I first visited
Wildlife Safari in March of 2010 and I visited a second time on March 17th, 2024. To be honest, not a lot seems to have changed in those 14 years, although there's been some smaller finished projects around the zoo.
I drove my family through the drive-through safari zone and it took us 1.5 hours to finish. In separate side exhibits, we saw 4 Lions (in 4 different enclosures), two young Grizzly Bears, two American Black Bears, several Red Wolves in two yards, 5 Sumatran Tigers, and quite a few of the park's 27 Cheetahs. Wildlife Safari has now produced a staggering
251 baby Cheetahs, which must be up there in the top echelon of Cheetah breeding at a zoo worldwide.
There are other animals seen via separate yards, such as 3 African Elephants and a couple of Common Hippos, and animals that are in the same space as visitor vehicles include the following: Giraffe, White Rhino, Zebra, Common Eland, Wildebeest, Blackbuck, Waterbuck, Greater Kudu, Scimitar-horned Oryx, Nilgai, Roosevelt Elk, Fallow Deer, American Bison, Yak, Watusi Cattle, Guanaco, Ostrich, Emu, Rhea, White-naped Crane and African Crowned Crane.
Comparing the 'Drive Thru Map' that I received in 2024 with the one I still have from 2010, I see that Sitatunga, Gemsbok, Sika Deer, Aoudad and Llama have all left the collection. The old Siamang island is now empty of animals, which is probably for the best. Also, there is no longer a Bald Eagle exhibit. All of that information gives me the impression that Wildlife Safari has been treading water for 14 years, or perhaps even regressed.
There's also a walking area that is always free of charge and it can be toured in approximately half an hour. In my opinion, the primate exhibits taint the zoo, as the island homes for White-cheeked Gibbons (seen via the drive-through), Ring-tailed Lemurs and Red Ruffed Lemurs do not meet modern standards, and there's also Cotton-top Tamarins and Geoffroy's Marmosets in tiny glass-fronted exhibits that are small and barely adequate.
The walking zone also has camel rides, an amphitheater, a really nice gift shop, and exhibits for the following species: American Alligator (a puny indoor area where they spend most of the year), Capybara, Maned Wolf, Red Panda, Coati, Bobcat, Cougar, and a small walk-through Australian zone with Wallaroos, an Emu, and tiny aviaries for a Kookaburra and Red-billed Hornbill. None of the exhibits are very impressive. A Flamingo pool and a train ride rounds off this area, with a domestic barnyard a hit with small children.
Wildlife Safari is both AZA and ZAA accredited and my 4 children had never been to a drive-though zoo before and so they truly enjoyed the experience. Seeing elephants, rhinos, hippos and giraffes up close is always a treat, and the bears were a big hit with my family as well. Cheetahs by the dozen is remarkable, but driving all day on a road trip and then driving around a zoo is never my favourite option. I'd much rather stroll around any day of the week! Having said that, it was a nice trip through the park and the only real blight are all those very poor primate exhibits.