Last Saturday, Motor Man and I had quite the adventure.
We went to Virginia Safari Park near Natural Bridge, Virginia, which is about 3 1/2 hours from us. This is a drive-through park with several species of animals who roam freely over the 100+ acres .
When we bought our tickets at the gate, we also purchased four small pails of food (pellets). The staff member gave us two empty buckets and advised us to pour a small amount in an empty pail to feed the various animals that would come up to our window.
And do those animals ever know the drill. They stop right in front of your vehicle (roadblock), then move to your window in search of the food they know you bought.
The llama and oryx were the most aggressive of the different species. One of them snatched a bucket right from my hand, another managed to get his head (and upper body) all the way in the vehicle and was eating food from the bucket in the floorboard by my feet.
“We need to talk about that food, Mister”
Motor Man also had a bucket snatched from his hand by an oryx.
After that experience, we were a bit leery when the elk approached our vehicle.
Amazingly, they were very gentle and only ate from the bucket…..very good manners.
And here’s a weird shot….. doesn’t that look like a spooky “human figure” to the right? It’s actually an animal (not sure if it was a llama or antelope) with its head laid back and nose in the air.
Feeding the ostrich was a bit scary: that’s a huge beak to be pecking for food so close to my hands.
And how impressive is this sight?
The park also has a walk-through village. It was a chilly, breezy day, so our “walk-through” was rather quick. My only disappointment of the day was that the giraffes were on the opposite side of their yard from the viewing/feeding deck. Here’s a little slideshow of some of the animals in those exhibits.
Although a bit cool, it was a beautiful day for our visit. As much fun as Motor Man and I (as mature adults) enjoyed the park, I can imagine what fun it is for families with little ones. We highly recommend it.
Tune in Friday for more about our adventurous weekend.
~These Days Of Mine~
these days of mine 
What amazing pictures!! How photogenic the animals all were! Part of their campaign to get treats (they seemed canny that way). Liked how they gave you buckets to divide goodies. you didn’t mention any drool…How families with children would love that trip!!!
WOW!!! You and Motor Man are pretty BRAVE!!! That would be unnerving to have them take the bucket of food right off the floorboard. Beautiful pictures, and that is a weird-looking picture of the animal with its head thrown back. LOVE the one walking down the path towards you – an impressive rack. I can’t imagine how big they are in person. What a fun trip on a beautiful day.
I know you had a lot of fun there – thankfully the weather cooperated and so did MOST of the animals! Slideshow shows they have a lot of animals to visit – I bet kids love that place (big kids too!).
Pam
What a great trip! The animals definitely know the drill .. They must’ve heard about your Wild Kingdom back home ! & that is a very interesting pic with the “human figure” – when I first glanced at the pic, I was trying to figure out who it could be ! ?
Wow, what a amazing time!!! Chuck and I always said we were going back to Natural Bridge and take in the Safari Park. All these wonderful pictures make me want to go NOW! Thanks for sharing,Dianna. ❤
Interesting! Great pics and I enjoyed the “ride along.” 🙂
Who had more fun – you or the animals?? Your experience reminded me of the wild burros we fed in Arizona. One greedy thing snatched my just purchased bag of cashews out of my hand and I had to fight him for it! You got some great photos. And the spooky “person” caught my eye too.