Page 4 - Lake Front News June 28 2018

Page 4/LAKE FRONT NEWS/June 28 - July 11, 2018
10 years. They have been giving back ever since by com- bining their passion for all types of wildlife and their love of Port Clinton and the surrounding communities.
“We grew up in the country and we always had a few exotic pets like moneys and ocelots,” Hunt said. “At times when we would breed too many, we would get a hold of the zoos and donate them, and I think that is really when we developed a love of wild animals.
“The city of Port Clinton has been tremendous to us and we couldn’t have asked for a better partner than them,” Hunt continued. “I like to think that we help bring in a lot of visitors and revenue to not only Port Clinton, but also the surrounding areas like Sandusky. We have always tried to do our part and we have struck a good balance.” Brian Hunt’s daughter, Holly Hunt is now the Park’s President and is responsible for this year’s addi- tion, the Aviary Adventure.
African Safari Wildlife Park has added numerous ac- tivities, including Porcupine feeding, educational animal programs, kangaroo feedings, and to further the educa- tional and personal interactions guests can experience at the Park.
The park in Port Clinton is proud to be the Midwest’s only drive-thru safari and their staff works hard to provide every visitor with an experience that will last a lifetime.
“We see right around 200,000 visitors every year at the park,” African Safari Wildlife Park President Holly Hunt said. “In order to accommodate that many people we em- ploy around 60 people, 40 of which are seasonal and many of the seasonal workers come back year after year until they go off to college or move out of the area.”
The Aviary Adventure is a walk-thru exhibit, the larg- est animal exhibit opened since the drive-thru. Guests can have an engaging encounter with hundreds of color- ful Budgies. Budgies, commonly known as parakeets, are small birds that come in a variety of color patterns native to Australia. Guests will be able to interact directly with the birds by purchasing feed sticks, which will allow the birds to perch and eat seed while the guest holds the stick.
Aviary Adventure offi- cially opened on Friday, May 25th for the 2018 summer season. It is in the walk-th- ru safari between the edu- cational animal programs’ pavilion and the camel ride station.
“The aviary is just the beginning,” Holly Hunt said. “We purchased some more land and will continue to expand the African Safa- ri Wildlife Park.” She has a five-year plan and this was the first phase. “We will be adding more drive thru area and new animal exhibits every year for at least the next four years. We are also studying possible use of our vacant land for other at- tractions like modern roller coasters, an exotic zip line ride, a show pavilion, water park and a night safari!”
“The drive thru in par-
ticular is what has made us
so popular in the area,” she
added. “From a young child to an adult, having animals come up to your car and being within inches of the animals is a thrilling experience.”
The festivities officially kicked off on June 12. That’s when the park held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate 50 years of providing a lifelong mission of providing guests with an interactive animal experience while promoting the appreciation of wildlife.
African Safari Wildlife Park is located at 267 Light- ner Road east of Port Clinton and has been an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for over 20 years and the Zoological Association of Amer- ica (ZAA) for 10 years. This means they have undergone rigorous inspections every 5 years, to uphold the highest standards in Animal Care.
For more information online go to www.africansafari- wildlifepark.com or call 419-732-7606.
African Safari
Wildlife Park Continued from page 1
Lake Front News
www.LakeErieVacations.com
Brian Hunt, African Safari Wildlife Park CEO, with his giraffe friend.
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Visitors are able to feed hundreds of Budgies at the new Aviary Adventure.
The Park Place Boat Club and The Boardwalk are proud to present their Dock & Dine.
The program provides a boater with a guaranteed dock Sunday through Thursday at
Sunday noon - 8 pm Mon.-Thur. 10 am - 8 pm Holidays excluded
$15
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$15