A Safari Tour in Pennsylvania?

This past weekend I had the chance to see herds of buffalo, bison, elk, whitetail deer, fallow deer, watusi and yak extremely up close and personal.  And no, I wasn’t at a zoo.  I was able to view them in their natural habitat among 150 acres of bucolic setting surrounding the wildlife.  I also saw baboons, bears, lions, tigers, zedonks and the largest rat known to man, to name a few.

Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein

I’ve always wanted to take a Safari expedition to Africa.  Sadly, I wasn’t visiting Africa but I was on a guided Safari Tour in Pennsylvania!

I visited Lake Tobias Wildlife Park locate in Dauphin County.   The Safari Tour is the main attraction at the park. It allows you to get thisclose to the animals as you can see  This is a water buffalo (pictured above) taking a cracker from the woman sitting behind me during the tour. I was within a couple of inches of petting him.

Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein

With the very warm temperatures, many of the animals were lying around and didn’t move as we drove close to them.  These two elk didn’t flinch as we approached them.  Their antlers were quite noticeable from afar.  They weren’t fazed by any of us aboard the Safari tour.

Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein

These are zedonks – zebras and donkeys. Unlike the aggressive zebra, the zedonk has a gentler disposition. They cannot reproduce much like mules. Both are sterile. They are smaller than zebras and larger than donkeys.  They don’t bite like zebras which allowed us to see these rare animals at close range.

Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein

This is a herd of male fallow deer (bucks).  Farther down from the males were a herd of the female fallow (does). What stands out about these deer is the bleating sounds of the fawns and the does. They make these sounds to find each other among the herd.  While we were there, a musical choir of bleats could be heard in the open grassy area.  The bleating and barking of the fallow deer of moms looking for their fawns and vica versa will occur until all are together to bed at night.

Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein

In the center of the photograph is a watusi.  It can be recognized by its distinctive horns.  This guy’s horns are over seven feet wide. The world record is over eight feet. This watusi is native to Africa.  The horns serve as formidable weapons against intruders.  I guess we weren’t considered intruders since the middle guy pictured was only trying to get some sleep as he was balancing his gigantic horns. The other watusi was already sleeping.

Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein

The animals have miles of rolling hills in which to walk, run and play.  It is certainly the ideal spacious situation for them.  They are accustomed to people which is why they will come directly to the tour bus whether you have food or not. Some will even try to enter at the side entrance. On this day, many stayed where they were due to the hot weather.  You could see just how tired they were. I’m not sure why some didn’t seek out the shade.  I’ve only mentioned several of the many species of animals seen on the Safari Tour.  It really was a fantastic and unique experience for me.

While Lake Tobias Wildlife Park is known for their safari ride, they do have other animals on site. Featured animals at the park are bears, lions, tigers, alligators, capybara (largest rodent- pictured), baboons, macques, cockatiels, wallabees, zebras and more. They also offer  a reptile house and a petting zoo.

Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein

You are able to get a much closer view of the animals compared to a larger zoo. I am not a fan of zoos.  So, I had trouble with bears, lions and tigers being caged. I don’t think the animals are abused or neglected  The question is – are these environments large enough for a wild animal to live without compromising their welfare? I just don’t know. Lions are known for pacing in zoos. I only saw the lioness and the lion lying down and sleeping the entire time I was there. There were no elephants.  I did see one bear walk the entire perimeter of the cage repeatedly. To me, that’s a sign of distress and/or boredom.  I didn’t like that.

I think animals like this should be free.  One could argue that you wouldn’t be able to see a lion this close if it weren’t for places like this or a zoo. To sacrifice their freedom so we may see them at a closer range doesn’t seem like a fair trade off.

Lake Tobias also has a reptile house that houses animals such as large snakes, sloths, and various amphibians. They put on a reptile show regularly. I didn’t see it.  They have a petting zoo for children where kids are able to pet goats, llamas and more.

Here is one of the Bengal tigers cooling off in a pool. Both were very relaxed.

Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein

Just because you can get up close and personal with the animals on the “Safari Tour” does not mean you can do or will have an opportunity with the other animals in the enclosures.  Back in 2011, an employee was bitten by their Bengal Tiger when she slipped her arm through a fence.  She wasn’t permitted to do so.  Her injuries were not life threatening but did was the recipient of a large, deep gash that required surgery. We must respect these animals for who they are and what they’re capable of doing to others.

Lake Tobias is located 25 miles north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Park admission is $7.00 for all except those under the age of 3. The Safari Tour is separate.  It isn’t part of the admission cost. If you choose to do the Safari ride,  it will costs $6 for those 3 yrs and older.  I recommend the Safari tour. It is a treat the entire family can and will enjoy!

Have a story, please email me at tevangelistaepp@yahoo. Like my tv page at https://www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookAtAnimalWelfareIssues.