The Zebra of Timbavati Wildlife Park

Getting back into the discussion of the animals at Timbavati Wildlife Park, this week is all about the zebra!

As you may know zebra are recognized by their beautiful coat of fur! Their stripes are much like the uniqueness of fingerprints. Though they all have them (whether they are black and white or brown) no two are exactly alike.

Zebras are very social animals living in small-large herds. They feed almost entirely on grass though they will eat sparingly plants like shrubs, herbs, leaves, bark and even twigs. They have a digestive system that allows them to sustain diets of lower nutrition.

Zebras have excellent hearing. With larger and more rounder ears than horses, they can turn their ears in almost any direction. Along with their great sense of hearing is their eyesight. They are able to see at night though not as well as some of their predators.

The female zebra is also called a "mare." Mares will give birth to one baby zebra or foal once every twelve months or so. She will then nurse said foal for up to one year.

Stop in and visit with our majestic zebra at Timbavati Wildlife Park!

Upgrading The Safari Train Ride

Timbavati Wildlife Park is regularly undergoing improvements to your experience. With our fourth season finally in the books. We are happy to discuss some of the improvements that we have made this year. One major project that we took on this year was the automation of our Safari Train Ride Gates.

The Safari Train Ride takes our guests on a ride through our pastures where they have personal interactions with some of our larger hoofed grazing animals. You can barely see any remnants from the previous incarnation of our grounds, the old Riverview Waterpark. This transformation has taken place one improvement at a time and the investments in improvements are ongoing.

This week’s video actually allows us to walk and talk with owner Mark Schoebel as he takes a walk through the park and checks in on the gate automation installation. The smiles are genuine the work is the best our craftsmen have to offer and the result is the experience that our guests have when they attend regularly and share our growth with us.

Sable Antelope

This week we are talking about the majestic sable antelope. The Sable Antelope (scientific name hippotragus niger)  is from the southern savanna of Africa. They live in  a combination of grasslands and woodlands. They avoid extensive open lands.

The sable antelope in the wild can live up to sixteen years and travel about a mile a day. During the dry season they will travel less than a mile.  They are nocturnal and diurnal (active during the day). They prefer to feed just until dark because of a high risk of predation at night. Their natural predators are animals like lions, spotted hyenas, leopards, crocodiles, and wild dogs.

These animals are specialized grazers. They will feed on herbs and grasses which typically make up ninety percent of their diet. They seek water at least every other day. None of these antelope are known to travel more than 2 miles from a water source.

Male antelopes grow slightly bigger than the female. They have incredible horns that can reach to 165 centimeters, can weigh around 530 lbs and have a height of about 5 ft.  A female's horn is much shorter around 102 cm, have a weight around 485 lbs and are a pinch shorter than males.

Stop in to Timbavati Wildlife Park and say hello to our friends the majestic antelope!

Cockatiel

Cockatiel also known as nymphicus hollandicus are native to Australia! They can be found in pairs or small flocks throughout the wild. Cockatiels like to nest in hollow tree limbs or trunk holes located near water.

The cockatiel's average weight can be anywhere from 3 to 6 pounds and they can be as long as 12-14 inches long. Cockatiels like to feed on fresh fruits and vegetables. They will also eat seeds and pellets. Though they are related to the birds who can imitate the human voice these specific birds much rather imitate whistles.

The breeding season for cockatiels lasts from August to December though they are able to and do breed year round. When nesting a typical cockatiel will lay 4 to 7 eggs. These eggs are laid every other day and have an incubation period of about 18-21 days.

Stop in for a whistle or two from our cockatiel friends at Timbavati Wildlife Park!

Kinkajou

This week we are talking about the Kinkajou. These small mammals may resemble that of a small primate but they are actually related to the raccoon family.

They can be found living in the tropical forests of Central and South America.  Kinkajou live in nests and groups also known as troops. They are social within their communities engaging in grooming activities to develop bonds.

The kinkajou are sometimes called "honey bears" because they will raid bees' nests.  They have long skinny tongues that they use to slurp honey from a hive and remove insects from their nests. Kinkajous also eat fruit and small mammals.

