You want to feed a small herd of endangered bison. You’ve got a nice plot of prairie, so no problem. But wait… You’re a half an hour outside of Omaha. You can sell this!
So was born the Wildlife Safari Park in South Bend, Nebraska. It’s a really amazing drive thru sanctuary for all manner of really large animals and some others. First off, we saw a prairie dog town, which is really cool, despite the difficulty for farmers.
We then drove through a whole mess of elk, followed by a whole flock of pelicans and cranes. My son was fascinated by the algae filled pools, which proved that one man’s pest is another man’s fascination.
They had six bald eagles in a netted compound, which was the most I’ve ever seen at a time. I joked that “we chain up these eagles to symbolize freedom,” but since I had to repeat the joke twice to help my son get it, it must have fell flat.
That’s when we went to the black bear pen and this animal was on the other side of the enclosed area and actually walked over to a rock outcropping to pose for us! It was the highlight of the visit.
We didn’t see any wolves, considering they could have been hiding anywhere in that weed filled valley, but the bison didn’t disappoint.
Incredible place, even if we had to wait for the a-hole Canadian Geese to get out of the road. It was an amazing place not far from my dad’s farm, and apparently, the Omaha zoo is even better.
Has that ever happened to you? Finding a jewel of a place where you least expect it? Tell me in the comments below!
Albigensia Press 
Very nice! 🙂
Yes, on the road to The Dakota Badlands from Denver at night, I saw the most audacious billboard I’ve ever experienced. “Last Chance. Turn Back Now! It’s only 311 Miles Back to Carhenge.” ??? Seriously, wow, ONLY 311 miles, huh? So, I took the bait. Turned around and drove the 311 miles a different way than I came and arrived to Carhenge in Alliance Nebraska. It is a replica of Stonehenge made of used cars upended in the dirt and spray-painted gray to look like stone. It was actually a wonderfully spiritual experience watching the sun rise through it… lol sitting at a picnic table under a tree. Then, a couple of hours later the people starting milling in and little by little is simply became a hangout for picnics and the like. So, I moved on, got breakfast at the local Diner, and made my way back to Denver. The Badlands got eclipsed by Carhenge.
Very cool!
I laughed. Quips that fall flat are so relatable. Bald eagles can be found abundantly in the Gunnison Canyon area of Colorado. One year, I remember driving through, seeing one perched on almost every tree.
We have a Safari Park in our area. That and our Zoo in San Diego created “natural” habitats for them some time ago and at times it was difficult to see anything because they hid. Now, used to it, they come right up to visitors and stare back. A few weeks into the lockdown, the news reported how surrounding wild animals would come to the parks to hunt “free” food, especially coyotes and mountain lions, so they had to set up extra protection for them.