to enter the next section of the African area, they see three separate packs of African hunting dogs, separated cleverly from their prey species.
Serengeti
The motorist then enters a section resembling the Serengeti filled with simulated acacias, baobabs, and termite mounds (like the previous section). Animals that can approach vehicles include ostrich, plains zebra, blue wildebeest, Thompson's gazelle, white rhino, eland, fringe-eared oryx, Masai giraffe, and roan antelope. A separate island with a troop of olive baboons is in the center of the exhibit. A herd of cow elephants is in the distance, unable to approach the vehicle. As the motorist exits this section of the park, two kopjes rise up from ahead. On either one is a small pride of lions facing each other. As the motorist prepares to enter the next section, a coalition of male cheetahs (including one king cheetah) is visible.
Sahara
This one has few trees and several rocky outcrops and small waterholes with a few palm trees surrounding them. Upon closer inspection, the motorist sees groups of Barbary sheep. Other animals roaming this area include scimitar-horned oryx, addax, slender-horned gazelles, Cuvier's gazelles, and dama gazelles. All of these animals are free to approach the vehicle.
Horn of Africa
This area is a similar design to the Sahara section. Animals from the Horn of Africa are in this enclosure including Speke's gazelles, gerenuks, Grevy's zebras, African asses, Soemmering's gazelles, reticulated giraffe, and Nubian ibex. All of these animals are free to approach the vehicles.
Crossroads
Next is the area featuring Middle Eastern wildlife. This area is called Crossroads as it represents a crossroads between Africa and Asia. This area is a simulated desert with rocky hills scattered throughout and simulated oases with palm trees. acacias are few and far between. On the rocky outcrops mouflons and Arkal urials climb around for a better view of the motorist ambling through the preserve. A large herd of Arabian oryx gathers near the waterholes or approaches the vehicle, curious of the occupants. Dorcas gazelles, mountain gazelles, Neauman's gazelles, and dromedaries roam throughout the preserve as well. I debated on dromedaries since these are a domesticated species and even considered featuring them in the Australian exhibit later on since that is where they are most like wild animals, but decided this would have represented their ancient homeland. As the motorist leaves this section, they notice two areas cleverly separated from the main exhibit. These areas have rocky outcrops for vantage points as well as trees for shade and flatter areas. On the left is a pair of golden jackals and on the right is a troop of Hamadryas baboons.
Treasures of Assam
This area looks much different from the Crossroads exhibit featuring Middle Eastern wildlife. Several streams and marshes are scattered throughout the exhibit. In a separate wetland area not approachable to the vehicle, are bull Asian elephants. These animals are able to see each other but each has his own separate enclosure to protect against fighting. In another separate area Indian rhinos are visible to the vehicle but are unable to approach. Animals that are able to approach the vehicle include nilgai, blackbucks, water buffalo, chinkara,and barasingha. This section leads into an Indian forest exhibit.
Jungle of Bihar
The next exhibit in Austin Wild Safari Park and Zoo is the Jungle of Bihar, featuring Indian jungle wildlife. This area is lined with various trees including simulated teaks. Upon entering the forested area, the motorist looks to their left and sees a sounder of wild boar that are unable to approach the vehicle. The pigs have mud wallows and trees for shade. On the right the motorist sees a herd of Asian elephant cows that are unable to approach the vehicle but still close enough to appreciate their size. The motorist then enters the main part of the exhibit and is greeted with several deer species; axis deer, sambar deer, hog deer, and Indian muntjacs. Gaur and four-horned antelope also approach the vehicle freely. As the motorist ambles along the forested area, they are hopefully fortunate enough to spot tigers on either side of the vehicle. A total of six tigers are on either side of the road. They are separate from their prey but have vantage points and are able to see their prey and the vehicles. These are Bengal tigers and two white ones are included in this mix. Each tiger has his/her own enclosure.
Desert of the Far East
After leaving the Jungle of Bihar, the motorist enters the second to the last preserve in the Austin Wild Safari Park and Zoo. This area is the Desert of the Far East, featuring wildlife from the Gobi Desert. This reserve is smaller, similar to the Crossroads exhibit. In this one, Bactrain camels, Mongolian wild horses, Mongolian wild asses, Mongolian gazelles, and goitered gazelles are able to approach the vehicle freely. The landscape in this section of the preserve resembles the Gobi, simulated shrubs and rocky outcroppings to mimic the bleakness of this part of the world.
Australian Outback
And now for the finale of the drive-through safari portion of Austin Wild Safari Park and Zoo; The Australian Outback. This area is designed to resemble the outback. This features black wallaroos, antilopene wallaroos, red kangaroos, gray kangaroos, and emus. Two packs of dingoes are kept separate but within view of the motorist.
The motorist leaves the safari park for the walk-through section.
Walk-Through Section
The walk-through area contains huge enclosures that are walk-through enclosures. This zoo is a cageless zoo and every animal is visible with no barriers. The central part of the zoo is a large park-like setting. It is surrounded by a fence as it contains fallow deer (white, spotted, menil, and melanistic). The deer are free to roam the area and share the area with peafowl, red junglefowl, and turkeys, which are able to fly over the fence and roam the entire zoo grounds. A large koi pond is in the center and it contains nest boxes designed to attract wood ducks. This area has picnic tables and a small playground.
Texas Trails
The first section is a wetland and wooded area. This area has bird feeders and birdhouses designed to attract native Texas wildlife. A boardwalk goes through the wetland areas and trails lead through the wooded area. Signs are posted to show visitors what they may see.
Explore Africa!
