Wild Louisiana Encounters
The relationship between man and animal is ancient. Humans domesticated wild animals to become our beloved pets, and zoos and aquariums are helping to conserve endangered animals.
Not only can you have a fun time interacting with animals, it can also be therapeutic. It's not uncommon to see emotional support animals roaming the halls of hospitals and nursing homes, delivering smiles and comfort to those enduring difficult times. Even prisoners are finding rehabilitation by training former shelter dogs to become service animals.
There are several places in Louisiana where animal lovers can interact with domesticated, farm, and captive animals.
Magnolia Wilds in Ethel, north of Baton Rouge, is actually three different parks. Native wildlife freely roams the Magnolia Ridge Adventure Park while thrill seekers fly on the zipline and aerial courses. You can experience more exotic creatures at the Safari Park from the comfort of an open-air wagon. Zebras, Watusis, ostriches, wildebeests, and more will mosey up to you for a snack. Barn Hill Preserve is where to go for immersive animal encounters and to learn all about the animals you're meeting one-on-one. The Wild Discovery Tour provides you with an educator who brings several animals, including otters, armadillos, and sloths, to you.
For even more fun, add a swim with an Asian small-clawed otter to your tour. Grown-ups can enjoy the occasional Sip with Sloths, where adults are invited to drink wine and roam the park while encountering animals and hanging out with docile sloths.
Disabled children and adults can enjoy the benefits of riding horses thanks to the Greater New Orleans Therapeutic Riding Center. This non-profit organization has invited differently-abled people to take rides on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at the farm, located in LaPlace, for over 30 years. GNOTRC stated about their unique service, "To see children and adults with disabilities ride horses is truly an unforgettable experience. Not only do they sit taller and smile more, they extend their dreams beyond the confines of their disabilities into new, unexplored worlds." Patrons can also enjoy some goat time during Kiddin' Around. The goat encounter is an agri-playtime initiative in which you can pet and feed baby goats for 30 minutes or a full hour.
Global Wildlife Center in Robert has been driving group safaris around the reserve for a long time. Every day of the week, you can pay a visit to meet reticulated giraffes, Bactrian camels, bison, and llamas awaiting you on the open prairie that they freely roam. The friendly animals will come right up to you if you have snacks for them. The private tour option gets you even closer to the animals in a Pinzgauer truck.
As part of the personal encounters, you can hang out with cute capybaras for half an hour. The largest rodents in the animal kingdom will even paint a picture for you that you can take home. You can also walk into the red kangaroo enclosure for a hoppin' good time. The African spurred tortoises aren't as fast as the other animals, but they'll love you if you feed them some veggies.
People have been visiting animals at Audubon Zoo for over 100 years. Rather than just seeing them from afar in their enclosures, the zoo offers several ways to get closer to some of the wild beasts. The giant Aldabra tortoises are probably the oldest zoo residents that you can encounter. While you feed them veggies with a pair of tongs, you'll learn all about how the staff takes care of them day to day. Also available for an unforgettable meeting and tong feeding are orangutans and three Louisiana black bears. Reina and Valerio, the resident jaguars, will let you enter their world for a close, but no-touch, encounter. These wild cats would love to take some food off of a skewer or tongs that you'll be holding, however. The Southern white rhino is a little too big for civilians to feed, even with tongs, but your encounter will take you into the back of their habitat for a close look.
The Audubon Aquarium opened its doors in 1990, and it holds fond memories for many New Orleanians, young and old. However, most of these visitors never had the pleasure of getting very close to some of the animals that are available for an encounter. The popular penguins are ready to get some pets and take pictures with you. The endangered African penguins will hang out with you for 45 minutes. Put on a wetsuit and affix a snorkel to take a dive into the lively Mayan reef. Over 30 species of colorful marine life, including cownose rays, will swim around you for over an hour.
People seeking something less wet and wild will enjoy watching a butterfly's first flight at the Audubon Insectarium inside the Audubon Aquarium. You can release a butterfly newly emerged from its cocoon into a secure habitat while learning all about its care and conservation efforts.
Whether you're really excited about your animal encounter or a little bit nervous about getting this close, always remember to be kind to these creatures and exercise patience. The more you relax, the more you will get out of the experience.
