Sunday, October 9, 2011

Conservator's Center Through Odie's Eyes


Happy Sunday everyone. I want to first thank my friend Kathiey who introduced Linda & I to the Conservators' Center north of Mebane, NC. If you haven't visited Kathiey please do and I promise you will be glad you did.

It was a picture perfect day to visit the center and we had a 3 PM appointment for a guided tour. The only negative to this tour if there could be one was that some of the animals they really wanted us to see were taking a nap but there are so many to see that we were not so disappointed.






Not only do they have beautiful animals but also have gorgeous flowers as well.




These are their wolves that were also cooling it in the shade.




Such a magnificent animal and surly one of my favorites.



Partner to the Tiger you just saw is this lioness who is very special to the people at the center. When she was very young her father sat on her injuring her hip so she walks with a little difficulty but otherwise is doing quite well.


One of the animals that I wish you could see better is the wonderful white tiger that has his on label on a wine at the Iron Gate Winery near Burlington, has his own facebook page with many friends and actually has an owner that comes to visit bringing him turkey legs as a treat. Speaking about food, the center uses about 500 lbs of meat a day to feed all the animals. Fortunately they have made friends with hunters in the area that bring them many deer and farmers help them with chickens as well.


Learned a great lesson from our tour guide, Adeline. If you are near a lion that is backed up to a fence and raises his tail, beware, he can spray a stream about 12 to 15 feet. I saw this beautiful gentleman do it from a distance.


One of the snoozing tigers

This tiger never stopped pacing back and forth. He actually has his own large metal pool to get in and cool off. Tigers love water.

A lioness perched high on one of the many high points they love to rest on.

Isn't she pretty?

Along the trail and by the way that is Linda in the golf cart being driven around by one of the very nice center staff. She didn't want to press her luck trying to walk for 2 hours with her knee still healing.

This girl love guests and stayed near us rubbing against the fence.




This is one of my favorite animals at the center. A "Singing Dog" from New Guinea. They seem so friendly and look just like dogs you see all the time but there is a big difference. Their vocal cords have a split that allows them to make sounds like singing especially when they hear lions roar. Another difference is that if they were free to run and encountered a domesticated dog and a fight started the local dog would submit but the Singing Dog would never give up and would eventually kill the local dog.



Probably the cutest creature there is the ringtail lemur. Oddly, the boss of these two lemurs is the female and the male does exactly like she wants. If she wants something he has, he give it up with no complaint.


My first experience seeing a Serval which is a very cute cat.



Of course they have some items to take take home as a memory of the adventure and these are some of the stuffed toys.

Tee shirts were available in a variety of colors and sizes.

Also available were books and lovely pictures. We opted for a picture of the beautiful tiger to go on our wall to remind us of the wonderful center.
This shot was taken before our tour and is the meeting spot for right now. Just to the right is a nice building that is in the final stages of construction that will give visitors an air conditioned place to start the adventure, use restrooms and purchase treasures. For the present there is a porta pottie that you can see on the extreme left of the picture. This is a place to return to and we will.
Help support the center by booking a guided tour. Call 336-421-0065 for reservations. Go on google to check them out "Convervators' Center of NC". I plugged the address into my Garmin and it did say we were arriving on the left which was wrong but we continued a short distance down the road and saw the sign on the left so getting there will be so easy.

17 comments:

  1. These are beautiful animals Odie but it makes me sad to see them in caged in areas like that. I can't help it and I don't mean to offend you. I just wish they were in a more natural environment.

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  2. Lovely photos of those beautiful animals my friend. Zoos in my area now are known as Conservation Centres, and they have really good breeding programmes going on, which is good, especially with endangered species.

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  3. The place looks clean and well maintained and the animals all look beautiful, healthy and happy. The lemur is a very cute and cuddly critter. I once saw some folks get sprayed head to toe by lion pee. It happened at the York Fair. The people were a good 10 feet away from the cages but the forceful blast covered that distance easily. Thanks for the guided tour, Odie!

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  4. Hey Odie,
    I am so glad to hear that you guys made it to the center. It is a really nice place where the folks give so much to care for the animals. Love you pictures too!!:-)

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  5. Gorgeous photos. I have always adored big cats and would love to have been thrilled to get as close as you did to the tigers

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  6. Thanks for updating me on the care of these animals Odie. I appreciated that. I just adore animals and nature and hate anything that hurts them in any way. I've been to a few zoos that had cages so small and no room for them to roam. Glad these are rescued and cared for like they are!!!

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  7. Well, I wouldn't mind being a Lemur and being the boss and getting my way all the time! I love zoos and it was great seeing the photos. It is a wonderful thing to rescue animals.

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  8. Wonderful pics, Odie- love the lemur!

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  9. I liked our walk, dear Odie. Was thinking all the time, I am sooooo happy mankind developed fences ;)
    Wishing you a wonderful new week, filled with lots of joyful moments xx

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  10. It sounds like you had a wonderful time! Beautiful pictures. :)

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  11. I LOVE the big cats! Thanks for bringing me along! :-)

    Pearl

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  12. I always feel sad seeing wild animals caged. I realise that the conservation centre is doing a valuable job, but I'd far rather see animals re-homed in more natural surroundings. I guess that's part and parcel of my African soul. I'm so pleased you and Linda got to meet these beautiful animals up close, but seeing them in their wild, natural habitat fills your soul with the kind of joy you can normally only dream of when viewing them in cages. As far as I know, pacing is an indicator of anxiety, frustration, boredom, stress. Very sad.

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  13. it feels good to know that some organization and local authorities and going hand in hand to protect this animals. They are God given and they need protection and love. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful place to spend weekends. I'm cat lover and seeing that cat melts my heart...if only I can adopt him, I would love too:)

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  14. Hmmm I just might have to put that on our To Do list for when we are all feeling up to a fun jaunt!
    Thanks, Odie!

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  15. Thanks for sharing this Odie, it looks like a great place to take Elliot. Those big cats are amazing!

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  16. nice shots Odie, nature's gifts was trully priceless =)

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