Kinkajou can weigh anywhere from 3 to 7 pounds with a tail length anywhere from 16 to 22 inches.  They will use their tails like fifth limb to assist in climbing. Being that is a prehensile tail it aids their balance, assists them in climbing as they search for food and at night they will cover themselves with their tails during sleep like a blanket.

Kinkajous have the ability to turn their feet completely backwards to run easily in either direction. This double jointed wrists feature is something they share with their cousin mammals the raccoon and coatis.

Take a look at the video below to see our kinkajou at Timbavati Wildlife Park.

Macaw

Macaws are this week's topic animal discussion. These omnivorous birds have a lifespan of up to 60 years! Macaws can be found in Central and South American rain forests.

These birds are known for being brightly colored. They have long tails and their toes or "gripping toes" are used for grabbing, latching and holding items they examine. Their beaks are very strong, powerful enough to easily crack open nuts and seeds. Their tongues are dry, scaly, and have a bone inside it which they will use as tools to tap into fruits.

The macaws are intelligent birds and will gather in flocks of 10 to 30 individuals. They can be heard squawking and screaming as to identify each other, communicate with each other and even mark their territory. These birds are also known to be a social bird as you may or may not know some species of macaw are even able to mimic human speech!

When you visit Timbavati Wildlife Park stop over and say hello to our beautiful macaws...and who knows perhaps you'll get a "hello" right back!

Anteater

Hello friends and family! As we enter a new week we also have a new animal blog/video! This week we'll be taking a look at the anteater!

Anteaters are carnivorous mammals with a life span of about 14 years. They can weigh anywhere from 40 to 140 pounds and have a tail as long as 35 inches.

Anteaters prefer grasslands and tropical forests and are found in Central and South America.  They are not known to be aggressive animals though if they feel threatened they will rear up on their hind legs, and use their claws to lash out!

The anteater is known for it's long tongue with which it uses to lap up ants and termites. They have no teeth so they will swallow these insects whole. Their long sharp claws allow them to tear into anthills and with their long snout they will begin to work on their meal. An anteater will not destroy the anthills but hope to come back for another feeding. Ants will fight back giving an anteater painful stings as it's feeding, that being said the anteater may only spend a minute on each hill.

Not known for being social anteaters are more of a solitary animal. They can mate throughout the year and have a gestation period of about 190 days. Females will give birth to one offspring (pup) a year which typically weigh around 3 pounds.

Come take a look at our anteaters in the Interaction Area at Timbavati Wildlife Park!

Pig Racing At It's Finest

Pardon me if you haven’t had the pleasure of perusing our park’s most profound piece of playtime! The Pig Races at Timbavati WildlifePark are a hoof above the rest!

Ok so that’s it for my attempt at barraging you with faced paced pig puns. If I am going to write about the pig races though, it’s only fair that I gave that a shot. The Timbavati Pig races have been entertaining families for generations. I had never personally seen a pig race before I started going to Timbavati and when someone mentioned “Pig Racing”, I began to envision horse tracks and things like that. The races were a side note of what was really taking place here.

The pig races are one of the many places where the personality of the Timbavati Wildlife Park Staff actually directly connects with the park visitors. This is an extended interaction as the show lasts about 25 minutes or so.

There are more one-liners being thrown at you during the pig races than a Rodney Dangerfield show and I can appreciate that because it is a thrown back to a slice of Americana that is all but being lost in the shuffle of today’s digital land scape. The feeling of the Pig Races harken back to the side show callers of the Ringling and Vaudeville eras reminding us that story telling and the charm of human wit will always be the purest forms of entertainment and expression.

Check out the video below to see the Pig Races in action. Stop in to Timbavati Wildlife Park when you’re in the Wisconsin Dells to peruse the porker’s playtime personally. (That’s right, I took one last swing at that)

Cotton Top Tamarins of Timbavati Wildlife Park

Greetings and salutations friends of Timbavati Wildlife Park and welcome to the week of the Cotton Top Tamarin. Our little friends hail from the forests of South America and their most recognizable feature is their namesake, the Cotton Top. These little creatures live in the trees for most of their lives, I guess it’s probably best as they are diminutive in stature and probably pretty low on the food chain. I mean South America has spiders big enough to take down this little critter.

