A Roo For Me And A Roo For You

Greetings friends and welcome to this week’s blog post. This week we’re going to take a look at our mob of kangaroos. Now if you weren’t familiar with the term a group of Kangaroos is referred to as a mob. Our mob of roos are always interesting to gander at when you’re in Timbavati Wildlife Park.

Kangaroos are very social creatures. They live in a hierarchy that is governed by one dominant male. This alpha male decides the course that the mob will take as they forage through the outback. The females in a mob will have very close connections with each other. If one mother dies, female kangaroos have been known to adopt an orphaned joey.

Kangaroos are herbivores and they have chambers in their stomachs much like a cow does. They will regurgitate a meal and chew it again before they finally swallow it for digestion. It’s like the meal that keeps on giving or something. I would be interested in that kind of feature. I don’t know how that would taste though, matter of fact that’s a really bad idea if you aren’t a cow or a roo. Ok, tangent over, moving on!

Did you know that kangaroos regularly have molars fall out due to all of the grinding that they do with vegetation? I mean think about this for a minute here. We steam and cook our veggies, but how much wear and tear would that put on our teeth if we couldn’t? Unlike us though a kangaroo can regrow its molars. Now I would take that feature over the stomach thing.

Timbavati WIldlife Park is a wealth of animal knowledge and family fun. Our professional animal handlers are always nearby to help with questions and directions. Don’t forget that throughout the day we have FREE keeper talks and wildlife presentations. Check our website for times and availability! We will talk with you all next week! Cheers!

The Alpaca of Timbavati Wildlife Park

Greetings friends and welcome to this week’s blog post. These adorable creatures are called alpacas. If you’ve ever accidentally called them Llamas don’t worry; they forgive you. Even though they look similar, alpacas are nearly half the size of llamas and their fleece is far superior.

Llamas are mainly raised to be load carrying animals. The Inca domesticated alpacas nearly 6,000 years ago specifically for their hypoallergenic and moisture-wicking fiber. Their fur is known to be warmer than wool, softer than silk, and extremely strong. This is why they reserved the fiber strictly for nobility. You don’t need to be a royal to wear alpaca these days, though!

Did you know there are no wild alpacas? That’s because alpacas are domesticated versions of vicunas from South America. Llamas are also domesticated versions of a different animal, guanacos, and both of these domesticated and wild animals belong to the camelidae family - including camels!

Two Breeds of Alpaca

There are two breeds of alpaca with very distinct differences. Suri have long, twisted hanging locks of fleece all over their body. The Huacaya, the most commonly seen breed, has fluffy or kinky medium length fleece. But both breeds live an average of 20 years. They also grow to about 150 lbs, and only eat about 2lbs of grass a day. They are very social herd animals and therefore do not like to be kept alone, so be sure to come keep them company before the summer is over!

Don't forget we have FREE pig races and Keeper Talks that are included with your purchase of a General Admission. We also have a Giraffe and Camel Feeding encounter. Put those together with a bunch of cool animals and petting areas and you have the perfect summer adventure. Pop on over to our tickets page and book your escape today!

Cheers and we will talk with you next week!

The Blackbuck of Timbavati Wildlife Park

Greetings friends! I hope the long days of August are being kind to you. This is that stretch of the year where we all are trying to soak up those final rays of sun and prepare the little ones to go off to school in the fall. So what  am saying here is, let’s enjoy it while we can shall we? While I’m at it, welcome to the week of the blackbuck.

The blackbuck is an antelope that is found in India, Nepal and Pakistan. This herbivore is a bit smaller than some of the other antelope that we have. As you can see from this week’s video the blackbuck stands about waist high give or take. It will also max out at around 80 pounds in weight.

Males have darker coloration on their sides and back with longer spiraling horns. The females take on a lighter color, almost reddish brown. Blackbucks will hang out in herds of anywhere from 15 to 50 or so members. The gestation period for a female is 6 months.

Now the blackbuck's life isn’t all fun and games here no no. Life is tough in India due to predators and loss of habitat. When this antelope is out and grazing it stays closer to watering holes and streams like most animals do. There’s also no shortage of predators that are keeping the antelope on its toes. At full gallop a blackbuck can move upwards around 50 km per hour.

The African Spur Thigh Tortoise

Greetings friends and welcome to this week’s blog post. August is roaring right along here. The days are hot and we’re into the final stretch of the summer. This week we’re going to take a look at the African spur-thigh tortoise.

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.

A tortoise is a land dwelling reptile that has both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton in the form of its shell. Here’s a great way to tell the difference between a tortoise and a turtle.  A turtle will have webbed flipper style feet better suited for swimming, and a tortoise will have claws with more stumpy appendages.

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 Aldabra and Galapagos Tortoises are the largest of the species and can weigh 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).

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. 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 its shell, listen to see if you can hear it exhale first. It has to expel the air in its body before it does.

If you didn’t know, we have a summer fun combo ticket with Noah’s Ark. That’s right, you can get two great tickets for one great price! See our website for more details.