Safari West Wildlife Foundation board member Gail Hedberg is in the news! Alongside her role with our partner foundation, Gail is also a neonatal animal care specialist. In this specialized role, she travels the United States, assisting little ones in need. Recently, she found herself at the San Francisco Zoo, working with a pregnant Sumatran tiger.

During the pregnancy, Gail and her associates trained the tiger mom to position herself on a platform that allowed the team to perform ultrasounds. After giving birth, the new mama tiger continued to use the platform, this time allowing Gail to extract small samples of milk. The project caught the attention of writer Catherine Zuckerman, then hard at work on a piece for National Geographic.

Follow the link below to learn about the amazing Conservation Biology Institute and the amazing work of Gail Hedberg. Conservation comes in many forms and we’re so proud of Gail for helping the fight to save species in this unique and valuable way.

Inside the world’s largest collection of animal milk

The post One Way to Help Save a Species: Milk a Tiger appeared first on Safari West.

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Shaggy, Striped Appearance

The smallest species of hyena, striped hyenas get their name from the black markings on their sides similar to a tiger’s stripes. Perhaps even more remarkable is the shaggy hair that covers almost all of their body. Striped hyenas have the ability to raise this crest of hair to appear much larger than they actually are. This serves as a defense mechanism when they feel threatened. While it is commonly assumed hyenas are related to dogs, their closest relatives are actually mongooses and meerkats.

A Wide Range

Striped hyenas are one of the few mammals found at Safari West whose native range extends outside of Africa. While they overlap with spotted hyenas in eastern Africa, their range extends north through northern Africa, and into the Middle East and India. In fact, they are one of the only carnivores that can be found living alongside lions in one part of their range, and tigers in another. Striped hyenas are no match to the larger and more powerful spotted hyenas and African lions so they tend to avoid the open plains they call home. They will often give up their food to spotted hyenas. Instead, striped hyenas favor woodlands and arid wastelands. Compared to other predators, striped hyenas can easily adapt to harsh conditions such as semideserts.

A Scavenger’s Life

Striped hyenas are primarily scavengers and will often eat mammal carcasses left over by lions, tigers, cheetahs, sloth bears and leopards. They have strong jaws adapted to crushing parts of the body other predators will not eat such as the hooves, horns, teeth and shallow bones. They can even eat entire bones in one bite! Unlike spotted hyenas, striped hyenas will usually hunt by themselves. Consequentially, they have less success taking down their own prey since they hunt alone. Luckily for them, as omnivores, they can also make a meal of fruits and vegetables like melons, cucumbers, and peaches. This has caused problems as they have developed a reputation for stealing these crops from farmers.

Not So Social

It is hard to completely understand the social structure of striped hyenas as they generally only leave their dens at night. For a long time, scientists believed striped hyenas to be strictly solitary since they forage alone. However, recent studies have found that they live in small clans in some areas. Unlike spotted hyenas, striped hyenas are monogamous animals who mate for life. Both males and females will establish the den and raise cubs. The male will even give the female food when she is giving birth to the cubs.

Not Your Typical Laughing Hyena

In contrast to the loud, “laughing” spotted hyenas, striped hyenas are usually mute. The only exception is the occasional chattering or howling sound. The only time striped hyenas will “laugh” is when they feel extremely frightened. In these circumstances, they will make a rapid, high-pitched chattering sound to show alarm. It is not a happy sound for them despite what popular culture might have you believe.

The Stigma of Striped Hyenas

As with all hyena species, mythology and folklore have been unkind to striped hyenas. Middle Eastern literature and folklore often use striped hyenas as symbols of treachery and stupidity. These stories have led to hyenas being feared and stigmatized in popular culture. This stigma extends into their African range as well. In Tanzania, for instance, some cultures claim witches use hyenas as mounts!

Human-wildlife conflict has also been an issue. Although striped hyenas rarely attack humans, they are often implicated in the killing of livestock and stealing crops. This has led to persecution and poisonings by farmers. As a consequence, farmers falsely see striped hyenas as grave robbers.

Near Threatened

Scientists estimate only 4,000 to 5,000 striped hyenas remain. They are listed as Near Threatened. Striped hyenas live in endangered isolated populations throughout much of their range. Persecution by humans, shortage of carrion, illegal hunting for their skins and habitat loss all threaten striped hyenas. Fortunately, Safari West is working with conservation partners to help protect the habitats and range of striped hyenas. Among its partners are the Sahara Conservation Fund and Lion Landscapes in Tanzania (the southern extremity of the striped hyena’s range.)

Why is this relevant to Sonoma County?

While we don’t have any wild striped hyenas in Sonoma County, we do have coyotes. Just as Tanzanians need to learn how to live alongside predators, so do we. We often mistakingly regard coyotes as a nuisance even when there is no evidence of damage or harm. Locals sometimes persecute these coyotes because of this misunderstanding. There are a number of ways you can proactively avoid conflict with coyotes and live harmoniously with them. One is to not let your pets run loose as, whether you know it or not, coyotes are probably around. Also, getting rid of food and water sources from your backyard is a simple but effective way to keep coyotes out of your yard. These simple but important actions enable Californians to live alongside coyotes just as African and Asian cultures can coexist with striped hyenas.

