Lessons in coexistence at Safari Lake Geneva

Nothing brings out the kid in people of all ages like the cuteness overload associated with nature’s bountiful variety of living creatures. Experiencing the animal kingdom is healthy for the human brain, an antidote for day-to-day cares and stress.

We were treated to a tour of Safari Lake Geneva a few days ago, along with the Visit Lake Geneva team. A special bonus was the high privilege of having the proprietor, “Jungle” Jay Christie, as our tour guide.

First, for the uninitiated, here’s a brief explainer about Safari Lake Geneva. The first impulse is to think a zoo awaits your visit. That’s sort of true, in the sense that visitors will see lots of animals from all over the world. Zoos, though, conjure mental images of exotic animals confined in metal and glass cages, restricted to a life of being stared at by people passing through enclosures.

Safari Lake Geneva is better considered a wildlife sanctuary providing a better life for the animals. They roam free, in a portion of Safari’s 75-acre preserve. About a third of the acreage is currently used as habitat for the animals, so the good news is there’s room for expansion.

In a twist that works wonders it’s the people who are confined to “cages,” in this case their own personal vehicles. Safari Lake Geneva set up a driving path that allows visitors to slowly wind their way through the property. The animals are free to approach the vehicles and usually do, particularly with the attraction of specially-designed feed offered for sale by Safari staff.

When we say the animals are free to approach, mind you, we are not suggesting they come within visual range as vehicle-bound visitors throw chunks of feed toward them. Animals come right up to the vehicles. In fact, it’s not unusual at all to see an animal’s snout snuggled up to a vehicle’s open window in search of a tasty snack. The joy on the faces of adults and kids alike, as they greet a hungry visitor, is splendid to behold.

It seems like a good time to pass on this information. The animals are herbivores. They eat plants and leaves and the special feed available from preserve staff. Carnivores, or meat-eaters, are not part of the menagerie. In other words, the animals are never tempted to eat you or your kids. You do not look like dinner. Relax and have fun.

As for the animals, the variety is exceptional. Some will be familiar, others less so.

First, the familiar. There are giraffes. Alpacas. Camels with one hump. And two humps. Llamas. The ostrich, the world’s largest bird, and the smaller but still substantial emu. Miniature donkey. Miniature horse. The big water buffaloes, and the even bigger American bison.

Now the less familiar. The addax is a critically endangered antelope, approaching extinction in the wild. (Safari Lake Geneva, to its credit, takes a keen interest in conservation efforts for endangered animals, including setting money aside annually to support preservation work.)

The blackbuck is a rare treat, an antelope with the distinction of being one of the fastest animals on earth. Conversely, the common eland is an antelope known for being the world’s largest, and slowest; a male can weigh up to a ton.

The nyala is a spiral-horned antelope from the woodlands of southeast Africa. The nilgai is the largest Asian antelope. The yak — many have heard about it, fewer have seen one — is a big, hairy, horned creature from central Asia. The scimitar-horned oryx is the rarest animal living at Safari Lake Geneva. Once extinct in the wild, careful conservation efforts strive to reintroduce the animal to its native habitat. And think about this nugget: The desert-adapted oryx can go an entire lifetime without drinking water, obtaining life-sustaining moisture from the plants it eats.

This wildlife gem came to exist in Lake Geneva as the brainchild of “Jungle” Jay Christie, whose lifetime obsession with the animal kingdom led him first to pursue degrees in anthropology, then a career as a zookeeper, then as director of the Racine Zoo and, finally, to his dream of owning a preserve to share with the public.

Christie said he fell in love with animals as a child and by 10 years of age knew he wanted to make working with wildlife his life’s pursuit.

“I was always interested in zoos,” he said, “ever since I was a toddler.” It’s hard work, but rewarding, Christie said.

“I think most rewarding is having an abundance of fun while being a force for good in the future of animals and this planet,” he said.

He’s often asked how the animals fare in Wisconsin’s cold winters.

“A few of them stay inside but the vast majority go outside every day, even during the polar vortex.”

And, another question: What was the first animal he obtained for Safari Lake Geneva?

“An African bullfrog.” He named it Kwanzaa, which in the Swahili language means “first.”

Christie says next up will be expanding Safari Lake Geneva, with the 200 animals on site now occupying just about a third of total acreage. He wants more diversity among mammals. And more big birds.

Safari Lake Geneva is located about five miles southeast of downtown Lake Geneva, at W1612 Litchfield Road. It is open May 1 to Oct. 1, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Online reservations are required at safarilakegeneva.com; tickets are $19.95 for adults, $12.50 for children ages 3-15, and kids under 3 get in free. Keep in mind admission is charged per person, not per carload. Visitors should reserve their spot early because reservations usually go fast. Christie suggests reserving weekend visits about a week in advance, while two or three days early generally works during the week.

In these contentious times there’s something especially soothing to the soul to witness the incredible diversity of life on our planet. Particularly, when so many different species — many seriously endangered in the wild — roam the grounds of Safari Lake Geneva in peaceful coexistence.

Maybe people should learn something important from that.