ANIMALS & CONSERVATION

The addax is a critically endangered antelope that was common throughout north Africa until relatively recently. Saving this species from extinction will require a collaborative effort involving numerous stakeholders, including conservation parks like Safari Lake Geneva. The coat of the addax turns nearly white in summer to help reflect the rays of the unforgiving Sahara sun. Their coats become significantly darker in the cooler winter months.

One of the smallest members of the camel family, the alpaca was domesticated in South America by the Incas over 2,000 years ago. Alpaca fiber is seven times warmer than sheep’s wool.

Sporting a single hump, the Arabian camel, or dromedary, is by far the most common of the Old World camels. The Arabian camel today can be found from the west coast of North Africa throughout the Middle East and eastward all the way to India. Although this species can be found living in a wild state in Australia, where it was first introduced in the 19th century, there hasn’t been a wild Arabian camel seen in its original range for almost 2,000 years.

Much less common than the Arabian camel, the Bactrian camel can be found from Northeast India through to Western China. It is a close relative of the highly endangered wild camel, that also sports two humps. Owing to its Central Asian origin, the Bactrian camel finds our Wisconsin winters to be rather mild.

This handsome antelope has the distinction of being one of the fastest land animals anywhere on Earth. The name blackbuck is a reference to the dark, nearly black, color attained by the mature males.

A distinctly American breed, the Brahman was developed primarily from zebu types imported from India over one hundred years ago. The Brahma bull is among the most popular breeds utilized in rodeo bull-riding events.

Native to Eastern and Southern Africa, the eland has the distinction of being both the world’s largest and the world’s slowest antelope. Large males may reach a ton in weight, and both sexes sport long, spiral horns. The generally mild-mannered eland has been domesticated for meat and milk production in South Africa and Russia.

Among the very largest of the world’s birds, the emu of Australia is incapable of flight. The emu is the only bird on Earth with a double-plumed feather, as opposed to the single, stiff quill of other birds. This gives their feathers a flexible, wispy appearance, which looks more like hair than a regular feather.

True to its name, this duck stands erect like a penguin and, rather than waddling, runs. Females usually lay 300-350 eggs a year, and sometimes more. Despite its name, the breed appears to have originated in Indonesia.

Notably larger than the alpaca, the closely-related llama also has South American origins. Unlike the alpaca, which is primarily raised for its fiber, the llama is used in a wide number of ways, not the least of which being as a pack animal. As the most drama-averse of the camel family, they kindly request you save it for your mama.

The nyala is a spiral-horned antelope native to the woodlands of southeast Africa. This species may be the most sexually dimorphic of all the antelope; so much so that the male and female could easily be mistaken as representing two different species altogether. Unlike the larger dark brown males, female nyalas are much smaller, rusty orange in color, and lack horns.

Donkeys were brought from Europe to North America in the 15th century by Christopher Columbus. A descendant of the African wild ass, the donkey was the only African mammal domesticated in ancient times.

Although it may seem strange to us today to observe bison, camels, and little horses roaming the grasslands right here in Walworth County, this would have been a common sight as recently as 12,000 years ago. Since that time, camels and horses became extinct in North America, though both types of animals flourished elsewhere around the world. The horses you see here today were selectively bred down over many generations from larger breeds in order to navigate the coal mines of Northern Europe, where they were used as a draft animal.

A mule is the hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. From the donkey, the mule inherits its intelligence, sure-footedness, toughness, endurance, disposition, and natural cautiousness. From the horse, it inherits speed, conformation, and agility.

Hailing from the island nation of Sri Lanka, the miniature zebu is only 1/4 the size of the zebu found in nearby India. This animal is much better adapted to hot, humid climates than the European cattle breeds we know and love here in Wisconsin.

The largest of all the Asian antelope, the nilgai is still found in several parts of the Indian subcontinent. For such a large antelope, its horns are rather small, seldom exceeding ten inches on the males, and typically absent altogether in the females. Its name comes from the Hindi words for “blue” and “cow,” referring to the slate-blue coloration of mature males.

The largest living bird, the ostrich is today found only in Africa, having been exterminated decades ago in the Middle East. Some ostriches exceed nine feet in height, although ours, being female, are considerably shorter. The fastest terrestrial animal on two legs, ostriches have been clocked at a top speed of 43 miles per hour.

The plains bison once numbered in the tens of millions and could be found in every state in the lower 48 outside of New England, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. Overhunting nearly exterminated this species in the 19th century, however it is no longer in danger of extinction. The closely-related and slightly larger wood bison is the largest land animal in North America.

The plains zebra is among the smaller types of zebra, and is native to Kenya and Tanzania. Theories abound as to the purpose of the iconic black and white striping, but many scientists believe it serves to repel flies. Due to their specialized low-protein diet, our guests are not permitted to feed them.

The reticulated giraffe is an endangered species native to eastern Africa. Giraffes are the tallest land animal, with large males exceeding 18 feet in height. By participating in a Giraffe Encounter at Safari Lake Geneva you are supporting the conservation of wild giraffes in Africa. Please note that giraffes may not be visible on rainy days or when the temperature is below 55 degrees.

This is the rarest wild animal currently residing at Safari Lake Geneva. As recently as one hundred years ago, it numbered in the hundreds of thousands in Northern Africa, but by the end of the last century it had been exterminated entirely from the wild. In recent years, it has been reintroduced into its native range using individuals raised in parks much like ours. It is so well-adapted to its desert lifestyle, that it can go an entire lifetime never drinking any water, and only obtaining moisture from the plants that it eats.

Among the largest, and rarest, hoofed animals on Earth, the wild water buffalo is larger than the wild yak and the bison. The domesticated form, like the ones you may see today, is smaller, and was historically an integral part of the economies of the Far East — so much so that it earned the nickname “the living tractor of the East.”

The wild yak is an enormous creature, even bigger than the plains bison of this country. The domestic yak, like the ones you see here, is much smaller. In its Central Asian homeland, the yak is utilized for milk production, meat, leather, fiber, and as a beast of burden. Even the dung of this versatile animal is used as fuel for the hearth.