The Eland Antelope of Timbavati Wildlife Park

Greetings friends and welcome to this week’s blog post. By my calculation we only have 3 weeks of winter left before the weather breaks. That is of course if you listened to Puxatawny Phil that is. The groundhog never saw his shadow so winter of course is almost over. No matter how long the frozen season lasts, one thing is for sure. We’re going to be open (minus major holidays), and the animals will be here too. This week we take a look at one of the mighty antelope that we have living in Timbavati Wildlife Park, the eland.

The eland is a an antelope from the southern and eastern plains of Africa. The eland is the largest antelope, there are two species of eland, the giant eland and the common eland. An adult male eland can be as heavy as 2200 pounds and stand about 5 feet tall at the shoulders.

The eland can jump really high also, it can easily clear a two meter fence if it has a good head of steam. The eland is crepuscular. This means that they are active primarily at dusk and dawn, during the heat of the day they rest to conserve energy and stay cool. A herd of elan can have up to 500 members and they will travel the plains with other antelopes and zebras.

Mating typically occurs when the plains are lush with fresh vegetation. The gestation period for a female eland is nine months and the mother gives birth to a single calf. The mother leaves the herd to give birth and can be gone for up to 24 hours. The young actually form their own herd and are hidden in the herd until they wean which is after about 6 months.

For more awesome animal facts come and take our Encounters Tour. We have two tours that kick off daily at 11am and 1pm. Tickets can be purchased online or at the park, just enter through the gift shop. Don’t forget to check out this week’s video and we will see you in the park!

When Is It A Tortoise And Not A Turtle?

Greetings friends and welcome to this week’s blog. I was sitting around and thinking to myself, “Self, When is a turtle not a tortoise or vice versa? Then self said to me “well you have that really killer video clip of Ashley explaining the large fundamental differences between the two” and myself was right! Ok I am kidding but I do have the clip and it does give us some fundamental differences.

The largest one of course being the difference between being able to swim or not. Tortoises dwell on land. There are a great many other differences between them also. When you’re looking a tortoise you’ll see more of a dome shaped shell. A turtle’s shell is more streamlined to be aquadynamic (like aerodynamic but in water). A tortoise’s shell is generally heavier than a turtle’s also.

When you look at their appendages you see a fundamental difference as well. A tortoise has short feet that are pretty sturdy. A turtle has webbed feet with claws on them. A tortoise will live between 80 and 150 years while the lifespan of a turtle is 20 to forty years. The oldest tortoise on record was 326 years old. It’s name was Adwaita and it lived from 1750 to 2006 in India. The current champ is going strong at 186 years old on the Island of Saint Helena.

There are a lot of other really killer facts about the differences between the two and to help us talk more about the differences this week’s video features Ashley and Lexi in a keeper talk discussing the differences. Lexi is showing off a red footed tortoise. Don’t forget we have two Encounter Tours that begin daily at 11am and 1pm. Thanks and we’ll talk again next week!

Swine Time Pig Races At Timbavati Wildlife Park

Greetings friends and welcome to this week’s post. I am ecstatic this week because I am setting things up for the summer. On top of that, people like you who are planning your 2019 vacations are asking about the park and our offerings for the upcoming year. We thank you, we want to be one of your “must see” destinations when you come to the Wisconsin Dells. This week we will take a look at our beloved Swine Time Pig Races.

When you hear the bugle charge in Timbavati Wildlife Park you know that can only mean one thing. It’s time for Swine Time Pig Races and the runners are at the starting line. You know, I’d have to say one of the best parts about the pig races are actually you.

Watching people laugh at the jokes or cheer on their favorite pigs (by stage names of course) is a big part of that experience. We love to have a good time and Swine Time Pig races entertain adults and families of all ages. As for the pigs, well they’re pretty much natural athletes. Pigs can hoof it at 11 miles per hour. I think I would like to try my hand at racing a pig, I might be able to compete at that speed.

This weeks video actually shows the women’s division of our Swine Time Pig Races. Lindsey Lowham and a few others make cameo appearances in it. Now our pig races don’t begin until the start of May but that doesn’t mean you can’t visit us right now! We have two encounter tours daily at 11am and 1pm. Stop on in and see what we have to offer, our petting areas and nurseries are a big hit with people of all ages. That’s it for this week’s blog if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out to us and we will see you in the park!

TWP Parakeet Encounter 2019

Greetings friends and welcome to the month of February. The polar vortex seemed to have our entire state closed and I am sure you’re as happy as we are for it to be over. The great part about Timbavati Wildlife Park in bad weather is that we have so much to see inside. That brings us to this week’s topic, our Parakeet Encounter.

Our Parakeet Encounter has become a great staple in the Wisconsin Dells. It’s a building filled with parakeets for you and your family to feed and hang out with. Honestly I see people spending a lot of time in there. You can actually hand feed the parakeets. The joy of having a bird or two hang out on your hand and sometimes your head are just the cutest things ever to see.

The parakeet also referred to as a budgie hails from Australia. The work parakeet actually means “long tail.” parakeets can reach up to 7 inches in length and weigh up to an ounce and a half. A parakeet can rotate its head 180 degrees and its heart beats 200 times a minute.

The parakeet in an omnivore, it likes fruits, plants and insects. A flock of parakeets are nomadic, they can travel hundreds of miles in search of food and water. In our Parakeet Encounter we have feed sticks with birdseed on them. A flock of parakeets can number in the thousands in the wild. It’s a great site to see and in our Parakeet Encounter you’ll be right at home with the flock.

We’re open 7 days a week now for tours at 11am and 1pm. Enter through the gift shop to spend some time with our little feathered friends. If you’d like a more enhanced experience we have a VIP behind the scenes tour that gives you a comprehensive look and experience of our park as well. Check out the parakeet encounter in this week’s video and we will talk with you all next week!