These are some of the smallest primates on the planet and their average weight is about a pound. They live in groups that are called troops. A troop is made up mostly of males and is led by the eldest female. The cotton top is an omnivore who lives on a diet of fruit, insects and rodents. The cotton top also likes green plants eggs and tree sap.

The cotton top marks its territory by dragging its rear end down the trunk of a tree and leaving its scent on it. It will also rub its scent on its feet and climb up and down the trees with that scent on it. I mean they take the rear end seriously, when two opposing groups of cotton tops meet they display of aggression is to show each other their rear ends. That’s a mean bit of drama there lol.

Their gestation period is 183 days and a female usually gives birth to twins at the end of that cycle.

The next time you’re in Timbavati Wildlife Park, stop in our nursery and say hello to our cotton top tamarins. Here are more fun facts in this week’s video.

The Pigs of Timbavati Wildlife Park

Welcome to the week of the Pig! There are some interesting facts about pigs many people don’t really know about. Let’s get started!

Pigs have been known to be a “dirty” animal. That is a common misconception based on the fact that they will roll around in mud to keep cool. Sweat glands are few and far between for these animals not allowing their bodies to adjust to the temperature which is why they will roll in mud. Pigs are actually quite clean and careful not to soil areas where they will eat and or sleep.  

Baby pigs are called piglets and a group of piglets is called a swift whereas a group of older pigs is called a sounder. Piglets can weigh around 3 pounds at birth and can grow to be anywhere from 300-700 pounds and then some!

Pigs have large heads with long snouts. They have sensitive nostrils and an incredible sense of smell. This comes in handy when using their strong snouts to search and root the ground for food.  

Pigs are a very peaceful animal and just as social. They will form close bonds with other individuals. They will lay together as they love close contact.

Check out the video below to hear more fun facts and see our amazing pig family at Timbavati Wildlife Park! 

Until next time!

Petting Areas

Our understanding of our place on this planet is inherently intertwined with every living plant and animal and the planet itself. I am not sure if you can completely appreciate the world that we live in without spending time interacting with the animals that we share this planet with. That’s the magnitude of emotion that many people like me experience when they visit our petting areas.

The petting areas in Timbavati Wildlife Park are adjacent to our animal nurseries, we keep a lot of younger animals here while they grow big and strong enough to rejoin their respective species. We also spend a significant amount of time working with these young critters acclimating them to daily interaction with humans, being fed and posing for selfies. :)

The Woodlands Area

The Wisconsin Dells is alive, it has a pulse. Even in the dead of winter during the solstice, you can still feel its rhythm. People from large cities like Chicago and Minneapolis come here to get away from the hectic pace that those larger cities have to offer. People from rural locales come in to take in recreation in a place a bit busier than the norm. The common denominator is the desire for the Wisconsin Dells and its pace, its attractions and its lifestyle.

When I am in the Wisconsin Dells there are times when I want to take a break from the sounds of traffic on the parkway. The roar of the water slides and kids screaming in wave pools can only take me so far throughout the course of my stay in the Dells and that brings me to the Woodlands Area in Timbavati Wildlife Park.

It’s removed from amplified sounds and it also doesn’t have the bustle of traffic or horseplay in the air. It’s quiet and peaceful kind of like a library. It’s funny how when you provide a quiet space for people they tend to remain quiet when they’re in it. That’s just what the Woodlands Area is for me.

Sure in Timbavati you can hear barkers narrating pig races or the Kookaburra kackling by the main entrance, but none of those sounds actually get to the Woodlands Area. It’s a really chill location. We also have a small forest of trees here also, I guess it couldn’t be a “Woodlands Area” if we didn’t.

It’s funny, but when I am in this part of the park, I experience all of that before I can even get to the animals. We have one of the rarest bird species in the united states, the White Emu. There are only about 20 in the United States total and we have 6 of them. We also have a flock of regular emu as well. Which as the emu is the second largest species of bird in the world you’ll be entertained with either when you’re standing face to face with them.

We actually have a lot of animals in the Woodlands Area. Crowned cranes, capybara, black buck, rheas, tortoise, kangaroo, it’s pretty expansive situation. This is all capped off with our Camel Ride stand where you and your friends can take a spin on one of the ships of the desert.

This week’s video gives you a great look at what the Woodlands area, talk with you next week!

