Naty K.
Yelp
I am glad to see such places as this one and all the wildlife sanctuaries that can be found in the tri-county areas, as South Florida attracts not just exotic men and women of far away lands, but also a desire to own exotic pets -- it's part of our flashy culture. Once these pets become a menace, too large to handle, or a new partner comes along, the pet gets the boot. Because of this, zoos sometimes cannot handle all the influx of unwanted pets, the time needed to acclimate the animal, or training, care, surgeries and anything else that may be involved. Shelters obviously cannot take in tigers or wolves...they're unadoptable, after all, so that leaves places like this, Safari Edventure, McCarthy's, and other non-profit organizations to save the animals. It is hard to not support or appreciate the work that these people do, as non-profits. It is extremely selfless, hard work!
Everglades Outpost charges a minimal admission fee, and with their Groupon and LivingSocial deal, it truly is a bargain. All this money goes toward caring for the animals (food, vaccinations, supplies), as the place is run by volunteers. Parking is minimal, but considering their secluded location, you can park anywhere nearby and not worry about tow trucks, fines, or some greedy cop wanting to meet his quota of parking tickets. Although the place is not very large, you can spend a lot of time here talking to the volunteers and learning about the animals, their habits, and other characteristics. Therefore, it is up to you how much time you spend. We spent about 2-3 hours here. There was a veterinarian on the grounds named Jessica, and my daughter enjoyed asking her questions, as she wants to become a vet (specifically, a herpetologist).
In addition to being able to walk the grounds, there is an alligator show at certain hours of the day. Call in advance to find out their schedule! Timmy, one of the young volunteers, eagerly brought out a large alligator and performed some incredible stunts, as well as explaining that it is impossible to gouge out the eyes of an alligator. Did you know that alligators have a membrane that protects their eyes from debris in the water, and although it looks white to us, it's actually see-through so they can see through the water? In addition to the alligator show, you can hold a small alligator, and even some of the babies, which look like little geckos with beautiful hazel green eyes. It's not hard to imagine why some people may fall in love with such adorable little creatures without realizing they can end up growing up to 13 feet long and with jaws and teeth that can rip you apart.
In addition to the alligator show, don't forget to check out the reptile exhibit, containing lizards and snakes. This is housed in an area close to the entrance, and across the cute and highly intelligent cockatoo. There are several macaque monkeys, a crocodile, a jaw-droppingly beautiful Florida panther named Sabal (my first time ever seeing a Florida panther!), tortoises and wolves. Peacocks and peahens roam the grounds. Although I don't like photographing animals in cages, I figured many people had never seen a Florida panther, as they are endangered and very hard to come by, and so I decided to photograph it. You are kept far away from the carnivores, courtesy of a stone wall further pushing you away from the fence, so there is no way of avoiding the fence's presence in pictures. The Siberian tigers were beautiful, though the female was very testy, rejecting the advances of the male as he tried to engage in some...love -- despite the fact the male was larger, she pushed him off and growled at him until he retreated to a corner. Yup, crazy, huh? There is also a bear, although it ignored us and slept the whole time pretty much.
Since we were there for several hours, we got to see the feeding of the carnivores. Quentin, one of the volunteers, told us this was a special thing, as most people do not get to see that. A whole turkey is given to each tiger, so it's easy see how expensive it can be to run a non-profit. The bear ate a whole fruit bowl. Did you know there is such a thing as an alpha female in a wolf pack? Probably not. This may explain why some of the wolves had some eye irritation -- they try to test and see which wolves will step up to become the alpha and if they become too aggressive, then they must be moved to their own cage. It's not hard to imagine wolves fighting and clawing at each other.
At the entrance, there are zebras, a camel, and donkeys. I had never been that close to a standing camel and did not realize how tall they are. They have such large eyes and such long eyelashes! I have no idea how people can feel relaxed, comfortable and steady on top of such a large animal. I'd like to some day go to the Middle East and ride one, but not sure how steady I would feel and would probably worry about it tripping and knocking me over!