Giraffe Ranch

On the last day of our Spring Break trip, we visited the Giraffe Ranch in Dade City.  This is not a zoo, it is a nature preserve that offers a safari-like experience.   It is owned and operated by the ex-zoo director of Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.  He and his wife Elena actually live on the property and offer a very unique animal experience.  You must make reservations for this.  When we arrived, we were greeted by a few camels.  Our favorite was doofus, a silly camel who loves to be around people.  After spending some time with the camels, Elena came out and started talking to us about what we were going to see on our safari.  She discussed the different types of animal horns and had some bone samples that she passed around.  After learning a little about the animals, we split up into two groups.  We were in the first group to feed the ring-tailed lemurs.

 Feeding the lemurs was THE highlight of the entire trip for me.  These animals are so sweet and gentle.  We fed them grapes.  When you hold out your hand, they grab your finger with theirs.  It feels like a newborn grabbing your hand- so sweet.  I could have spent all day with the lemurs.  This is something that I will never forget.

 After we fed the lemurs, we visited the other animals.  Lex- who was the former director of Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo walked around with us and gave us tons of info about all types of animals.  How often is it that you get a private tour with such a knowledgeable person?  I so enjoyed listening to him.

Once we finished our walking tour, we loaded up onto safari vehicles and headed out.  We were in Elena's vehicle, and she made several stops to point out various animals and tell us a bit about them.  In this picture, Olivia is holding an ostrich egg.

 The main attraction is feeding the giraffes.  This is different from zoos where you pay $2 and get a carrot.  We were parked in front of the giraffes for about 20 minutes and spent the whole time with them.

 We saw lots of other animals, too.

 This little guy was only two days old.

At the end of our tour, doofus came back up.  He was such a loveable guy.  We had a great time at the giraffe ranch.  It was a unique experience.