Striped hyenas are among the most mysterious and misunderstood but fascinating and magnificent creatures in the animal kingdom. Reserve a stay with us to meet them face to face at right here at Safari West!

The post Safari Spotlight: The Striped Hyena appeared first on Safari West.

Safari West, long known for its herds of African mammals and flocks of exotic birds, has a long history of conservation work. Work that often comes in the form of fundraising to protect animals and ecosystems found in far-off lands overseas. What often goes unnoticed, however, are the programs that support the world in our own backyard. One such program supports the once common and always charismatic, monarch butterfly.

The monarch is a large insect with conspicuous black-and-orange wings. Most Americans experience them as they flutter through our neighborhoods during the spring and summer before disappearing again in the fall. As it turns out, when they show up, and how long they stick around, is largely a factor of geography. Depending on where you’re from, you may see them nearly year round, or only for a brief window in time before they move on.

The Amazing Migration

The unusual monarch butterfly migrates through the seasons. During the winter months, they retreat to temperate climes and wait out the harsh weather. West of the Rocky Mountains, these overwintering grounds are found along the California coast, centered along a stretch from Santa Cruz to Pismo Beach. East of the Rocky’s the butterflies travels further south, with the bulk of them winding up in Mexico.

Once warm weather arrives, the butterflies fly north, sipping pollen as they chase the blooms of spring. These monarchs are short-lived and within a handful of weeks, seek out milkweed plants on which to lay their eggs before they die. Several generations will live this way; hatching, migrating, laying, and dying as spring progresses into summer.

At some point, the butterflies will turn back. As summer turns to fall, they flee back to their overwintering grounds where once more, they’ll wait out the winter. Amazingly, the generation that overwinters lives considerably longer than the migratory generations. While the butterflies on the move survive a mere 2-8 weeks, the overwintering butterflies enjoy a full 26-35 weeks (6-8 months) of life!

Monarchs at Safari West

Situated as we are in the Mayacamas Mountains of Sonoma County, Safari West typically begins to see butterflies in early spring. In order to help them out, we’ve planted native milkweed and tasty wildflowers across much of Safari West. Many of the monarchs passing through stop to feast and lay eggs on the abundant milkweed. Once the eggs hatch into little green caterpillars, the head of our butterfly program, “Monarch Merle” Reuser collects them and moves them into our special nursery boxes.

Left to the hazards of life in the wild, fewer than 1-in-10 caterpillars survive to adulthood. Most of them fall victim to starvation, the elements, or even predators (largely invasive species, since the caterpillars are distasteful or even toxic to many native predators). By moving the caterpillars into screened boxes, we can protect them from hungry animals and ensure a steady supply of milkweed. The vast majority of Merle’s monarch caterpillars grow fat, form chrysalises, and emerge as hale and hearty monarch adults. These adults are then released to continue their migration. With any luck, we’ll see their children or grandchildren pass back through in the fall.

A Growing Community

This year, spring came early as far as the monarchs were concerned. For reasons as yet unclear, they began to arrive in our neighborhood in February, a good two months earlier than expected. This earlier start meant the butterflies were arriving in many places before the milkweed supply could support them. The Monarchs Programs Vallejo chapter was hit particularly hard and reached out to Merle for help. As a result, Safari West welcomed 26 transplanted caterpillars who grew up among our own local crop. Of these transplants, a staggering 80% survived to adulthood and fluttered away!

Good News for Monarchs

From the mid-1990’s to 2015, monarch butterfly populations experienced a catastrophic collapse. Whereas nearly 1 billion of them were fluttering over the US in 1995, that number had dropped to some 35 million by 2014. According to Tierra Curry at the Center for Biological Diversity, this “would be like losing every living person in the United States except those in Florida and Ohio.” Thankfully, over the last few years, monarch numbers seem to have recovered somewhat. That “somewhat” is important as the total population remains at a bare fraction of what it was twenty years ago.

The good news is that if you want to help monarchs, you can! Unlike some species, monarch decline appears to be largely the result of one major influence: industrial herbicides. The herbicides we use to keep America’s farmland productive and safe has the unfortunate side effect of decimating the milkweed supply. If you’d like to help the monarch butterfly recover, look no further than your local seed bank.

Find out what type of milkweed is native to your area and plant some in your backyard or garden. While you’re at it, plant some native wildflowers as well. Not only will this beautify your home, it will also provide food and a nursery for the monarchs in your neighborhood. It doesn’t take much to give these charismatic little insects the help they need so please join us in this worthy cause.

P.S.

Merle provides Safari West with routine updates about the monarch butterflies that pass through the preserve. Like the rest of us, these local insects were impacted by the disastrous fires of last fall. Thousands of acres of habitat containing milkweed and wildflowers burned. Although the fires happened in October, monarchs were around, likely passing through the area on their way south. We had a few developing in the nursery boxes at the time the fire broke out. I’m happy to report that the disaster not only spared our staff and nearly 1,000 animals, they spared two beautiful monarch butterflies as well.

