Adventure has been missing in our lives. The kids crave a change of scenery beyond the walls of our home. When one of our favorite Zoo’s reopened recently I thought, maybe we could do that! Then the numbers here in L.A. started to climb again. Spending too much time out in a populated place, even outdoors, no longer felt comfortable for me. Not with small children that I couldn’t guarantee would not touch anything and everything. Especially when I wasn’t even sure they could or would keep their mask on…
“Adventure is STILL out there! You could even do some good while safely going out there to find it!”
Just as I was thinking this, a friend messaged me asking if I had seen that the Wildlife Learning Center was open… I hadn’t! I quickly researched and found that they are open for PRIVATE TOURS ONLY. That means you have a reservation time, for up to 5 people living in the same household. It is timed so you are not there all day. You are the only outside people in the facility during that time. You get a private tour guide that maintains 6 ft. distance and everyone wears a mask the entire time. Plus, you get to feed a giraffe and can add a variety of animal feeding or petting experiences! I was in!
Upon arrival everything was just as advertised. Clean and socially distant, with plenty of hand sanitizer available. We had a knowledgeable and fun tour guide that was patient in answering all of the kid’s questions. We learned about how the animals got there and different facts about their species. Our favorite things were…
- Meeting Sid the sloth! We were so surprised (and star-struck!) to find out he was the actual sloth Disney animators based the character “Flash” from Zootopia, one of our favorite Disney movies! This brought us a little Disney Magic that follows us everywhere.
- Feeding the porcupines! The kids are always curious to know what different animals eat and finding similarities in what they eat… they were giddy to find how much porcupines enjoy carrots, just like them!
- Meeting “Tiny” the giraffe. Giraffes are so majestic and to have Tiny to ourselves to feed and pet is an experience we won’t forget. Especially during these times of stress, spending time feeding and petting Tiny was just what our family needed.
If you are looking for a safe and socially distant adventure, I could not recommend this more. Learning about all of these animals and interacting with them was incredible! Wildlife rescues depend on donations and tours to keep these animals fed, cared for, and happy. I was happy to pay my tour fee because I knew it was going straight to these beautiful animals. There are a two main tour experiences to choose from but, you can add more animal encounter “a la carte”!
“(Your visit)… greatly helps WLC provide life-long sanctuary to animals in need, species preservation, and important life science education.” – Wildlife Learning Center
Here is some info on the protective measures they are taking during this time….
Wildlife Learning Center is taking the following protective measures:
- Wearing masks
- Liberally using hand sanitizer
- Doing EXTRA cleaning of animal and public areas
- Maintaining the recommended 6-foot social distancing guidelines between your group and us
- Making hand sanitizer readily available to you
The Wildlife Learning Center is located in the northern Los Angeles area in the San Fernando Valley. To book your own “Zoofari” wildlife adventure, visit the Wildlife Learning Center website here!
Adventure is STILL out there! You could even do some good while safely going out there to find it!
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