Trip to the Gentry Safari
Today we went to the Gentry Safari, in Gentry, AR. A very interesting and very fun place indeed. Here you can drive through the “safari” in your own vehicle at your own pace, while the animals come right up to your car, of course wanting food. First we were accosted by a herd of emus (see pic). Man, they can be rather aggresive when it comes to bread. My favorite part was the monkeys. They have some that aren’t in cages, and if you stop long enough and at least appear to have something resembling food, they will come and sit on your mirrors and eat from your hands. I’ve been told not to piss them off, though, you could regret it by losing your attenna to them. The petting zoo was fun too, until a few goats escaped on us. The grand finale was when we had a bag of cheese popcorn and decided to let a monkey stick his hand in the bag and help himself….boy did he ever help himself, he grabbed the whole damn bag, spilled all of the popcorn, them got pissed because the bag was empty. He then sampled the bag and decided it didn’t taste good. By the time he figured out the popcorn was all he was getting, five emus had showed up and were chowing down…imagine that.
I was wondering what you thought of the conditions of the place overall? Was it run well, did you think the animals were treated fairly?
Your input would be great.
Thanks,
Jennifer Rainwater
Jennifer,
The Gentry Safari is a “unique” place. I’ve heard that over the years, they have had their share of battles with animal rights groups and the like. What I find interesting is how the place is run. It seems like everything is very casual. I’ve driven through the entire place several times and not once encountered anyone who seemed to work there. It’s almost like once you drive through the gate, you are on your own. My wife (who has been going there since she was a kid) swears that one time when she was there years ago, there was a bear roaming free within the fence. I think though that the open “safari” feeling is what makes the place what it is.
As far as the treatment of the animals, I really don’t like to see the animals that are confined to the really small cages, especially the large cats. Everything always looks fairly healthy and well-fed, especially the animals that roam free and are able to get goodies from all of the patrons. That said, we found it better to go in the morning, before all of the animals have been fed all day and are full and lazy and not wanting to roam around.
Their disclaimer kills me, something like “Don’t give the animals the opportunity to harm you”. Could they be more vague and ambiguous?
I do know this, our toddler loves that place, and we have a blast going there. We haven’t been since last summer, and he still brings it up every once in a while.
Hope that helps.