The post The Plight of the Monarch appeared first on Safari West.

Five years ago, the Cassini spacecraft, hard at work studying the planet Saturn and its celestial neighbors, turned its camera back toward home. The resulting snapshot can be seen above. Dramatic, isn’t it?

Astronomers and conservationists don’t find ourselves in conversation all that often. Why would we? Our fields of expertise are literally words apart. We conservationists spend our days focused on the plants, animals, and ecosystems of our terrestrial home. Our astronomer friends meanwhile, spend their time looking up and out, focused very much off world. As it turns out however, we have a lot in common (in fact, even within our own staff, you’ll find several Safari West-ers with a deep love of astronomy). On Earth Day in particular, we find our interests intersecting. On this day more than any other, we conservationists step back and our astronomer friends look down. Together, we focus on the most important thing in our combined universe: our own home planet.

The Pale, Blue Dot

The Cassini photo of the Earth is one of only a few ever taken from beyond orbit. The first and most famous of these planet-wide selfies was taken on Valentine’s Day 1990 by the Voyager 1 spacecraft. At that time, Voyager found itself some 3.7 billion miles from home, soaring beyond the orbit of Neptune and climbing high above the disk of our solar system. As Voyager prepared to power down its cameras, legendary astronomer and author, Carl Sagan made the suggestion that it turn back and take one last photo of home.

The image captured quickly became known as the Pale, Blue Dot. In this iconic photo, our vast globe appears as little more than a faint, blue pixel, floating in a lens flare, surrounded by the vastness of space.

That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived… lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity – in all this vastness – there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us… To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.
-Carl Sagan

That’s Here. That’s Home. That’s Us.

As Mr. Sagan so eloquently put it, it’s important to step back and take in the bigger picture. Earth Day provides just such an opportunity. Here at Safari West, we work day in and day out to conserve the wildlife and wild places of this planet and inspire others to do the same. But it’s only too easy to look at something as amazing and exotic as a giraffe or rhino, and think, “what can I possibly do? These creatures come from other nations, other continents. How can one person help?”

We can come together. Here in the United States, we may not slash and burn the rainforests, but we certainly consume the palm oil produced in its place. We may not dine on shark fin soup, but we certainly participate in the over-fishing crisis. None of us is guilty of every environmental sin, but we all have an impact on our world. In a world in which technology brings us ever closer together, our neighbors are not so far away as we might imagine and each of us has the ability to affect change.

Do Your Part

This Earth Day, whether you’re celebrating with us at Safari West or not, please take a minute to admire and appreciate the world that gave you life. It’s an incredible planet we live on. One which, to the best of our knowledge, is entirely unique in this amazing universe of ours. Do something today to say thank you to mother Earth. Pick up some trash or take a reusable bag to the grocery store. Take out that old bike and leave the car in the garage. Donate to a conservation organization (The Safari West Wildlife Foundation perhaps? Or maybe one of these?). Above all, celebrate the day. Recognize and appreciate the Earth and this day we’ve set aside for it. Talk about it with your friends and family. Spread the word.

We are tiny people living our lives on a tiny planet, but we’ve made it this far. Let’s come together as a species and fight for the planet we all love so much.

Happy Earth Day!

The post Why Earth Day Matters appeared first on Safari West.

Perhaps the most intimidating creature at Safari West might be the ostrich (Struthio camelus). While birds in general aren’t generally considered particularly frightening, there are exceptions. Surely some of you have had a regrettable pond-side encounter with a swan, or run afoul of a flock of geese. I myself was once ambushed by turkeys while walking home from the grocery store. I lost a half-gallon of milk and twelve perfectly good eggs that day.

Imagine that same tenacity and fierceness in a bird even bigger, stronger, and more confident. Your average ostrich ranges between 6 and 9 feet tall when fully grown, and weighs in excess of 200 pounds. These enormous birds boast incredibly strong legs that can propel that heavy body across the ground at 40 miles per hour. If fleeing doesn’t work, those same legs provide a terrifying defensive tool. One that’s been known to deter or even kill lions.

Luckily for us, though they should certainly be treated with respect, ostriches aren’t all that aggressive. Here at Safari West, our three ostrich ladies are best known for their inquisitive natures, inspecting and pecking at nearly every truck to come through. Enormous and curious in equal measure, these birds are always highlights of a classic safari tour.

Life on the Fringe

Ostriches have long thrived in the more arid expanses of subsaharan Africa. Their ability to survive almost exclusively on the water found in their food makes them well adapted for such an environment. On top of this, the birds will eat just about anything that catches their interest. Though their primary diet consists of grasses and other plants, they will happily munch on bugs, rodents, lizards, and even the occasional small tortoise.

