Jungle Cat World
John's family pulls names out of a hat each year to buy gifts at Christmas and for the last few years when our nieces have drawn John or my name they have given us an "experience", a place where we can go to do something out of the ordinary.
One recent Christmas they gave us two certificates for a "Behind the Scenes" tour at Jungle Cat World in Orono, Ontario. Jungle Cat World is a small zoo especially known for its animal education programs and environmental programs.
We finally had a chance to cash in our certificates last week and we took my Dad with us, as well.
When you first arrive at the "Behind The Scenes" experience you are show a mosaic of photos of the animals available to go in and visit that day. An expert animal caregiver then takes you into the cages or pens to meet the animals up close. We chose to go visit the lemurs, an Arctic wolf and a Siberian tiger.
Our animal guide's name was Jen and she was extremely friendly and knowledgeable and you could tell she loved the animals she cared for a lot.
The first animal that we visited were the Ruffed Lemurs. Very cute and animated and funny! Jen took us into their pen, handed us each a mug of cut-up bananas, and took our cameras in hand to take photos for us. The extremely tamed lemurs jumped up on us immediately to get at the bananas and when they were gone went after shoe laces, camera straps and whatever else they could get in hand!
John was very charmed by them. He wanted to bring them home :). While we wrangled lemurs Jen took photos for us and answered all our questions. It was huge fun!
Keeping a close eye on us from the pen next-door was Sampson, the Gibbon, who got treats, too.
These Ring-Tailed Lemurs, a few pens down, were fun to watch, too. Ring-Tailed Lemurs always make me think of Lissa Allcock :). Hi, Lissa!
The next animal we went to visit was Vonda, the Arctic wolf. Love this photo of Dad meeting Vonda! Jen brought her out from her enclosure and brought her over to a picnic table where we were waiting. She was still very young (around 2 years old), and very affectionate and sweet. Jen told us that within a year or two Vonda would no longer be in the "Behind The Scenes" program as she would be at a stage where she would be seeking dominance and would no longer be able to interact with humans in this way.
Jen with Vonda.
Vonda was a lovely animal and Jen told us she gets much fluffier and shaggier in the winter time (Jungle Cat World and their assorted programs run straight through the winter). I was thrilled to get to meet a wolf that close up.
Our third up-close visit was with Nadine, the ten-month-old Siberian Tiger. Whoa, she was big. We got more instruction with her then we had with the lemurs and the wolf. She was brought up onto the picnic table, but we were not to come in front of her or pat her on the head. Jen told us to stay at the side and that it was OK to stroke her from the neck down to the tail. It was quite amazing to actually pat a tiger! She was really beautiful!
Such a wonderful experience! Thanks so much to Jen for the excellent tour and thanks so much to Amanda and Morgan for giving us the certificates!
After the "Behind the Scenes" tour we explored the rest of the zoo and visited with foxes and cougars and lions and lynxes and hyenas and donkeys and goats and llamas (who startled my Dad when the two of them chose unexpected to begin wrestling near him :)) and bobcats and leopards and more wolves. There were also a lot of children milling about the zoo as part of a week-long zoo safari program offered to kids during the summer.
Fabulous day and we'd recommend the experience to anyone!
One recent Christmas they gave us two certificates for a "Behind the Scenes" tour at Jungle Cat World in Orono, Ontario. Jungle Cat World is a small zoo especially known for its animal education programs and environmental programs.
We finally had a chance to cash in our certificates last week and we took my Dad with us, as well.
When you first arrive at the "Behind The Scenes" experience you are show a mosaic of photos of the animals available to go in and visit that day. An expert animal caregiver then takes you into the cages or pens to meet the animals up close. We chose to go visit the lemurs, an Arctic wolf and a Siberian tiger.
Our animal guide's name was Jen and she was extremely friendly and knowledgeable and you could tell she loved the animals she cared for a lot.
The first animal that we visited were the Ruffed Lemurs. Very cute and animated and funny! Jen took us into their pen, handed us each a mug of cut-up bananas, and took our cameras in hand to take photos for us. The extremely tamed lemurs jumped up on us immediately to get at the bananas and when they were gone went after shoe laces, camera straps and whatever else they could get in hand!
John was very charmed by them. He wanted to bring them home :). While we wrangled lemurs Jen took photos for us and answered all our questions. It was huge fun!
Keeping a close eye on us from the pen next-door was Sampson, the Gibbon, who got treats, too.
These Ring-Tailed Lemurs, a few pens down, were fun to watch, too. Ring-Tailed Lemurs always make me think of Lissa Allcock :). Hi, Lissa!
The next animal we went to visit was Vonda, the Arctic wolf. Love this photo of Dad meeting Vonda! Jen brought her out from her enclosure and brought her over to a picnic table where we were waiting. She was still very young (around 2 years old), and very affectionate and sweet. Jen told us that within a year or two Vonda would no longer be in the "Behind The Scenes" program as she would be at a stage where she would be seeking dominance and would no longer be able to interact with humans in this way.
Jen with Vonda.
Vonda was a lovely animal and Jen told us she gets much fluffier and shaggier in the winter time (Jungle Cat World and their assorted programs run straight through the winter). I was thrilled to get to meet a wolf that close up.
Our third up-close visit was with Nadine, the ten-month-old Siberian Tiger. Whoa, she was big. We got more instruction with her then we had with the lemurs and the wolf. She was brought up onto the picnic table, but we were not to come in front of her or pat her on the head. Jen told us to stay at the side and that it was OK to stroke her from the neck down to the tail. It was quite amazing to actually pat a tiger! She was really beautiful!
Such a wonderful experience! Thanks so much to Jen for the excellent tour and thanks so much to Amanda and Morgan for giving us the certificates!
After the "Behind the Scenes" tour we explored the rest of the zoo and visited with foxes and cougars and lions and lynxes and hyenas and donkeys and goats and llamas (who startled my Dad when the two of them chose unexpected to begin wrestling near him :)) and bobcats and leopards and more wolves. There were also a lot of children milling about the zoo as part of a week-long zoo safari program offered to kids during the summer.
Fabulous day and we'd recommend the experience to anyone!