Rare and endangered animals from across the world peek through grassy fields at their home in The Wilds in southeastern Ohio.
The Wilds is a 10,000-acre open range conservation park that houses more than 27 different species in Cumberland, about 60 miles north of Athens.
The animals, ranging from cheetahs to zebras, are free to roam about the park in a natural environment, said Toni Kellar, marketing and communications officer for The Wilds.
The current property is reclaimed coal mine land donated in 1986 from the Central Ohio Coal Company, a subsidiary of American Electric Power Company.
However, it took eight years to ready the park for both animals and visitors, Kellar said.
This is a unique center where these rare and endangered species of animals are not only cared for but (the Wilds') researches are constantly taking on new conservation projects
she said.
Some of those projects include assessment of healthy diets for giraffes, the health of freshwater mussels and reproduction of Asia's Przewalski's horses, Kellar said.
The feeding, managing and researching of these species is a big expense, and with an operating budget of $3.5 million per year, The Wilds relies on support from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, private donations, government grants and visitors, Kellar said.
Visitors are welcome year-round, but during October guided tours are offered only on weekends, though pre-registered groups of 20 or more may be able to schedule a tour on other days of the week in advance. Visitors have their choice of tour packages ranging from $18 to $25.
Each tour lasts 2 and 1/2 hours, Kellar said, and is given in either an open or enclosed bus.
Visitors never know what they'll see Kellar said. Sometimes the animals are far away and other times a rhino or camel might be sitting right on the road.
The most popular animals visitors look for are cheetahs, giraffes, African wild dogs, rhinos, zebras, bison and Sichuan takins (similar to oxen) found in Tibet and China. The Wilds is a little tamer than actual nature ' carnivores are separated from the hoof-stock species, Kellar added.
The pastures for endangered hoof-stock species are also open to native Ohio animals including white-tailed deer and rabbits.
The Wilds also had several sightings of bobcats at its scent stations that attract the wild cats with certain smells. The stations are equipped with motion-activated cameras that snap a picture when cameras detect movement, Kellar said, adding that bobcats are on Ohio's endangered species list.
Besides bobcats, The Wilds has several other Ohio University connections including OU graduates working in research, animal management and current students working as tour guides like sophomore Ashlee Ray.
The biological sciences major said her summer job gave her the opportunity to learn about different professions and work with animals.
It's really cool to have a job where I'm guaranteed to see a different animal everyday and learn about them and their research she said.
Ray and other guides stop giving tours at the end of October when the animals become less active, Kellar said.
The Wilds provides winter housing for several species, especially those from Africa like giraffes and rhinos. But animals from Asia, like the Bactrian camel, can stay outside year round, Kellar said.
Some animals that are provided housing prefer Ohio's winters like the cheetahs, which have been seen playing in the snow, she added.
The Wilds' daylong winter programs occur on select Saturdays and are by reservation only, Kellar said.
One of the programs is Calling in the Owls
where visitors learn about owls and owl calling then go outside to call for owls.
The Wilds continues to add research projects and animals each year. Some of its newest animals include the Dhole, Asia's wild dog and American burying beetles.
The Wilds isn't like any other place in Ohio with expansive
open grasslands
lakes
forests and the chance to see wild and endangered animals
she said.
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