This informal attitude when it comes to food reflects in their mating behavior as well. Males typically try to accumulate a small harem of 5 or so hens, but within this grouping, they only pair-bond with one. This major hen and her male will incubate a nest, but that nest might be made up of some 15 to 60 eggs. Welcome to the amazing world of “dump nesting”. This mixed collection of eggs come from the major hen, the minor hens, and possibly even from other females just passing through the area.

Why so many eggs? Dump nesting behavior seems to follow the “safety in numbers” philosophy of survival. While adult ostriches rarely face predation, baby ostriches have a tougher time. Most won’t make it through their first year. The theory then, is that more chicks in the brood make it more likely yours will survive to adulthood.

Endangered or Not?

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently classifies ostriches as a species of Least Concern. Like humans, rats, and dogs, they appear to be doing just fine. That classification fails to take in the whole story however. While the ostrich thrives in many areas of Africa, in the Sahelo-Saharan region of north Africa, populations are in steep decline. This thin band of dry scrubland and sand sits right along the southern border of the vast Sahara desert. It is a tough place to eke out a living at the best of times and unfortunately home to far too many now endangered species*.

Known as the north African or red-necked ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus), the birds from this region look a little different than those at Safari West. Ours have a more blue or gray hue to their skin. Currently science considers the red-necked ostrich a subspecies of ostrich, rather than a different species altogether. Were they to be reclassified as a distinct species, they’d almost certainly be considered endangered. The red-necked ostrich once ranged from coast-to-coast throughout the Sahara and Sahel, from Mauritania to  the Red Sea. These days, the birds survive only in a few isolated pockets.

Introducing the Sahara Conservation Fund

One such fragmentary population struggles on in southern Niger. Our friends at the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF) have made this small population the subject of a new and ambitious project. Trendsetters in the world of conservation, SCF focus their efforts not so much on any individual species, but on a specific ecosystem. In this case, the Sahelo-Saharan region of north Africa.

In the last half-century, ostrich in this region have disappeared at an alarming rate, largely due to hunting for meat and feathers. Ostrich also struggle with habitat lost to human development. SCF’s strategy on this conservation front revolves around three principles:

1. Protecting the remaining population.
2. Captive breeding and bolstering of the population.
3. Reintroduction of the animals into secured areas.

To aid with the breed and release aspect of this strategy, SCF has enlisted the aid of Stephen Gold at the Wildlife Conservation Network. With his expertise and assistance they’ve begun constructing a remote breeding facility made up of shipping containers and a solar array. Self-reliant and suitably rugged, this cutting-edge incubation facility should be online by the next ostrich breeding season.

March of the Ostrich

Critical work like this goes on all across the globe, and we at Safari West try to help as best we can. We don’t breed ostrich, since their overall population remains strong. Instead we keep them so our guests can experience these phenomenal creatures up close and personal. As we teach about the species and their endangered populations in north Africa, we also send conservation dollars to SCF and WCN. This money finances some of the critical work on the ground.

Come visit Safari West to see these majestic animals for yourself. Impressive, amusing, and even a little intimidating, nothing in the world is quite like an ostrich. Learn all about the many phenomenal features that make ostrich so unique, and then consider making a donation to conservation. Whether to SCF, WCN, or directly to our own Safari West Wildlife Foundation, any money you provide helps in the global fight for conservation.

*Within the Safari West collection, Sahelo-Saharan species include the ostrich, sulcata tortoise, fennec fox, vulnerable Aoudad, critically endangered addax, and extinct in the wild scimitar horned oryx.

The post All About Ostrich appeared first on Safari West.

For nearly a month, the Tubbs fire raged throughout Sonoma County. It destroyed homes and businesses indiscriminately, and tragically, cost far too many lives. Here at Safari West, many of our own lost homes, including our founders, Peter and Nancy Lang. We had to evacuate, and indeed to close down entirely, at least for a while.

As you are probably aware, Peter Lang stayed behind after the evacuation and defended the property with a collection of garden hoses. Within a day or two—and with the cooperation of emergency services—he was joined by a contingent of Safari West staffers who helped defend the preserve. In an amazing display of foresight, the Langs purchased an old fire engine a year ago, and once we had a crew to man it, it went to work. Over the next several days, trained staff members put their heads down and went to work battling spot fires and tending to the curious, but otherwise largely nonplussed animals.

The Rumor Mill

Rumors abounded in those early days. Some claimed that we had cut fences and released the animals. Others that we were out of food and water and nearing death. Luckily, things were never that dramatic. No fences were cut and no animals needed to be set free. We managed to move a few of the more docile and easily handled species during the initial evacuation, but that was the extent. Everybody else sheltered on property.

Surviving the Fire Storm

We were lucky in several ways with this fire. Our position, situated in a low valley meant that most of the embers being carried by the high winds went right over us.  Those that did land on our property generally landed in places that have been grazed by our many African herbivores. The diminished fuel load meant that most of these embers fizzled and went out, rather than leading to new spot fires. Our focus on identifying and proactively removing dead trees further reduced the available fuel.

