By Kelly Church CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ARTICLE ON SOUTH CAROLINA HOMES
Adventure-seekers no longer have to go to the continent of Africa for a wildlife safari. Myrtle Beach Safari is a Myrtle Beach, SC adventure walk through 50-acre preserve with tigers, wolves, leopards, chimpanzees, orangutans, an African elephant, great apes, eagles, a liger and uncommon binturongs. A slow and leisurely walk about the Preserve allows guests to see animals up-close and free from cages like a typical zoo.
“The Myrtle Beach Safari tour is by far the greatest hands-on animal experience in the world,” says Myrtle Beach Safari President Dr. Bhagavan Antle. “People are so overwhelmed by their experience with us because they get to pet and meet first hand many of those animals they always wanted to touch at the zoo.”Adventure-seekers no longer have to go to the continent of Africa for a wildlife safari. Myrtle Beach Safari is a Myrtle Beach, SC adventure walk through 50-acre preserve with tigers, wolves, leopards, chimpanzees, orangutans, an African elephant, great apes, eagles, a liger and uncommon binturongs. A slow and leisurely walk about the Preserve allows guests to see animals up-close and free from cages like a typical zoo.
Myrtle Beach Safari is what Antle says is the result of more than 30 years of working in the television industry, including live wildlife education shows that consisted of techniques allowing actors to interact directly with animals. Antle borrows this practice at his animal adventure land, which allows for guests to comfortably interact with the animals.
The park is a federally licensed and inspected zoo facility and has grown slowly over the years since most of the animals that reside at the safari park were born and raised on those very same acres. A select few were taken from partnering zoos across the United States to get the park started before they established the Species Survival Trust (SST), what Antle says is “the world’s first scientifically and genetically based breeding program, helping conserve the biodiversity of the tiger.”
Antle considers the Myrtle Beach Safari a player in the conservation game. Through the Rare Species Fund, the non-profit portion of the organization, the Myrtle Beach Safari has generated more than one million dollars for international wildlife conservation efforts.
“Most of the animals at the Myrtle Beach Safari are highly endangered in the wild,” Antle says. “Animals like the rare ‘golden tabby’ tiger became extinct in the wild more than 80 years [ago]. The Myrtle Beach Safari is the only place where guests can meet many of our remarkable and endangered species firsthand.”
To make the experience one-of-a-kind and memorable, Myrtle Beach Safari has professional photographers shoot professional-quality photo and video footage for guests to take home. Antle says that the experience at the park is something people come to the state for and plan their trips around.
“It is difficult to sum up the vast torrent of emotion and praise we receive from guests,” Antle says. “The two most commonly uttered phrases from safari participants is ‘once in a lifetime’ and ‘bucket list.’ For many of our guests, the Myrtle Beach Safari is fulfillment of a life long dream. For others, it shows them a world they never even knew existed.”
