Page 36 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2022

LEISURE
A WILDLIFE HANDS-ON DISCOVERY PARK
GULF
Parrots.
story and photos by
Nicole Jean Martz
Nicole holding a sloth.
COAST
GAL
HEY Y’ALL! NICOLE HERE, YOUR GULF COAST GAL!
Recently, my Gulf Coast Gal pals and I went on a wild little adventure to a place in McHenry. I’m talking about Wild Acres, a Wildlife Hands-on Discovery Park located just 30 minutes from the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
I booked the exciting excursion online and experienced phenomenal customer service from the start. We signed up for the Baby Encounter, which included a full tour of the facility, slot time, and quality time with some of the baby critters. We also added on a visit with their lynx!
The fun started right away because driving up to the sprawling park, we were able to spot a few horses, a zebra, some chickens, and a camel. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by one of our tour guides, Breanna, with a pouch containing sweet Boomer, a 10-month-old baby red kangaroo.
After some selfies and learning more about kangaroos, we ventured to the main tour. During the main tour, we were educated on and interacted with so many fantastic animals. We fed porcupines, viewed parrots up close, watched otters play, learned about cavies, and held a sloth.
SOME THINGS I LEARNED DURING THE VISIT WERE:
• Ring tailed lemurs, no matter their age, have 13 rings on their tails.
• African porcupines are monogamous and mate for life. • The cougar eats about 7-8 pounds of meat a day.
• Black leopards may have orange leopard parents – it’s a
genetic trait.
I loved being able to learn about and visit with so many fascinating animals. I was most excited to visit with the capybara (the largest rodent), but soon learned of another animal that is now on my favorites list: the coatimundi. Sprout and I quickly became fast friends! It was truly a one-of-a-kind experience that I’m excited to do again already.
Wild Acres offers private tours Wednesday-Sunday as well as various events throughout the year. Follow them on social media to check out all their offerings, and while you are there, be sure to connect with me so you can stay up to date on all of the activities, attractions, restaurants and local businesses you can only find here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Nicole and Sprout the coatimundi.
Cabybara.
36 | March 2022
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@Gulf Coast Gal | @gulf_coast_gal_nicole