This one is a little mind-blowing and I’ve been there and experienced its wonderfulness. I have lived in Ohio all my life and before two months ago I had never even heard of a place called The Wilds. Let alone did I ever imagine I could go on an African Safari in basically my own back yard. It’s crazy to think about, but it’s very, very real.
I started asking around to see what other people suggested we go see next and several kept saying something called The Wilds. They described it as a place where you can see giraffe, rhinos, several different types of wild horses, cheetahs, panthers, and other such wonderfully out-of-place creatures. Upon further research I discovered there are several different types of tours that people can take to explore the reserve. From the poor man’s “air-conditioned bus” experience, to the rich man’s rented Range Rovers with vibrating seats and complimentary The Lion King sound track. Just kidding about the sound track… you have to bring your own. A person can experience this place in a multitude of ways.
So we set off on this adventure with Gerty, of course because we are warped into thinking we will get lost using an old fashion, large piece of fragile paper called a map. She took us through Zanesville through the back hills of Ohio and this was about the time that I thought everyone was playing some kind of joke on us. After a quite terrifying encounter with a small, non-paved, 3 ft wide road, we finally made it to an open savannah habitat that looked so out-of-place it was laughable. Upon arrival we parked outside the gates and were shuttled up a hill to the main building that looked like someone had plucked it from Zimbabwe and placed it in Ohio. We paid $20 for my admission (military id gets you in free) and bought two suckers and waited for our poor man’s transportation. Tours run every half hour from 10am- 4 pm.
Within minutes of the tour starting we were surrounded by rhinos, which I never thought in a million years would be something I would get to experience. They just came right near the bus and were chomping away at some delicious grass as if they knew they were pretty sweet. Next we saw some very aggressive and territorial wild horses that took the bus hostage, while the leader was determined to bite the door open. The 12-year-old looking tour guide didn’t seem worried so I just made sure to place myself between Caleb and the hungry pony at the door. Once we escaped the pony takeover we came upon a delusional camel that decided today was the day he was going to stand his ground and play chicken with the bus. That sucker didn’t move an ounce as the bus bumped into it and slide around him. I’m pretty sure I saw him give himself a pat on the hump due to his fairly obvious victory as we drove away.
After that we saw some more neat animals, but I would remiss if I failed to mention the cheetah that thought I was its next meal. The predators are a safe distance away from the herbivores, for obvious reasons, so it was a short ride to the place where the large kitties were lounging about. I, having a complete lapse in judgement decided to wear a zebra printed tank top that day. This resulted in one particular cheetah spotting, stalking, and getting ready to pounce on me once I turned my back to run. Luckily there was a very large fence between us and my quick-witted responses yet again told me to put Caleb between predator and prey… sorry dear.
The tour lasted about 3 and a half hours and it was absolutely worth the $20 dollars. Who else can say they went on an African Safari in the afternoon and made it home for Dominoes in the same day?
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