African Spur Thigh Tortoise

Welcome to the week of the African Spur Thigh Tortoise. A tortoise is a land dwelling reptile that has both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton in the form of its shell. One great way to tell you that you have a tortoise and not a turtle, though a tortoise is in the turtle family, is by looking at their feet. A turtle will have webbed flipper style feet better suited for swimming and a tortoise will have claws with morse stumpy appendages. Tortoises do not swim, my buddy Matt Schoebel told me that if you put it in the water it would sink like a rock.

Tortoises with lighter shells come from warmer climates and ones with darker shells come from cooler environments. There are about 40 different types of tortoises. The Aldabran and Galapagos Tortoises are the largest of the species and can weight up to and over 600 pounds. You can also tell the approximate age of a tortoise by counting the rings on the scutes (individual shell plates).

Timbavati Wildlife Park is home to the third largest species of tortoise, the African Spur thigh. This tortoise is a native of the Savannas and Saharan desert in Africa. They eat grasses, desert scrub and get their water from the plants that they eat, they’re really fond of the Morning Glory plant. Pretty much a really cool existence just wandering and grazing.

The spur thigh mates just after the rainy season between September and November. After about 2 months of gestation, the female lays 15 to 30 eggs and then she fills her nest in with dirt and the babies hatch in about eight months.

Tortoises are cool characters and we have no shortage of them grooving around Timbavati Wildlife park. When you’re in the park if you’re lucky enough to see one go into it’s shell, listen to see if you can hear it exhale before it does. It has to expel the air in it’s body before it does.

You can watch more on the tortoise in this week’s video.

Timbavati Wildlife Park Gift Shop

One part of Timbavati Wildlife Park that I think is worth calling some attention to is our Gift Shop. The Gift shop at Timbavati is a pretty far out place when you stop and think about it. You can get everything from Folk Art to Timbavati clothes to stuffed animals. There are pluzzles and wuzzles, pet rocks and socks, cuddly lil critters and animal clocks. They have penguins and zebras, fake tattoos, tigers that grab and owls that hooo!

Sorry, I kind of got caught up in Dr. Suess mode there. Anyways, the gift shop is filled with eye candy and the kid in me loves stopping in and gazing at the sheer amount of items we have in it. This video gives you a great look inside of our Gift Shop!

Labor Day 2016!

Greetings and Welcome to this week’s blog. Happy Labor Day to you all and we hope that on this day of celebration for the American Worker that you are planning to relax and just enjoy a Monday that isn’t really a Monday.

We usually place the spotlight on an animal every monday, but on this Labor Day, we want to spotlight our own workers! This week, we are taking time out to thank you. Our staff at Timbavati Wildlife Park for helping to make our park and our guests feel welcomed in our home.

While the rest of the country enjoys their summer holidays, you all take pride in making sure that their trips to our park are memorable and enjoyable and we just want you, our staff to know that we appreciate you. This week’s video is dedicated to you!

Capybara

Greetings and Salutations dear friends! This week we enter the world of the world’s largest rodent, the Capybara. This herbivore is a native of South America and is as comfortable in water as it is on land. First, let’s consider its size. A male adult capybara can weigh anywhere from 75 to 150 pounds and stand almost 2 feet tall on all fours. Se we’re dealing with a rodent the size of a large domestic dog.

I mentioned that the capybara is just as comfortable in the water as it is on land, the term we would use to describe this is “semi-aquatic”. With that level of comfort, you will rarely find a capybara far from a water supply. This is helpful because when threatened by a predator, a capybara can submerge itself under water for up to 5 minutes. That’s called aqua-skeedaddling :).

The capybara has webbed feet and likes aquatic plants just as much as it does terrestrial plants. Not surprisingly, this animal likes to mate in water and after a 4 to 5 month gestation period, the female will give birth to 4-5 babies. Here is this week’s video about the capybara of Timbavati Wildlife Park with more fun facts. Enjoy, and we will talk with you next week!

The Crowned Crane

Greeting and salutations friends! This week we visit the Crowned Crane. 

The Crowned Crane is the national bird of Uganda and is native to Africa south of the Sahara. It belongs to the crane family "Gruidae." They can be found near rivers, marshes and other wetland areas. These birds do not migrate but will make local and seasonal movements according to the food resources, the nest-site availability and the rains.