This section contains smaller animals from Africa. Three different walk-through exhibits are present here. The first is a simulated kopje. In this area, Kirk’s and Gunther’s dik diks, and helmeted guinea fowls. Visitors are able to interact with these animals.
The second enclosure is split up into two sections, featuring turtles and tortoises from Africa. In the dry, rocky area are sulcata tortoises, leopard tortoises, pancake tortoises, and geometric tortoises as well as crested guinea fowl. The second section is a wetland featuring East African black mud turtles, Okavango mud turtles, and yellow-bellied mud turtles, as well as Egyptian geese. Visitors are able to interact with these species (although the mud turtles are in the water most of the time.
The third enclosure is a massive aviary featuring large birds from Africa including both species of crowned cranes, shoebill storks, sacred ibis, lesser flamingos, pink-backed pelicans, African black ducks, African white-backed ducks, African pygmy geese, African yellow-billed ducks, hottentot teals, and vulturine guinea fowl. This section features simulated acacia and baobab trees, a marsh, and plenty of open areas. This area has a raised walkway so the visitors are not directly walking with the bigger birds.
The fourth enclosure is a much smaller aviary featuring smaller birds of the savannah. These include ring-necked doves, African collared doves, masked lovebirds, red-headed lovebirds, Fischer’s lovebirds, blue-capped cordon-bleu finches, red-billed queleas, and red-billed, and yellow-billed oxpeckers.
All of these enclosures surround a central building that illustrates the threats to animals in Africa. All of these aviaries are enclosed to allow the birds to fly.
Cradle of Civilization
This area features a big aviary featuring birds from the marshes in the Middle East. An interpretive center explains the threats to wildlife in the Middle East as well as the uniqueness of the marshes in the region. Birds in the aviary include Dalmation pelicans, marbled teal, greater flamingos, great cormorants, pygmy cormorants, red-breasted geese, Eurasian teals, ruddy shelducks, and mute swans. This aviary is enclosed.
Birds of the Far East
This enclosed aviary features birds from Mongolia. This is set up to resemble desert, plains, and wetlands. This area is also a raised platform. Birds in this area include gray herons, Chinese pond herons, great egrets, whooper swans, Mandarin ducks, Baikal teals, graylag geese, bean geese, black-billed capercaillie, chukar, gray partridge, Koklass pheasant, ring-necked pheasant, Daurian partridge, demoiselle cranes, and hooded cranes. As with the others, detailed descriptions of the threats to animals in Mongolia are presented in a building at the entrance to the aviary.
Indian Tour
In this area, an interpretive building explaining threats to India’s wildlife (focusing especially on the huge population). An enclosure is the first exhibit the visitor sees. This one is a forest habitat with open clearings. This is an area where the visitor encounters tortoises; Indian star tortoises, Asian brown tortoises, elongated tortoises, and Travancore tortoises. In the wetland area are several river turtles including northern river terrapins, Asian leaf turtles, Assam roofed turtles, Indian eyed turtles, and Indian black turtles.
The next exhibit is an aviary featuring a raised boardwalk. In this aviary that is forested with open clearings contains gray junglefowl, great hornbills, sarus cranes, knob-billed ducks, fulvous whistling ducks, cotton pygmy geese, lesser whistling ducks, painted storks, white storks, black-headed ibis, red-naped ibis, Goliath herons, great white pelicans, great Indian bustards, black francolin, kalij pheasants, and Temmick’s tragopons.
The last aviary in this complex is smaller and also forested with open space. This has smaller birds and the trail is at ground level. In this area there are king quails, painted bush quails, white-cheeked partridges, rose-ringed parakeets, plum-headed parakeets, blue-winged parakeets, gray-headed parakeets, red turtle doves, laughing doves, and spotted doves.
Walkabout
The Australian section features three walk-through enclosures surrounding an interpretive visitor center that focuses on the threats to Australian wildlife and especially focuses on invasive species.
The first enclosure features wallabies including short-eared wallabies, agile wallabies, yellow-footed rock wallabies, black-flanked wallabies, and swamp wallabies. This area has trees, grassy areas, and a simulated desert environment. The wallabies freely approach the visitors.
The second enclosed aviary features black swans, blue-billed ducks, magpie geese, raja shelducks, freckled ducks, green pygmy geese, Australian shelducks, malleefowl, galahs, glossy black cockatoos, sulfur-crested cockatoos, Major Mitchell’s cockatoos, gang-gang cockatoos, Australian king parrots, Australian ringneck parrots, red-winged parrots, turquoise parrots, and eclectus parrots. This aviary resembles wetlands, dry areas, and forests of Australia.
The third smaller enclosed aviary, similarly decorated as the previous, contains budgies, cockatiels, zebra finches, Gouldian finches, rainbow lorikeets, Princess of Wales parrots, peaceful doves, and diamond doves. These birds also freely approach the visitors who are at ground level.
The Farm
The final section of the zoo is the farm area. In this area there are several different paddocks the visitor can approach. The first one contains goat and sheep breeds from around the world including Angora, Nubian, Boer, pygmy goats, Corsican sheep (of various colors), Merinos, Suffolks, and Jacob sheep. The next paddock contains miniature donkeys and horses, the third contains miniature cattle, and the fourth contains teacup and potbellied pigs. Throughout the enclosures chickens (various breeds), domesticated turkeys (various breeds and colors), domesticated peafowl (of various colors), domestic geese (various breeds), and domestic ducks (various breeds) roam freely. A covered aviary in this section contains domestic guineafowl, domestic ringnecked pheasants, golden pheasants, and domestic color variants of wood and Mandarin ducks.
LOVE IT
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