Growing and Building: A Reflection Of Our Path and Progress

This story begins with the end of another. For years Timbavati Wildlife Park was an attraction within Storybook Gardens which some of you might remember as being a staple in the Wisconsin Dells since 1957. With an infrastructure that was beyond its time and our need to expand our offerings, we took over the Riverview Waterpark in 2011 and moved our Timbavati family.

To that point I ask you? What is the cost of ambition? What does a visionary endure during transition and growth? It is an interesting query for me as a writer because history is full of the successes and failures of those who dared to dream. That is a precursor to my understanding of what it takes to transform a water park into a Wildlife Park.

As an independent and family business, devoid of corporate politics and budgets (fortunately and un), making this vision a reality takes time, patience, perseverance and fortitude. Here are a couple of pictures of what the place used to look like as Riverview Park.

We began diligently working on the 55-acre property in 2011 and opened our doors to start off the 2013 tourist season. The first major construction project was erecting the rock wall. I don’t know how many people actually consider the wall and the efforts that it takes to put a structure like this up, but to do that through a winter season was it's own adventure.

A picture from our friends at thoughtsfromher.com

Please allow me to remind you that Timbavati Wildlife Park is a labor of lifestyle that the Schoebel Family subscribes to. This isn’t a government or corporate funded project. This is a family from the mid-west with a can-do attitude, a personal financial commitment and a Patriarch in Mark Schoebel that believes in doing things now.

In addition to building the landmark rock wall, the water slides had to be dismantled, a barn was erected for the giraffe encounter, and a feline house was constructed. Rockwork, flowerbeds, grass lay out, we EVEN bent steel for the railroad track that goes through the park. There’s a lot of work that went into our efforts for that first season that we are proud of and happy to bring to life.

That is a construction discussion; let’s consider the most important denizens of Timbavati Wildlife Park, the animals. 

Feline Enclosure Under Construction

I asked Mark how he came into raising exotic animals and he told me it was something he was born into. When I met his son Matt, I could see that same reverence for the animals, most notably the camels that he is very close to. It’s funny, because you also see Matt’s kids bouncing around the park that they will look back on as adults and refer to as “The place they were raised in”. I can’t stress enough that a place most people look at as a tourist destination or an attraction is a home to both this family and their animals.

Matt Schoebel astride his camels on World Camel Day

The animals also live with the family on their farm. There are nurseries and facilities in both locations. Before a lot of the animals are presented to the public for interaction, they are reared on the farm. Alice Schoebel, the Matriarch of the Schoebel family personally tends to the young animals as they are born or brought in as infants.

The level of trust between the Schoebels, Timbavati staff and animals is apparent when you see the interactions between them. Penguins who are typically timid, run toward Alice at break neck speed when they hear her voice. I personally have seen both Lions and Tigers purr and lick Mark’s hands when he approached them. This is a testament to how much time they have spent with their animals and the lifelong relationships that they have with each other. Here are videos of both Alice and the Penguins and Mark with the Clouded Leopards. 

Alice and the Penguins Blog

Timbavati’s animal population is not only made up of animals that have been raised from babies but is also a home for animal rescues. Most people who visit the park wouldn’t consider that but the Schoebels provide a home for animals that might otherwise not survived. 

This not only details the level of care that the Schoebel family gives animals, but also how complex the world of Timbavati Wildlife Park can be. If an animal is in crisis, construction projects, P.R., and human problems are put on hold. I think about that if I see a crooked sign or when someone makes mention of not seeing enough staff members when they are in the park. You never know what need has an immediate bearing on the staff at any given time.

This year Timbavati Wildlife Park again took on some very aggressive construction projects. Two very notable projects have been the Spider Monkey and Parakeet Encounters. The Spider Monkey encounter gives us a great look at the primates swinging to and fro while the Parakeet Encounter allows you to interact with our feathery friends on their terms.

Spider Money Encounter

Parakeet Encounter

We have created new pond enclosures in the park and if you climb to the top of our observation tower, you can get a great overview of our layout and room for growth. Growth and vision take time. Sometimes there are bumps in the road and honestly a lot of times there are just potholes that you can’t avoid. You do your best to accommodate every obstacle with all of the preparation and experience that you have available to you and live with that as your comfort.

Nothing will be better than the look of wonder and excitement that you experience when you see the childish expressions of a grand parent that is more excited to see an animal than the child is. We see people imagine, they wonder, they forget the outside and remember just how marvelous this world we live in can be through the experience that we provide them. That is our motivation and why we will continue to grow and build. Thank you for support!