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. :)