![]() ![]() Little known fact, some of the species which we have propagated multiple generations of include: Reticulated Giraffe, Bongo, Sitatunga, Beisa Oryx, Kudu, Blesbok, Demoiselle Crane, Sarus Crane, Stanley Crane, West African Crown Crane, Scarlet Macaw, Blue and Gold Macaw, Military Macaw, Yellow-Naped Amazon Parrot, East African Crowned Cranes, Sacred Ibis, Ring-tailed Lemur, Himalayan Bears, Sitatunga Antelope, Nyala Antelope, Grant Zebra, Dromedary Camels, Capuchin Monkeys, Grivet Monkeys. We, at the Natural Bridge Zoo, have been breeding threatened and endangered species for over 45 years. What they don’t realize is that in many instances, the wild habitat has been degraded due to lumbering, poaching, agriculture, and human encroachment. Many uninformed, but well meaning people, believe that all exotic animals belong free in their natural habitat. While television programs are educational, there is nothing like standing next to a giraffe, getting nuzzled by a llama, hugging a baby dromedary camel, or gazing into the eyes of a huge white tiger to make you feel and appreciate our wonderful world of animals. Many children have little or no contact with natural living things in their daily lives. We try to offer students and the general public the opportunity to learn about the living animals, birds, and reptiles that share the earth with us. Virginia Safari Park is committed to helping White Rhinos in the wild, and so can YOU BOOK ONLINE The Virginia Safari Park, Virginia’s only drive-thru safari park, is located on 180-acres in the foothills of the Blueridge Mountains and is home to over 1000 animals. The main purpose for Natural Bridge Zoo has always been the propagation and rearing of threatened or endangered species. ![]() The Natural Bridge Zoo opened its doors to the general public in 1972 and has been growing ever since. (Funny how I now feel the need to provide disclosure even when there is nothing to disclose.The Natural Bridge Zoo Park is and always has been privately owned and has never accepted any sort of federal, state, or local funding. We paid for our tickets, and this post is not sponsored in any way, not that there’s anything wrong with that. If you’re ever on your way down I-81 through the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains and want a place to stop for a half-day family adventure, I highly recommend Virginia Safari Park or one of their reciprocal zoos, Gulf Breeze Zoo in Florida and the Reston Zoo in Vienna, Virginia. Yeah, I had to wash my car, and I still need to vacuum out the animal food, but it was so fun to get that close to animals that we usually only see behind large fences at the zoo. This was the coolest thing we’ve done in ages. I don’t do birds *shudder* so I waited outside. There was even an aviary where you could walk though and the birds would land on a stick you hold out to them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. One of the highlights of the excursion was seeing a mama kangaroo with a joey in her pouch. R really wanted to do it, but the second the giraffe’s wet tongue touched her hand, she squealed and dropped the food, much to the dismay of the unfortunate giraffe. You can feed them too, but rather than buckets, you feed them right out of your hands. There is a separate village walk-through for certain animals including the giraffes. They have bison, llama, camels, pigs, deer, emu, ostrich, elk, giraffes, antelope, oryx, wildebeest, buffalo, yak, cattle, watusi, pigs, zebras, rhinos, kangaroos, peacocks and monkeys. Then before I could blink, he STOLE my bucket. Soon the kids decided to get in on the fun. At first the kids were afraid to roll down their windows so mama had to show ’em how it’s done. I am serious!!!! We were laughing so hard. This was the scene that greeted us as we emerged from the ticket booth : Animals roam freely on the 180-acre property, and you drive through on a 3-mile paved loop and feed them out your window. Safari Park is pretty much a drive-thru zoo. They were determined to go and wouldn’t take no for an answer. My husband and I were a bit hesitant, but after reading a few reviews online, we decided that there wasn’t much chance we’d get our heads bitten off so we agreed to stop in on our way home. I’ve driven past it probably a hundred times and never knew it existed, but when we stopped in Lexington (on our way to Virginia), the folks in the Visitor’s Center shared this with us an an option for things to do in the area, and my kids jumped at the chance to see wild animals up close and personal. On our way home from Virginia last weekend, we stopped at Virginia Safari Park. ![]()
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