Category: Safari Spotlight

Safari Spotlight: Lesser Flamingo

Flamingos, in my opinion, are the most overlooked and under-appreciated of the exotic birds. Sure, they’re beautiful and flamboyantly colored, but we seem to have become accustomed to, and perhaps...

April 12, 2017 by Jared Paddock

Safari Spotlight: Bongo

Perhaps the most striking and unusual of the many antelope species on display at Safari West is the Bongo. These creatures are surprising in many ways, not the least of...

January 9, 2017 by Jared Paddock

Safari Spotlight: Hamerkop

This month we are spotlighting a very special and under-appreciated bird; the hamerkop. The hamerkop is an African bird slightly smaller than a raven and a uniform brown in color....

December 9, 2016 by Jared Paddock

Safari Spotlight: Ring-tailed Lemur

One of the first species spotted by visitors to Safari West is our ring-tailed lemurs. Just west of the front office several of them leap, scamper, and sunbathe on their...

November 9, 2016 by Jared Paddock

Safari Spotlight: Vultures!

There’s no better time than Halloween time to throw a bone to the unappreciated vulture. Few birds are less loved than vultures. We use songbirds to symbolize springtime and romance,...

October 6, 2016 by Jared Paddock

Safari Spotlight: Turtle Fight!

Every safari truck that departs from our boarding area takes a different route as they go searching for our many flocks and herds. Some head up the road into wildebeest...

August 21, 2016 by Jared Paddock

Safari Spotlight: Aoudad

The aoudad, or barbary sheep, is one of the more unusual hoofed animals found at Safari West. Their latin name, Ammotragus lervia roughly translates as sand-goat and that pretty accurately...

July 13, 2016 by Jared Paddock

Safari Spotlight: Crested Porcupines & Jr. Keepers

Rodents, famous for being numerous, disease-carrying, and nearly impossible to kill are possibly the most misunderstood and fascinating of the mammalian orders. The defining characteristic of rodents are the sharp...

June 15, 2016 by Jared Paddock

Safari Spotlight: Northern Bald Ibis

The Northern bald ibis, also known as the Waldrapp’s ibis could be considered a scary looking bird. At first glance, their bald, red-skinned heads and glossy black plumage make them...

May 17, 2016 by Jared Paddock