I think this is the right place to put this. This park is really different. Its small, but pretty nice. There's no real fancy exhibits, its mainly the environment that's already there. They have a lot of tigers, lions, and other big cats, but also some grizzlies, black bears, and most of the animals are in mixed enclosures. There's also a white rhino there, Boom Boom, who is actually the rhino that is on the Ecko logo. They also have a safari ride where you take a bus into an enclosure and have the chance of feeding a giraffe or camel. And then there's their tiger show, which is unbelievable. Its a big area with a pool in the middle, with about 4 tigers in there with the keepers. They trigger the tigers instinct by running and having the tigers chase them, usually ending up in the pool, no harm done. The owner, who is doing the talking, says this is because the cats chose not too, because of their friendship/relationship with the keepers. They emphasize this by playing with them with balloons and toys that the tigers pop with their teeth/claws. It was a very interesting show. The website for the park is www.outofafricapark.com and the owner has a book on there that explains more about what he talks about in the show
Out Of Africa Wildlife Park Out of Africa - Arizona
- Thread starter sgp
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I read Dean Harrison's memoir "Return to Eden" a few months ago, and he talks all about sleeping in the same bed as full-grown big cats. There are a number of times where either he or his wife are mauled by one of their so-called "pets", and thus the wildlife park has had its share of heavy criticism over the years. Do they still have leopards, tigers and lions in the same exhibit? Is their still a show where humans handle adult cobras? The Harrison's are devoutly religious and there is a lot of talk about God and the presence of a higher power when they are working with the carnivores. I haven't decided whether the park's owners are brave and commendable or just plain loopy.
they are a bit more religious than I care for, but hey, maybe you get that way after near death experiences, lol. Yea, he did get attacked a lot, and he explained in his book why they did it, but I will agree some of it was him putting himself in a bad situation. As for the park, I didnt get to see it all, we were just there for a few hours, but there was a cougar and a couple black bears together, and I believe a black leopard in with a jaguar maybe? Don't really know, but there was a snake show, but we didn't watch it. All I saw was a giant snake, boa or something.
It's people/facilities like this that give "zoos" a bad reputation. It's likely only a matter of time until someone gets gravely injured or dies (e.g. the death by "tame" grizzly earlier this year in So Cal), and then who suffers? The animals of course.
I haven't been to Out of Africa since they moved to Camp Verde, but I did visit a few times when they were in Fountain Hills. I have had a conversation or two with Dean Harrison, and my impression of him is as follows. He has a major "Daniel in the Lion's Den" complex. I disagree with just about everything in his park. Lions, tigers, leopards and humans just should not share space. They have a 3-legged leopard there because a lioness ripped her leg off from the other side of chicken wire. Also, bears, wolves and pumas have been housed together, and numerous other dangerous bedfellows. The worst experience I've had there was when I went to his little "snake show". He brought around a snake in his hands asking people what they thought it was. Several people shouted out "boa", "python". But when he got it around to me I froze. I said, "Sir, please get that king cobra away from me". It was literally within striking distance. Apparently, they had a pair of them that had supposedly had their venom glands removed. While I find this procedure inhumane, I also would not trust it to work so thoroughly as to present the snake within striking distance from your guests. It's only a matter of time until tragedy strikes that facility.
The book was fascinating reading mainly because I could not believe what the Harrison's were doing with their animals. To have so many different species of carnivores lumped together in the same exhibits is plain bizarre and inappropriate...and "loopy" seems to be the best way to describe their operating procedures.