This is not to say we got off unscathed. Fires did catch here and there on property. The osteology lab operated by the Safari West Research, Education, and Conservation Department burned completely. As did the Nairobi and the African Queen; vehicles used to conduct school field trips. Our paratransit vehicle for ADA-compliant safari excursions was also caught in the blaze.

Rising from the Ashes

In that first chaotic week, when it was still uncertain what the future might bring, we went to work on repairs hoping for the best.  A literal army of Safari West employees tried to get up the hill and onto the preserve. Road closures, downed lines, and the still active fire meant we had to turn back all but a few. Those up the hill went to work with the damage and the animals. The rest of us went to work tracking down missing team-members and organizing aid for those who’d lost homes.

It’s been slightly over one month, and if all goes to plan, we’ll reopen our gates before the passage of the second. We’re ready to load up the trucks and get back out there on safari. The Savannah Café will have a slower reopening but we hope to see some activity through the holiday season. The tent camp, though it won’t reopen until 2018, is enjoying a top-to-bottom deep cleaning and refurbishment. We’re coming back and we’re coming back strong.

Safari West Stands Tall

Unless some new calamity prevents it, we’ll resume safari tours through the scorched but still verdant Sonoma Serengeti on November 20th. To celebrate the sense of community and caring that blossomed out of this disaster, we’ll hold Thanksgiving festivities on November 23rd. And on December 2nd, we’ll host our grand reopening celebration! This event benefits the Safari West Wildlife Foundation and recognizes the many organizations who’ve made our community great.

Please visit and join us for any or all of these events and celebrate everything that makes us #SonomaStrong.

The post Life After the Fires appeared first on Safari West.

Due to the recent wildfires, all overnight lodging will remain closed until March 1, 2018.

At this point, we hope to be able to resume offering Safari Tours by November 20th, 2017.

We have refunded all charges for reservations canceled due to the fire. Some banks may take several weeks to process the refund, so be sure to monitor your account for the refund to be reflected.

Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time. Please don’t hesitate to email reservations@safriwest.com  if you have any questions or concerns.

FIRE UPDATE: Monday 3:15pm

It is with a tremendous sense of relief that I report that the Tubbs fire is now 70% contained. While members of our staff remain evacuated and at risk, I hope we may be close to seeing the end of this disaster.

At the Safari West Wildlife Preserve, our keepers and their animal charges are returning to their old routines while around them our maintenance staff work to rebuild what was damaged. It will be some time before we’re back to where we were, but we have high hopes for the future.

Although conditions remain in flux, at this point our expected reopenings are as follows:

• Safari tours are expected to resume on November 20th.
• The Safari West test camp will reopen in March of 2018.
• *These dates are subject to change. Please visit www.safariwest.com for our most up to date projections.

I want to thank all of you for following along with us throughout the course of this crisis. Your ongoing support means the world to all of us who work at Safari West and believe in the importance of its conservation mission. We will continue to push forward with our efforts even as we do what we can to help our friends, neighbors, and community. This last week has been a changing point for all of us in the North Bay. We have suffered much together but we will also recover together. Thank you for all that you have done to help us and to help one another. I hope that we’ll soon be able to welcome all of you back to Safari West.

FIRE UPDATE: Friday 9:30am

Good morning all. Thankfully, we have very little to report at this time. While we’re still in the midst of an active fire, things are relatively calm at the Safari West Wildlife Preserve. The animals are safe and accounted for with full bellies and plenty of water to drink.

To that end, we’d like to mention our friends and neighbors at MOLSBERY MARKET. Molsberry Market sits at the bottom of the hill leading to Safari West and for years has been a go-to lunch spot for many of us at Safari West. Joe Molsberry and his team have also been tremendously impacted by this fire and yet even while dealing with their own struggles, they reached out to us. Joe and the Molsberry Market family have coordinated with our keeper staff to make all of their produce available for our animals!

To Joe and the Molsberry team, from all of us at Safari West; thank you so, so much.

This is just one example of the surging wave of kindness and community on display throughout Sonoma, Napa, and surrounding counties. Please continue to look out for and care for each other. Together we’ll get through this.

FIRE UPDATE: Thursday 8:00pm

We continue to be humbled and amazed by the amount of love and support we have received from all of you. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts.

After another full day of hard work, the Safari West Wildlife Preserve remains in good shape. We continue to care for the animals and increase the fire defenses. At this point, active fires continue to burn close to Safari West so we’re not in the clear yet.

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts. While we are cautiously optimistic about the future, we’ve all seen how quickly this fire can change. Best of luck to all of you out there dealing with this disaster. Take care of each other and stay safe.

FIRE UPDATE: Wednesday 5:30pm

Thank you, everyone, for bearing with us as this situation continues to unfold. The area surrounding Safari West remains evacuated and closed off. Please do not attempt to reach Safari West at this time. While we have been able to get some Safari West employees on site, this has only been possible through coordination with CHP and other emergency services and for the purpose of protecting Safari West. Please help us in making sure these roads stay clear for the firefighters.

