{"id":3038,"date":"2014-12-03T07:39:26","date_gmt":"2014-12-03T12:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/~travelwriting\/?page_id=3038"},"modified":"2014-12-03T07:41:20","modified_gmt":"2014-12-03T12:41:20","slug":"safari-edventures-farmony-offers-opportunity-to-engage-with-nature","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=3038","title":{"rendered":"Safari Edventure\u2019s Farmony offers opportunity to engage with nature"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted December 2, 2014<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By ROXANA MAZA<\/p>\n

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Homestead may be known for its green pastures and organic markets, but it is also home to Safari Edventure\u2019s Farmony, a non-profit, five-acre animal refuge home to more than 120 species, which offers visitors memorable interactions with wildlife.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The welcome sign outside the entrance to Safari Edventure\u00a0 (Photos by Roxana Maza).<\/p><\/div>\n

Glenn Fried, director of the institution, started Safari Edventure 37 years ago and went on to migrate to its present Homestead location a few years ago.<\/p>\n

With more than 200 animals, 90 percent of them have found their place at Safari Edventure whether by rescue, re-homing or rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

The staff consists mostly of volunteers, who are educated and trained to handle the refuge\u2019s wildlife.<\/p>\n

Open to the public, Safari Edventure also hosts events, parties and school presentations, and partners with Solace Miami to provide animal-assisted therapy for individuals with certain psychological disorders, including anxiety and mood disorders.<\/p>\n

Safari Edventure \u2013 spelled purposely with an \u2018E\u2019 \u2013 was ridden with raving reviews on TripAdvisor, ranking second out of sixth on its “zoos and aquariums” category for fun things to do in Miami.<\/p>\n

I decided to drag a victim (read: my boyfriend) with me to check the animal refuge out.<\/p>\n

Weather was a tricky factor when it came to visiting, but when called to confirm if they would be open, the staff on the other end of the line said, \u201cwe operate just like the post office \u2013 rain, snow, hail, we don\u2019t stop working.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that reassurance, driving from West Kendall to Safari Edventure in Homestead was about a 30-minute ride. After parking and spraying an obnoxious amount of bug spray on any exposed limbs, I took notice of the big sign outside that included a few lines that read, \u201chug a kangaroo, pet a sloth, and hold an alligator.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both my human guinea pig and I were feeling the excitement.<\/p>\n

One very enticing detail about Safari Edventure that may encourage a visit from those who prefer to watch animals on TV or film rather than in person is its price. Florida residents get a discount, so per adult it\u2019s $12.<\/p>\n

Compared to the $18 adult admission fee at Zoo Miami or the $43 adult admission fee for Miami Seaquarium \u2013 neither of which offer a Florida residents discount \u2013 this was a good deal.<\/p>\n

Alex, a staff member, told us that our admission fee included encounters with the arctic wolves, the timber wolf, and the kangaroos.<\/p>\n

On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, it became apparent after walking through the first, muddy trail that we were the only visitors that day. Besides us, there seemed to be only about three staff members on duty, two of which we saw sporadically.<\/p>\n

Walking through the first trail, I noticed the refuge was full of avocado trees. Large, green avocados littered the ground where often times animals, namely two six-banded armadillos, were too busy feasting on to pay any attention to us humans.<\/p>\n

\"Six-banded<\/a>

Six-banded armadillos feasting on an avocado at Safari Edventure.<\/p><\/div>\n

Our first encounter was with a myna bird named Knock Knock.<\/p>\n

Alex passed by on a different trail adjacent to ours and called out, \u201cKnock Knock say hi!\u201d and by those words alone, Knock Knock made some interesting sounds that resembled rhythmic drumming and tongue clicks.<\/p>\n

Passing by the outdoor pens housing several aviary species such as peacocks, chickens and a variety of pigeons, we passed by a couple of Mandarin ducks native to Asia that apparently mate for life.<\/p>\n

Similar to the peacock, the male exhibited beautiful and colorful feathers, ranging from orange, white, blue, brown, and red, while the female was a more subdued gray with blends of brown and white.<\/p>\n

We saw three types of foxes \u2013 arctic, red and gray \u2013 that had one thing in common: they were busy snoozing the warm and humid afternoon away.<\/p>\n

A family of brown lemurs native to Madagascar clung to the metal mesh of their cages, staring with wide, eager eyes at us. One lemur couldn\u2019t sit still and kept walking back and forth.<\/p>\n

Moving on, we passed by alligators, big and small, parrots of all kinds, stingrays, various fish, amphibians, reptiles and other wildlife.<\/p>\n

In a wooden pen, we met Emma, a wild boar that was taken in young when her mother was shot and killed. Having been raised at Safari Edventure, Emma was sweet and gentle despite her large size. Wilbert, a one-and-a-half-year-old mini pot bellied pig, was her neighbor. I couldn\u2019t remember being so close to a pig before or one that was so friendly.<\/p>\n

I then look up to see a pack of three large, white wolves staring at us in intrigue. One was even wagging its tail. Did I look appetizing? Maybe they hadn\u2019t fed them yet.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Alex came to greet us after leaving us to our self-guided mini adventure. He asked us how everything was going and if we wanted to go play with the wolves.<\/p>\n

