I'm used to tickling and scratching on domestic house cats & dogs so giving belly rubs, getting the opportunity to pet and hold 6 week old (and I think 12 week old) baby tigers and wolves were a bucketlist item easily checked off the list. All the guests on the tour were seated on the floor in a huge enclosure. We were instructed NOT to squeeze the babies but to let them roam and do their thing. They were all easily as curious and playful as puppies. The slightly older tiger cubs, played a bit rough, throwing themselves onto your legs while wrestling with some toy. It was the cutest and best thing I've ever experienced. The wolf cubs were just as adorable and give you kisses if they feel so inclined but just a fair warning...my guest was “tinkled upon” so make sure you’re not wearing anything too fancy that day. Lol! check out the pics below where her face basically says oh hells no. lmao. Oh and for you GOT fans!!! They brought out the most beautiful 2 year old wolf that immediately made me think holy crap, GOT depicted those Dire wolves perfectly. Strikingly beautiful.
Also as you’re playing and interacting with the animals there are professional photographers running around snapping photos. Looking back on the experience, I definitely should’ve smiled at the camera (or even just look up at the dang camera) but I literally couldn’t miss one moment and was nervous it would end at any second. The day tour is definitely for those of you who want the bulk of the time with the tiger cubs. But there's still so many other breathtaking beauties to see and interact with such as their 900lb Liger, alligators that roam the facility, Cheetahs, an insanely trained hawk, Lynx, Bubbles the elephant, baby Gibbons, chimpanzees and an incredibly beautiful white lion named Ivory. Bubbles was one of my favorites. She’s the first elephant I've ever met and made a huge impression! (Get it?!) I got to feed her a healthy snack and gave her trunk a big tight hug! She’s down to do personal experiences and throw you a personal pool party in the summertime if you’re interested check out their website and inquire. You’ll see adult tigers run up to 45MPH after a mop toy their facility created. And yes! They look exactly like house cats chasing down a toy on a rope! Another faav of mine was the chimpanzees! They painted for us and Vali, the ONLY CHIMP IN THE WORLD that knows how to swim, showed us his skills. Then the adolescent tigers came out and did a synchronized swimming routine for us! (Ha! Kidding) but they were so adorable swimming around and one was being super lazy so the trainer was just letting her float about lol.
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The night tour and day tour are both very different experiences. The nocturnal nature of the animals come out and it feels more (primal?) At this tour, you get more engagement with the adult tigers they have onsite. It's a much more relaxed and intimate energy since the group was smaller. The impressiveness of seeing these enormous felines from a few feet to a few inches away, is mind blowing. You get to experience their biggest tigers through just a few inches of glass while you feed them sausage and in person from just a few feet away. At one point throughout the tour, their big boys walk into a caged area and you’re literally just a few feet away from them. They come out wanting to mark their territory so you absolutely need to note their body language. Basically, if that tail goes up, you’d better move out of the way fast! So maybe don't wear your lovely silk top bc it might end up accidentally ruined. During the tour, we watched the tigers being fed some snacks...aka chicken pieces. One crunch and the chicken leg was gobbled up. It was mind blowing how much they reminded me of Achilles and Bella (my kitties at home) waiting for me to throw their treats. Their excitement to get a treat or their laziness to stretch for it when it was thrown in their direction was hilarious, and maybe even expected(?)but this was the first time I'd ever seen anything like it, first hand, so still very surprising. We got to meet/pet or hold a multitude of other animals including Bubbles the elephant, baby tiger cubs, wolves, gibbons, parrot and an owl with RBF. The evening ends with our group making s’mores for and with some super loud chimpanzees who are lovely once they’re calm and eating. Maybe it's my heightened sense of loud noise equals drama in NYC but I can't lie, I was nervous when they first came out. We heard a lovely rhythmic beat played by the dedicated trainers who are as happy and enthusiastic as we were, to be there. They all were so humble about being able to make a difference in the world-by doing what they do in helping to save these endangered species. The trainers live with and work with these animals daily... their dedication is extremely admirable. You get some snacks along the tour as well as two drink tickets. It feels like an amazing evening of drinks with all your furry friends. We actually did the night tour first and I felt exhilarated afterward. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my entire life. I didn’t want to leave but knew I'd be back two days later for the day tour so I came to terms with it. My review of the "Preservation Station Experience" at Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach, SC.8/25/2019 This is a short 10/15 minute experience sponsored by Myrtle Beach Safari. Its a daily event at a popular shopping area called Barefoot Landing. You'll get to hug and take pictures with gibbons (furry lil monkeys in my pics!) And you get to pet, bottle feed and take a photo holding a tiger cub or two. Its really cool for someone who might be a bit nervous about the full experience of a tour but ultimately... its just a tease. It's literally a ten to fifteen minute walk through where the workers hand you a furry baby for a minute or two for the photos. So, after that tiny taste of adorableness, you’re going to want to sign up for a full tour anyway. You’ll be able to see the conservatory and be far more hands on with the animals for a duration of 3 hours. But I get it, being in myrtle beach, sometimes you only have 10-15 minutes to hang with some tiger babies, if that's the case, definitely visit the Preservation Center at Barefoot Landing! |
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