Conditions at Safari West remain largely unchanged. The animals are safe, secure, and surprisingly relaxed considering the situation. Our crews worked throughout the day to tend to the animals and bolster defenses around the preserve. This fire is far from contained and CalFire anticipates critical conditions to continue throughout the night.

An increasing number of fund-raising sites have appeared in recent hours. While some or even all these sites may well be legitimate, we at Safari West are neither requesting donations nor are we operating any kind of fund-raising activities at this time. We continue to request that donations be directed toward our fire-impacted friends and neighbors throughout the affected area instead.

Thank you all for keeping us in your thoughts. Hopefully, this will be a good night and we’ll see more progress on these fires tomorrow. Take care of each other and stay safe out there.

FIRE UPDATE: Wednesday 1:45pm

We’re receiving many offers to help from those of you with horse trailers and places to house animals. At this particular time, we are well taken care of, but many of our friends and neighbors are not. Please check the news and your social media feeds for calls for aid from others in the area and help them if you can. We’re all in this together.

FIRE UPDATE: Wednesday 12:00pm

SAFARI WEST DOES NOT NEED WATER AT THIS TIME.

We are hearing a rumor that Safari West needs water. Let us assure you that this is not the case. There are several wells supplying Safari West and our animals and staff on site are well supplied. Please do not attempt to approach Safari West at this time. Thank you.

FIRE UPDATE: Wednesday 11:00am

Good morning everybody. While we’re far from through with this ongoing disaster, there have been a few bright spots in the last 24 hours. We now have a good crew working back up at the preserve and are happy to report that the animals are doing amazingly well.

While Safari West is standing, there are repairs to be made and much work to be done. We also want to allow our animals ample time to rest and recover after this stressful week. As a precaution, we are suspending all existing reservations through the end of the month at this time.

Peter and Nancy Lang would like to offer their deepest thanks to all of you who’ve kept track of us and sent us your offers of love and support over the last few days. They ask that rather than raising money on their behalf, you focus your attention on the greater Safari West family and the fire-affected community at large.

Please continue to watch this page and Safariwest.com for updates. Thank you all so much for keeping us in your thoughts. Take care of each other and be safe out there.

FIRE UPDATE: Tuesday 8:50pm

Thank you for all the messages of love and support. So many of you have offered to donate money or establish funds in our name and we are stunned and humbled by your generosity. Please, if you do feel compelled to make a donation, direct it to a charity or organization that benefits all the victims of this terrible event. Our Safari West family has suffered but we are not alone and our fellow citizens of Sonoma, Napa, and surrounding counties are all dealing with the same heartache and loss. Thank you again for thinking of us.

Today we were able to get some core staff back on site to tend to animals and deal with some of the damage. We are still working to assess the situation and won’t have a full idea of where things stand for some time. Towards the end of the day, we evacuated most of our personnel back beyond the fire lines. Tonight a skeleton crew including some keepers and a veterinarian will continue to tend to the animals and do what they can to defend the preserve.

At this point, our fences are still intact with all animals contained, accounted for, and safe.

Since the fire continues to grow and remains at 0% containment we do not know what tonight or tomorrow will bring. Please keep us in your thoughts as we work to protect Safari West.

Tuesday, October 10 – 10:30am

Thank you, everybody, for your thoughts and prayers. The status on the ground at Safari West remains much the same as reported last evening. The preserve remains intact and the animals safe and contained. However, fires continue to burn nearby and the situation is far from stabilized. Please continue to help by keeping the roadways as clear as possible and allowing our firefighters to do their work. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and please stay safe out there.

Monday, October 9 – 3:00pm

Several key Safari West personnel have been allowed to return to the preserve. We are assessing the situation as it currently stands and considering how best to move forward.

Monday, October 9 – 11:30am

Some good news! While the situation remains dynamic and very dangerous, we have received word that the Safari West Wildlife Preserve appears to have weathered the worst of this firestorm. The situation is still very much active and could take a turn, but for the moment, it looks like our preserve and our animals are ok.

We appreciate all of you so incredibly much. This morning we have been inundated with messages of support and offers of aid. Thank you so much and for those of you wishing to help, the best thing we can do right now is staying out of the way and let the firefighters work. Please stay safe out there and keep an eye on this page. We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

Monday, October 9 – 9:30am

Thank you to everybody who has reached out to us in the last several hours. All we can tell you at this point is that Safari West has been evacuated. At this moment, that is all the information we have. All guests on property as well as the staff were evacuated last night and like so many of our friends and neighbors, we now anxiously await reliable new information. As it comes to light, we will continue to update this page and our page on Facebook. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Stay safe everybody.

The post Safari West Fire Updates appeared first on Safari West.

A Rainbow on the Plain

The Serengeti. This savanna, famous for its massive mammals—the lions and leopards, the elephants, the vast herds of wildebeest—also hosts a variety of birds. Among them, the Fischer’s lovebird (Agapornis fischeri). These tiny parrots, plumed in brilliant rainbow colors, look as though they’d be more at home in a rainforest than an open plain. Yet here they gather, all the same, glittering in flocks of green, gold, and scarlet.

