On Safari … two weekends ago !

Can you believe that my niece Wendy and I actually went on a safari and it was within 20 miles of my home !!

I had heard of this educational zoo in Cameron, North Carolina, for a few years but, as is so often the case, when something is local you tend to disregard it. I knew that it was a sanctuary for rescue animals but I had my mind set on a small enclosed area with some cats & dogs & perhaps a few tropical birds to add color. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The Aloha Safari Zoo is a wonderland. It’s true that they are not all of the “show animal” variety. After all, these are rescued animals and some are missing limbs and others have less visible defects but they are mostly just exotic animals that would have perished if it had not been for the love and care of a local man named Lee Crutchfield. His first “rescue” came in the form of a monkey that he received as a gift and just 7 years later he now has a 60 acre zoo complete with over 300 exotic animals, ranging from Watusi cattle, with horns that span 6 feet in length to a zorse (an offspring of a zebra and a horse.)

All of the animals have heart wrenching stories and it’s amazing that he’s been able to save them. Here are just a few examples:

This sweet “little” giraffe is their latest acquisition. She would not survive in our chilly winter climate so they’ve provided a barn complete with heat to get her through to the summer. The highlight of our tour was the “safari ride”. It meanders through the 60 acres on a dirt road bordered on both sides with fenced acreage of paddocks where the majority of the zoo’s animals reside in specialized habitats. They seem to love the attention and you can actually pat heads and gawk to your heart’s content. It’s a photographers paradise.

Volunteers and donations make this zoo a possibility and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Y’all come if your in the vicinity !