Last week, we visited Elmvale Jungle Zoo, a smaller, more intimate zoo compared to the Toronto Zoo. Elmvale is located north of the Greater Toronto Area and near the Wasaga Beach resort area.
We followed that up with a visit to African Lion Safari, another outstanding alternative to the Toronto Zoo, located west of Toronto between Hamilton and Cambridge. That last time I visited African Lion Safari, I was around five years old and it would have been sometime around 1973. At that time, the park was in its infancy and I remember little from the visit other the heat of the non-air conditioned car with the windows manditorily rolled up, as per park rules.
This time around, we didn’t drive our own vehicle through the reserves, although it is still allowed. Instead, we paid the $5 per person and took the air conditioned bus through the park. I think it’s worth the money as you don’t have to worry about driving and damage to your vehicle. As well, you get an informative guided tour.
Above: baby baboon trying hard to get fed. Notice the hand – even leaving your window open a crack is forbidden and you can see why. In fact, if there is even a small crack in your windshield, you cannot take your vehicle through the gates.
African Lion Safari
African Lion Safari opened in August, 1969 on a 620 acre plot of land. The size has grown to the present 750 acres. In the drive-thru area, there are seven differerent compounds, ranging in size. Within these areas, the animals roam free. The highlights are the baboons, rhinos, giraffes and, of course, the lions.
The park is open from the start of May to the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend (usually mid October). Adults will pay around $30 to enter and it is worth every dime.
Grant’s Zebra is one species that is bountiful in the reserve and one that certainly stands out. It shares its quarters closely with the white rhinos and other African animals that you would expect to see on the plains.
Even while sitting in a large bus, the white rhinos are pretty intimidating. These are very large animals with very large horns. However, they’re pretty docile when it comes down to it. It’s a shame to think that in their natural environment, they’re getting poached into extinction because of their horns. Certain cultures in our world feel that there are special healing powers in powder ground from the horn. Certain cultures in our world are responsible for many species being on the brink of extinction simply because of mythical healing powers.
The Rothschild Giraffe, also located at the Elmvale Jungle Zoo, is fast becoming my favourite. So awkward yet, at the same time, so graceful. There are several giraffe’s in the park.
The seven reserves of the drive-thru area are not the only places you’ll see animals within African Lion Safari. There is a boat tour on a man-made lake around islands that are populated by primates and exotic birds. Above, a family of lemurs huddles together on one of the islands. The boat tour is named the African Queen and is included in your entry fee.
It might be the African Lion Safari but the Asian Elephants steal the show. The park has become a successful breeding facility for these endangered animals. The elephants put on a bit of a show with trainers that seems pretty harmless, despite a bit of controversy with animal rights activists.
The real treat with the Asian Elephants happens twice a day at a lake on site. Elephants are paraded from their compound down to the lake for swim time. They seem to love it and remain in the water for quite a while, bathing right in front of the crowds.
The Nature Boy Scenic Railway is a miniature train that runs a ten minute loop around a natural wetland in the park. There are no exotic animals in this section but you will see plenty of the above Painted Turtles, a species whose population is declining in this area due to poaching.
This, I find disturbing as seeing turtles in the wetlands near my home is something I look forward to each year. This year, amid reports that poaching is becoming widespread, I have seen just one turtle in its natural environment. It seems that they are being poached for pets and for another mythical magic food called turtle soup. The Canadian government is hesitant to do anything about the problem and if nothing changes, this area at African Lion Safari will become another sanctuary for an endangered species.