Play with wolves<\/em>? Me? They seemed hungry and I did not <\/em>have any plans to be a wolf snack any time soon. These were powerful animals, with a bite force two times stronger than a German shepherd, which was already the strongest of all dog breeds.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re safer in there with those wolves than out here with people,\u201d Alex said.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t sure whether to laugh or not at the bold statement, but much, much sooner than I would\u2019ve preferred, I found myself thrown to the wolves. Literally.<\/p>\n

Three large predators, staring at you \u2013 one alpha male named Yukon and two females. They leapt from their five-foot resting platform in the middle of their pen and began to poke around and sniff, just like regular dogs, tails wagging.<\/p>\n

\"Yukon,<\/a>

Yukon, an arctic wolf and alpha of his three-wolf pack, appears docile and playful while writer Roxana Maza nervously petted his thick fur at a distance.<\/p><\/div>\n

I prayed very hard that the fear I was failing to keep to a minimum did not incite some sort of instinctual reaction to attack.<\/p>\n

Sensing my alarm and hesitation, Alex proceeded to stick his hand inside Yukon\u2019s gaping jaws. My jaw was gaping, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can stick my whole hand in here and he won\u2019t do anything. He loves being around people and he loves attention,\u201d he said, while my courageous boyfriend played with the white alpha.<\/p>\n

After taking some pictures and more petting, we left much to the pack\u2019s dismay. Then we were introduced to Dakota, the seven-year-old timberwolf, which was large and gray, with piercing golden eyes.<\/p>\n

Dakota was strong, and he would playfully jump toward you, but Alex would calm him down before he got a little too excited. It\u2019s scary when a wolf is trying to playfully nip at your face.<\/p>\n

When asked why Dakota was in a separate but neighboring cage next to the arctic pack, Alex told us that both males get along just fine \u2013 because Dakota is neutered \u2013 however, the females feel Dakota is a threat to their pack, considering he\u2019s a male, so they become aggressive.<\/p>\n

Next, we met Ruby and Timmy, a kangaroo and a wallaby. Feeding Ruby some honey graham cookies was fun.<\/p>\n

Timmy, the wallaby from New Zealand, was probably about three feet tall. His fur was a chocolate brown and very soft. In that same area was a larger, male kangaroo, but because of his size and very poor eyesight, we couldn\u2019t go in to meet him.<\/p>\n

\"Timmy,<\/a>

Timmy, the wallaby, was soft and slightly timid, but was social enough to pose for a picture with the writer.<\/p><\/div>\n

To make sure he didn\u2019t get lonely, they kept him with a young albino kangaroo, which was busy sleeping and eating hay simultaneously.<\/p>\n

After leaving, Alex told us that although we missed the last wildlife presentation, he would gladly bring any of the animals used in the show out for us. That included a sloth, alligator, hedgehog, lemur, tarantula or python.<\/p>\n

My boyfriend wanted to take a picture with the 14-foot Burmese python and the baby gator, so Alex went ahead and brought them out. I was not a fan of reptiles, so my two choices were the hedgehog and lemur.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t usually let people hold Leo,\u201d Alex said while holding the hedgehog, \u201cbut since it\u2019s just you two today, I\u2019ll make an exception.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leonardo Da Pinchy \u2013 the hedgehog\u2019s full name \u2013 was easy to handle, though Alex advised to keep a firm hand on Leo\u2019s bottom, to keep him more balanced and steady.<\/p>\n

\"Leonardo<\/a>

Leonardo da Pinchy, a hedgehog, was very light and curiously sniffed at the writer’s hands that held him.<\/p><\/div>\n

A popular exotic pet choice in recent times, Alex advises against it if the prospective owner is unable to dedicate enough time everyday in handling it.<\/p>\n

Wild by nature, their defense mechanism is to spike themselves into a ball, and so if their owners are not constantly handling them, they will always spike themselves and never truly become domesticated pets.<\/p>\n

Then Alex brought out Lenny, a baby Madagascar lemur that was severely attached to his yellow teddy bear. Even though Lenny was less than a foot tall, Alex told us he could jump 20 feet in the air.<\/p>\n

Usually, the animal encounters at Safari Edventure aren\u2019t one-on-one as, according to Alex, on weekends the park can host around 100 visitors a day. So when visitors are able to see the wolves or kangaroos, they let in a certain amount at a time so that everyone has a chance to interact with them.<\/p>\n

There are also certain shows or talks on weekends visitors won\u2019t see during the week, such as the reptiles, amphibians and arachnids presentation, so to get a fuller experience, it\u2019s best to visit on a weekend.<\/p>\n

Safari Edventure was an adventure in itself. It\u2019s difficult to imagine playing with wolves or feeding kangaroos in South Florida, but this place made it possible.<\/p>\n

The compassion the volunteers feel for the animals is what really seems to keep the refuge alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do it for the animals. We care so much about them, and helping people learn something new about them and interact with them, it\u2019s worth all the effort,\u201d said Alex.<\/p>\n

If You Go<\/strong><\/p>\n