Blog 4/16/06 OUT OF AFRICA PART 1 of 2

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1 Blog 4/16/06 OUT OF AFRICA PART 1 of 2 It s been quite awhile since I ve had to break up my postings, but this is one time that definitely warrants such a move. In fact I could probably have done OUT OF AFRICA in several more than just two parts, it was THAT good. One reason for this, I think is that by pure happenstance I was lucky enough to have the OWNER/FOUNDER (Dean Harrison) of this wonderful establishment as my tour/tram guide for the afternoon. He told the informal group of folks that were on the same tram that I was, that a couple of their regular guides had called in sick that day and so he joined the ranks of tour guide. His wife Prayeri also filled in on another tram. Their brochure says this tram tour takes one hour, but with Dean doing it just our first stop took nearly 45 minutes. WHY? Because we got some very special demonstrations and ALL of our questions were graciously answered. The Harrison s have been to Africa numerous times and Dean had lots of interesting FACTS that he shared. Out of Africa has been in operation in Arizona since 1988, but last year they were forced to relocate to Verde Valley when the Indian s at Fort McDowell cancelled their lease. (Yes the very same place that I spent two months at with the motorhome.) The place is basically divided into two main sections. One you can either walk or take a tram with narration given by the guide/driver of the tram along a route that covers approximately 2-1/2 miles of cages with various viewing platforms above the fenced enclosures. The other is what they call the Serengeti Safari where you get up close and personal with some of the larger animals. No one is allowed to walk in the Serengeti but that tour takes about an hour to complete.

2 Below is Dean saying hello to one of his many friends on this 180-acre compound. Everyone of the animals have names and many of them know their names, but I was too busy taking everything in that keeping track of all their names on this first visit was more than I could handle. I say first visit because I hope to return to this area later this year and will make it a point to also return to OUT OF AFRICA at that time. They are in the middle of several major expansion projects and I would like to see some of those changes. One thing that I found interesting is that the facilities next-door neighbor is the COUNTY JAIL. Since the opening of Out of Africa there hasn t been a single escape attempt at the jail. Perhaps if jails all around the country were to take notice of this, our neighborhoods would be much safer places to live.

3 Of course the only other problem, that we citizens may have to be concerned with are, the reasons why the inmates aren t thinking of escape, do you suppose? See how close that Jail is Frankly in seeing how these cages are constructed I would be more concerned with escaped convicts than escaped animals.

4 ABOVE: Here s Dean explaining some key points about the behavior of Lionesses. Dean asked for a volunteer to do what this fellow on the left is doing just sitting down outside the cage of this Lioness. She was pacing back and forth, but as soon as this fellow sat down, the Lioness came over and took one look at him and proceeded to lie down. An INSTANT BOND developed between her and the volunteer and NO MATTER WHAT Dean did she would not budge. Dean tried to feed her some raw meat and she couldn t care less. Once the volunteer had left that position and was out of her sight all bets were off and she quickly resumed an interest in the raw meat that Dean was offering her before.

5 Just look at the size of those CLAWS! (Missy would have been ENVIOUS) Below is a photo that shows just how RELAXED a Tiger Cub can get. In fact if it weren t for the size of this 9 month old and the markings, I would have sworn it could have passed for MISSY. She used to pose in this position for hours on end, but reach down and try to touch that part of her body and you would see her move so fast that had she had the claws of that kitty above, I would certainly have feared for my life! (Yeah, I still miss her. Hard to believe that it has only been a few weeks since she departed this Earth, but she will always be alive in my heart for many YEARS to come she was after all my CHILD. Those of you who have lost an integral part of YOUR family, know what I mean.) One thing for sure, Out of Africa is NOT a Zoo. However, some of the people wandering around the day I was there probably made it that way.

6 Up until just a few weeks ago, people were allowed (by special reservation only) to pet these cubs. (There are three of them), but the management decided that they were getting a little too big for strangers to be going in and playing with them. I sure would have loved to be able to do so. You better believe I would have, had the opportunity still been available.

7 This Mastiff (domesticated dog) is in the shadows (foreground) and also in the cage with the three tiger cubs. The folks that run this facility have found that these two animals get along quite nicely together. (It was something that really surprised me, and many of the other visitors too). The big difference between zoos and this facility is that at a zoo, one merely observes the animals. Here at OUT OF AFRICA, the visitor is EDUCATED about animal behavior and how they interact with people and each other. Here s Dean with the Hyena s. They LOVE to have their ears scratched and love human contact. One problem though, you never want to do this inside their cage. WHY? Because when you STOP, they will attack you. As long as you keep on rubbing/petting them they will let you do it for hours-even days just don t ever STOP! When Dean did stop (after about 10 minutes) on the outside of their cage they went wild and started laughing like crazy. Like I say, OUT OF AFRICA educates their visitors and did I learn a lot that I never knew before. (Just behind Dean you can see one of the many viewing platforms where there are no fences above peoples heads between the people and animals great for photos). Below is a photo of a white Bengal Tiger (taken from one of those viewing platforms) but have no fear the fence is well beyond the leaping distance away from this kitty. (I also cheated I was using my telephoto lens for this shot).

8 ABOVE: This photo might give you a better perspective of the distance the fence is from the structure that the White Bengal was laying on. And even here with this Siberian Bengal I was using my telephoto lens. Never once was I fearful of coming in contact with any animal (nor was anyone else I talked with during my four hour visit).

9 Three days a week OUT OF AFRICA has what is called their PREDATOR FEED that the public is invited (encouraged) to watch. These 8-10 pound LOIN ROASTS are distributed to each animal and you should see them when the feeding truck comes. 800 pounds of fresh uncooked meat, three times a week is distributed to some hungry animals. It takes about 10 minutes and that hunk of meat is completely devoured.

10 The brochure says to allow four hours to see everything. I for one think it should read ALLOW 5-6 hours especially if you get Dean as your guide. Now lets go onto PART 2 of my visit to OUT OF AFRICA, this covers the Serengeti Safari part.