West Coast Road Trip (continued)
In the heart of the vast Oregon wilderness, over 600 exotic and native animals live a fully protected and free-roaming lifestyle. ‘Wildlife Safari‘ in Winston, Oregon, with a full 600 acres of land, has dedicated themselves to the conservation, education and research of wildlife. I was very happy to get a chance on my road trip to see these animals in dedicated habitats in the beautiful Oregon landscape.
What You’ll See on the Safari
On the 1.5 hour drive-through safari you’ll see exotic animals such as the gorgeous horned Oryx, African Elephants, African Lions, Bison, Elk, Wildebeest, Yaks, Camels, Cougars, Zebras and Giraffes. The animals seem very happy in the lush surroundings of green Oregon trees and mountains. The Safari is home to a Cheetah Conservation Program which is the most successful cheetah breeding facility in the western hemisphere, begetting 171 cheetah cubs to date. Due to the declining cheetah population they are ensuring the species will continue. These cheetahs go on to live lives at accredited conservation programs and zoos across the U.S.
Close Up Animal Encounters
In addition, they provide a walk-through area called Safari Village, which is home to over 300 of their smaller animals including tortoises, monkeys, kangaroos, reptiles, flamingos and other birds. This is also where you’ll find a cafe, playground and gift shop. For children (or adult animal huggers such as myself), there is a petting zoo. And if you are visiting on a road trip, they have an RV Park and campgrounds on their property.
The facility has some supervised close-up animal encounters if you want to make your visit more personal. These include camel rides for kids, cheetah feeding, bringing the bears in for the night with the keepers, and meeting the three African Elephants personally.