They roost in the plains, gathering in small flocks on the scattered trees and shrubs. As birds who feed mostly on grass seeds and small fruits, these lonely trees offer a perfect home base from which to forage. While feeding, these small flocks can sometimes merge into groups of a hundred or more. This behavior, coupled with their fondness for crop-grains like millet and maize has led some farmers to consider the birds pests.

While persecution from farmers does impact the birds, it’s their beauty, rather than their appetite that gets them in the most trouble. Since the 1970’s, this beautiful and personable bird has been a popular pet. Wild specimens have been captured and brought into the global pet trade in astonishing numbers. The IUCN classifies the Fischer’s lovebird as Near Threatened largely because of the predations of the pet trade.

Near Threatened marks the earliest stage of species endangerment and is cause for concern. Thankfully the home country of Fischer’s lovebirds, Tanzania, has put a stop to trapping and export. While it could restart at any time, for the moment the threat appears mitigated. We will have to keep a close eye on wild populations to see if this protection allows them to rebound to their former glory.

What a Lovely Pair of Parrots

Fischer’s lovebirds are monogamous and appear to mate for life. While not all that uncommon among birds, lovebirds famously take it to an egregious level. Mated lovebirds not only spent nearly all their time together, they spend nearly all their time touching. They also preen one another constantly and nibble on each other’s beaks; an act that looks an awful lot like kissing. Once mated, these birds are basically inseparable (fun fact: in French, the birds are known as Insepérable de Fischer).

Before a Fischer’s lovebird can enjoy a lifetime of mated bliss, it must find a partner and win their affections. To do this, male lovebirds do a neat little side-shuffle, bobbing their heads and singing to a nearby female. If the lady is impressed, she settles in to watch the show. The male continues his head-bobbing as he sidles up to her and then, in the ultimate romantic gesture, he regurgitates into her mouth.

Once mated, the pair finds a nice cavity in a tree or rock pile and builds a nest inside it. In this cozy little cavern, the female lays three to eight eggs and defends them aggressively. While we don’t know much about how often these amorous birds breed, it can happen up to twice per year. Since baby lovebirds become fully independent in less than six weeks, that leaves plenty of time for the parents to establish a new brood.

Lovebird Lagoon

The next time you visit Safari West, be sure to visit our flock of Fischer’s lovebirds. You’ll find them in one of the aviaries beside the Lemur Pond. If you happen to overlook their busy chirping, you’ll certainly notice their rainbow plumage. Add a little amour to your life and reserve a visit to our Fischer’s lovebirds today!

The post Safari Spotlight: The Fischer’s Lovebird appeared first on Safari West.

Plastic. What an amazing material. These days, we use it in virtually everything. Reading this on a computer, phone, or tablet? You can thank plastic. Wearing synthetic fabric? You’re actually wearing plastic. Eating right now? There’s a good chance something—utensils, a straw, maybe the food containers themselves—plastic. Ubiquitous and everywhere, plastic is perhaps most commonly found in the form of bottles. Sodas, juices, milk, and water, all of these and more come in the form of convenient, durable, imminently disposable plastic. Bottled water, once considered an extravagance reserved for the wealthy elite, has become among the most heavily marketed and readily accessible items in the industrialized world.

I recently conducted a casual survey while visiting several stores in my hometown of Truckee, California. I found bottled water in every location that sold food in any form. This includes the grocery and convenience stores of course, but also a toy store and the hardware store (where you could buy the bottles individually at the register or if you needed more, in plastic-wrapped cases). A mechanic offered me a bottle of water while I waited for him to change my oil. The same thing happened while I sat in a barber’s chair. Bottled water has it all. Cheap, convenient, and most of all, needed and desired by every human being on the planet.

Billions, With a B…

This got me thinking about how many plastic bottles might exist in the world. A little research provided a staggering answer. Apparently, on a global scale, we produce roughly 20,000 plastic bottles in every minute of every day. In 2016 alone, over 480-billion (that’s 480,000,000,000) plastic bottles came tumbling off production lines. Somebody at The Guardian did the math and pointed out that that number of plastic bottles, lined up end-to-end, would stretch more than halfway from the Earth to the Sun. That’s an impossibly huge way to describe the situation so in an effort to make it more comprehensible, I did some math of my own.

If I were to stand at one end of this hypothetical line of bottles and you stood at the other holding a flashlight, it would take over four minutes for the beam (traveling at the speed of light) to reach me. If you were to get into a car and drive toward me along the line at an average of 60 miles per hour, you’d reach me in a little over 88 years. That’s if you were driving 24-7. That’s an insane amount of plastic.

Persistent Pollution

The problem with this vast mass of plastic appears once we polish off whatever we’re drinking and dispose of the bottle. Unfortunately, well over half of these hundreds of billions of bottles go directly into a trash can or worse, the environment. One of our favorite things about plastic—its durability—becomes a problem the moment that plastic enters the world at large. Whether floating in the ocean or lying discarded in a vacant lot, plastic litter persists. The disturbing fact of the matter is that we don’t know exactly how long plastic persists because it hasn’t been around long enough to biodegrade.

