Village Walk-Thru

In 2005, we started expanding the Safari Village, a ten acre walk-thru area. Stretch your legs, and stroll along the paved walkways, with habitats the whole family will enjoy!  Be sure to catch one of our Animal Close Up Encounters - throughout the day!

 

Giraffe Feeding
giraffe feeding

The giraffe feeding is a highlight of any zoo trip!

A wheelchair accessible ramp leads to the covered platform, bringing you to eye level with the giraffe! Guests can feed the giraffe out of their hands with Romaine lettuce available at the new Outpost Gift Shop and on the giraffe viewing platform. 

Did You Know?

  • Male giraffe can grow up to 18 feet tall!
  • The patterns on each giraffe are unique, so no two are ever alike.
  • Giraffe babies are born already 6 feet tall - Now that's a big baby!
  • Mother giraffe are pregnant for 14.5 months!
  • Even though their necks are very long, giraffe have the same number of vertebrae in their necks as humans do, only seven!
  • Giraffe tongues are 18 inches long, and are a unique black or dark gray color. - See that for yourself!
Petting Area

Petting Area

Farmyard Fun!

Enjoy feeding and petting goats & kids, potbellied pigs & piglets, chickens, baby llamas, and all your farmyard favorites.

 

Did You Know?

  • Pygmy goats are excellent climbers!  They have a patch of hair between their toes to give them extra climbing traction.
  • There are over 250 breeds of domestic chickens, but none of them are capable of long-distance flight.
  • Pot-bellied pigs have an unbelievable sense of smell.  They can smell food up to ten inches below the ground, and use their tough snout to dig up foods like bulbs, roots, insects, and seeds.
  • Pygmy goats usually give birth to twins!
  • Pigs don’t sweat, which is one reason they need to cool off in water and mud wallows. - See more at: http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/wild-swine-pigs-hogs#sthash.ztPOGbnz.dpuf
    Pigs cannot sweat!  Which is why you will see them wallowing in puddles and mud holes to cool off.
  • Llamas are closely related to camels!  Although they don't have a hump like a camel, their feet have two padded toes just like a camel's.
Penguin Pool

Penguin

Have you met the NEW Penguins yet!?

The African Penguin exhibit does not need snow and ice!  See their exhibit designed to closely mimic their natural environment. 

Did You Know?

  • Endangered species and one of the smallest
  • Waterproof feathers that keep them warm and dry
  • Dot like markings across their chest are like fingerprints to each individual animal
  • Distinct beak and black feet
  • Males are slightly larger than females
Tiger Territory

tiger

Observe our orange and white Bengal Tigers, as they play in their yard, lounge in the shade, or cool off in their pool.

Did You Know?

  • Tigers are excellent swimmers, and never far from a water source in the wild.  They even have partially webbed toes to help move through the water!
  • Tigers have one-inch front claws that they can push out to sharpen, and also pull in when walking.
  • Female tigers can have litters of up to seven cubs!  Newborn cubs weigh only one to three pounds!
  • Tigers are so adaptable, that they can live in a broad range of climates; from tropical rain forest, to areas of extreme snow and temperatures as low as -40 degrees.
Budgie Adventure Aviary

Experience a Budgie Adventure!

Walk into our special free-flight aviary and let the adventure begin! You can feed these gentle, colorful birds as they perch on your hand.

*Budgie Feed Sticks are available at the Safari Gift Shop or Outpost Gift Shop for $1.50 each. Open daily until one hour prior to closing.

 

Did You Know?

  • Due to their gentle nature and small size, budgies are the most popular pet bird in the world!
  • Australian farmers sometimes consider budgies to be pests since they can travel in large flocks and raid crops.
  • Budgies, like all parrots, have two toes that face forward and two that face backward!
  • Boy or Girl? Look at the area where the nostrils are located.  If that area is blue it is a boy, if it is brown or tan it is a girl.
  • Budgies have between 2,000 and 3,000 specialized feathers on their bodies!  Each type of feather has an important job to do; from helping the budgie fly to keeping it warm.
  • On average, a budgie takes 65 to 85 breaths per minute!
Kangaroo Walk-About

Kangaroo

Take A Hop With Kangaroos!

Enjoy a walk or a hop through the Kangaroo Walk-About.  Watch as kangaroos jump, leap, or enjoy a lazy nap in the sun.  Be on the lookout for mother kangaroos with joeys (baby kangaroos) in their pouches. 

 

Did You Know?

  • Red Kangaroos are the largest of all the kangaroos!  Adult males can stand over 6 feet tall and weigh 200 pounds!
  • When a kangaroo senses danger, it will thump its feet loudly to warn the others.
  • Female kangaroos are smaller and faster than males, traveling at speeds up to 30mph!
  • A group of kangaroos is called a mob.
  • Baby kangaroos are born the size of a jellybean and travel into the mother's pouch to continue growing.
  • Kangaroos cannot walk backward.