The crowned crane is a fairly large bird standing about 3ft tall. They can weigh up to 9 pounds.  They have a red pouch called a "gular pouch" that hangs from their throats.

These birds are omnivores and consume many types of prey including seeds, insects, grasses, fish and other invertebrate. The grey crowned crane has a long hind toe which can grasp a branch allowing them to roost in trees.

During the breeding season, the Grey Crowned Crane performs a beautiful dance, bow, run and jump while inflating the gular sacs and giving off low booming calls. These calls are given with the head lowered to shoulder level.

Below you will find a short video with a few more fun facts and footage of the Crowned Cranes! 

Greater Rhea

Greetings and salutations dear friends. This week we are taking a trip to South America to take an in depth look at the Greater Rhea. It is the largest bird in South America and the 3rd largest bird in the world. Its relatives the ostrich and emu are the only ones that are larger.

My personal experiences with the Rhea also place them as less aggressive than the other two larger birds as well. If you remember the White Emu were very unhappy with our presence in their enclosure as you can see by this video where the dominant member of the flock goes after my video camera and then a photographer.

The Greater Rhea is an omnivore that likes plants fruits and seeds but will also eat insects, lizards and small birds. Rheas commonly swallow pebbles. This assist them with breaking down their foods. Rhea can weigh up to 50 pounds and stand 3 to 5 feet tall.

This week’s vid has more fun facts about the Greater Rhea of Timbavati Wildlife Park

Talk with you next week!

As we close out our week

As we close out our week with the Red Kangaroo, Here is one more look at our high jumping friend http://qoo.ly/adxty

The Kangaroo of Timbavati Wildlife Park
Hailing from the land down under, the Kangaroo at Timbavati WIldlife Park are an interesting mob, here are more fun facts about them.

Kookaburra

Before we take a look at the Kookaburra here is a reminder that next week is Teacher Appreciation Week (Aug. 1-7) visit our website for more info about that. Now about the Kookaburra, This Australian native from the eucalyptus forests is a well known symbol of the continent's birdlife. It has also been seen in Tasmania and New Guinea.  Kookaburras occupy woodland and open forests. They live in and nest in the cavities of tree trunks and branches. Kookaburra do not migrate and occupy the same territory all year-round.

Kookaburra can grow to weigh up to a pound with a beak that can be up to 4 inches long. They look to be about the same size as an adult domestic house cat so don't let that light weight fool you, these are really big birds. Matter of fact, the Kookaburra used to be called the "Giant Kingfisher."

The Kookaburra is a carnivore, its diet consists of small vertebrates and invertebrates, the occasional small snake and even other fowl. The Kookaburra are expert divers and attack their prey from the sky in streams and ponds. Kookaburra disable their prey by slamming them into rocks when they have them in their beaks. Natural predators include cats, dogs foxes, and larger predatory bids.

The female will lay one to five eggs. Both parents share incubation duties when it comes to tending the eggs. When the eggs hatch, older siblings also assist with parenting duties. The entire group helps to parent the young.

The most distinguished feature of the Kookaburra is it' laugh. A group of them sound like Gotham City after the Joker has attacked with laughing gas. They make other noises thank the laughing that we are familiar with, but when they laugh, you know it's the Kookabura. Check this video out to hear the laugh and more fun facts and next time you're in Timbavati Wildlife Park hang out by their enclosure, they pipe up quite regularly.

Spider Monkey

Spider Monkeys are found in the tropical forests of Central and South America From Southern Mexico to Brazil. They have long arms and legs with prehensile tails which means that they can use them to grab as well as hang by them. While these furry critters are hanging from a tree by their tails they can look huge spiders when they’re darting through the shadows.

The spider monkey weighs anywhere from 14 to 26 pounds and is an omnivore. The Spider Monkey live on a diet of fruit, nuts and leaves but will also eat insects and small reptiles. It also doesn’t have any thumbs. It has 4 fingers that can hook around branches when swinging.

Male spider monkeys typically stay with their troops for life. Females leave the troops from time to time to join new troops. Timbavati WIldlife Park has its own troop of Spider Monkeys with its own newborn baby playing around the enclosure. You can learn more fun facts about the Spider Monkeys in this Week’s Video.