In a natural setting science predicts that Polyethylene terephthalate (or PET, the type of plastic used in most beverage bottles) probably takes about 500 years or so to break down. In the anaerobic environment of a landfill—where a lack of available oxygen limits the activity of decomposing organisms—that number doubles at the very least (one source claims that number is closer to a million). At its core this suggests that all the plastic ever made that hasn’t been recycled still exists somewhere in the world.

Disaster in the Breaking

This plastic pollution presents several threats to the ecosystem. Plastic contains toxic compounds and as it begins the slow process of breaking down, those chemicals seep into the environment. The sheer mass of plastic waste in the world makes this leaching toxicity worrisome. At the same time, plastic is “oliophilic” or oil-loving which means that as it drifts around the environment, plastic waste attracts and concentrates other oily pollutants such as pesticides and petroleum waste.

Though plastic decomposes slowly, it shreds, abrades, and tears apart fairly readily. Plastic bottles, bags, and fibers from clothing contribute a tremendous amount of almost invisible pollution to the environment. Oceanic filter feeders consume these microscopic bits. Larger pieces can confuse other creatures into consuming them as well. A wide range of animals from birds, to sea turtles, and even anchovies, accidentally consume plastic. Through these accidental ingestions, the synthetic polymers of the wide variety of plastics on the market enter the food stream.

Science has yet to reach consensus on the health impacts of ingested plastic. That said, the places we’re finding the persistent material continue to swell. A recent study found microscopic plastic fibers present in both tap and bottled water. This recent study suggests that most of us are drinking plastic each and every time we take a sip.

Recycling to the Rescue?

The good news is that plastic is recyclable and more and more of us put effort into ensuring that our waste makes it into those bright blue (usually plastic) bins. Unfortunately, according to Tom Szaky, CEO of the recycling company TerraCycle, “Typically, 50% of what you put in your recycling bin is never recycled. It’s sorted and thrown out.” Why?

Two primary factors come into play here; chemistry and the economy. Plastics are complex and varied. The container our laundry detergent comes in differs a great deal from the PET of our bottled water. These items and others must be sorted and segregated at the recycling plant. If there’s no market for a particular type of recycled plastic, that material winds up in a landfill. Plastic contaminates easily through contact with other substances (recall the oliophillic nature discussed above). As a result a good deal of what could be recycled, isn’t.

Furthermore, unlike glass or aluminum, plastic doesn’t recycle cleanly. Plastic bottles made of recycled PET lack the clarity and gloss of new bottles. As a result, most companies avoid them. Two of the largest beverage producers in the world, Pepsi and Coke, have only agreed to use a percentage of recycled PET in their production lines. According to Greenpeace, the average use of recycled PET in products sits at about 6.6% for the six largest beverage producers in the world. On top of all of this, the cost for recycled plastics tends to sit much higher than the cost for freshly produced material. Between all these economic drivers, the market for recycled plastic bottles is unfortunately, limited at best.

Without this market driver, the majority of PET waste in the recycling stream winds up not recycled, but “down-cycled.” Rather than becoming new bottles, these plastics become other products altogether. The carpeting in your home or your polyester fabrics may have originated as plastic bottles. These down-cycled item aren’t recyclable themselves so the story ends in a landfill all the same.

Solutions in Steel and Glass

Perhaps the best first step in combatting this crisis comes in the form of the reusable water bottle. Nearly every zoo, theme park, and sports or music venue now offer these. You can find them in a range of quality and prices. At the low end of the spectrum you might simply reuse the bottle your Aquafina first came in. You can also find uninsulated steel or glass bottles at many retailers for a decent price. At the other end of the spectrum, there are a plethora of high-quality insulated containers made by the likes of Camelbak or S’Well among others. Regardless of the container you pick, reusing rather than single-using marks a huge first step in fighting plastic pollution.

The next step takes the form of public pressure. Numerous companies have begun to move away from selling plastic bottles where possible. The Houston Zoo for example, recently announced that they’ve stopped selling plastic bottled water in favor of reusable aluminum bottles or the brand, JUST Water which comes in a much more sustainable cardboard container. This change in policy removes some 300,000 plastic bottles from the waste stream annually.

At Safari West, we’re also trying to make moves away from harmful plastic. We’re proudly selling reusable bottles in the Gift Gallery and have a new version coming soon from Liberty Bottles; the only US based metal bottle manufacturer. We also provide water stations around property with biodegradable cups on hand. Unfortunately we still wind up providing single-use plastic water bottles in incredible numbers. As with so many other like-minded institutions, the practical realities of keeping our doors open makes the use of single-use plastic water bottles a virtual necessity. The fight goes on however, and each day we move a little closer to living without plastic bottles.

Water is a human necessity and the convenience, durability, and cheapness of plastic has made it our preferred method of delivery.  Join Safari West in working to push back against this environmental disaster. Help take care of the world and the water flowing through it by avoiding plastic bottles whenever, wherever, and however you can.

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