Lesser Flamingos

Greetings dear friends, this week we are discussing the Flamingo. The smallest of the Flamingo species is the Lesser Flamingo. This native of India, Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa can live to be over 50 years in the wild. I guess that’s why their population is so large with estimates around 3 million for this sub-species alone.

The Lesser Flamingo stands 2-3ft. In height and weighs anywhere from 2-6 pounds. It can fly at speeds up to 60 km/h with a wingspan of 3-4 feet. One telling characteristic of the Lesser Flamingo is the black-tipped wings which you usually don’t see unless this bird is in flight. Their wings are otherwise tucked when they are standing.

The name Flamingo has its origins from the word flame which was used to describe the plumage of the bird. The Lesser Flamingo however is the least pink or orange of all the flamingo species. The color of a flamingo is in direct relation to their diet and this one eats less crustaceans than their other flamingo counterparts surviving on more algae than animals.

A female Lesser will lay one white egg at a time which is incubated by both parents. The egg will hatch in around 30 days. Parents create what is called “Crop Milk” and this can be used to feed not only their young but also other young in the colony.

Here is a short video on the Lesser Flamingos of Timbavati Wildlife Park and the next time you’re in the Waterfalls Area stop by and take a look at our Lesser Flamingos.

Porcupines!

I think that most of us can agree on the fact that we won’t be handling any porcupines anytime soon. We all know them for their notorious B.A.R.B.’s (bad boy take that take that) but I would suggest that the average person has never given much thought to how beautiful a creature the porcupine actually is.

Porcupines have quills. If you have ever seen the movie "Critters,” a porcupine’s quills are large and of course dangerous. The slightest touch can dislodge them. The quills also have small barbs on them like the stinger on a bee or like the bark on a fishing hook. This means that if you’re unfortunate enough to have gotten hooked on a porcupine’s quills that you’re going to experience a significant amount of trauma removing them.

Here are some other interesting porcupine tidbits. Their backs aren’t all quills; the quills are mixed with hair. The quills will lay flat until the porcupine feels threatened and then they are extended to protect the little critters. Once the quills have come out they grow new ones.

Porcupines are herbivores, in the winter they munch on tree bark and evergreen needles. In summer they consume things like, grasses, leaves and dandelions. They have even been known to gnaw on canoe paddles at campsites. Porcupines are nocturnal and are good swimmers. I am not sure if that makes them skinny dippers or not, haa whatevs.

Porcupines live in dens, which can range from rock crevices to hollow logs to crawl spaces under your house. They seem to prefer grasslands but are equally at home in rocky terrains. The African Crested Porcupine is a native of Mount Kilimanjaro and has been spotted at elevations as high as 11,000 feet, that’s over 2 miles high.

There are about two-dozen different kinds of porcupines. Timbavati Wildlife Park is home to two different species, The North American Porcupine and the African Crested Porcupine. I think you get the “Point.” :)

Construction of 2016

Greetings friends and I hope you are enjoying all of the best that nature has to offer all of us this summer. This week we are shifting gears from our usual animal discussions to some of the behind the scenes things that we have going at Timbavati Wildlife Park.

One major change that we are making this year is an addition to our exterior Rock Wall.

This extension will mirror our main entrance that extends from our gift shop to the picnic area.

We pulled out the old Go Kart track that has been at the location for many years as we wanted to do something that aligned better who we are as an attraction. So gone is the roar of the fiberglass F1 fleet to make room for a new pasture which will allow our guests the ability to have more interactions with animals when they take the Safari Train Ride in the near future.

As you can see from the pictures here, we left the overpass from the Go Karts. This is being repurposed as a shaded area for the animals to relax in.

That isn’t all that’s new in 2016. We have also remodeled our Camel Ride Stand in the Woodlands Area. The new additions have included flowerbeds, fresh sod, new mulch, fences and a couple of trees.

Our improvements aren’t ending there either. Our nurseries are being redone to make the habitats more inviting for their denizens and our guests.

There are a bunch of other things we can discuss like new black top and lines in the parking lot or the perpetual motion of our award winning Master Gardeners but this is probably a good place to pull the reigns back on this week’s blog and get you the link to this week’s video which gives you a better look at it than the pictures do. Blog with you all next week!