Camping Safari

Staying at the Wilds means watching birds, Asian Greater One-horned rhinos, Bactrian camels and Pere David’s Deer wake as you do.

“You start to hear the birds. First, it’s robins. [Then] we call it the dawn chorus — all the birds singing,” says Jan Ramer, senior vice president of animal care and conservation for Columbus Zoo and the Wilds. “You’ll see rhinos get up, shake themselves off and munch on grass. Everything wakes up, stretches and gets on with their day. It’s fun to be a part of it.”

One of North America’s largest animal conservation facilities is nestled in Cumberland, Ohio, on nearly 10,000 acres of land that’s been restored from being a surface coal mine to grasslands, wetlands and forest where 27 species, some rare and endangered, roam open habitats.

Surround yourself with luxury at one of 12 glamping yurts at Nomad Ridge, which are canvas tents with bamboo floors, climate control, Wi-Fi and private decks to view the animals or stargaze, as there is little light pollution.

“At night, sometimes you hear owls and frequently trumpeter swans fly over doing their characteristic trumpeter call,” Ramer says.

Breakfast and dinner at a restaurant overlooking the pasture and a safari come with your stay. For the latter, an open-air bus gives you close-up views of zebras, giraffes and more.

“You can watch the rhinos feet from the bus,” she says.

Your stay does good too, as it supports the groundbreaking conservation work the Wilds does.

Scimitar-horned oryx were extinct in North Africa until 2016 when the Wilds worked with other organizations to breed and send three oryx to run free in Chad. They’ve also reintroduced Eastern hellbender salamanders and once-endangered American burying beetles. And since the habitats are so vast, the animals behave like they do in the wild. A Chinese scientist even came to study the Sichuan takins at the Wilds, which is one of the largest herds in North America.

Kids can learn about conservation through summer camps, and there are plenty of fun activities like zip lining and horseback riding. You can also stay in a lodge, cabin or tents at the newer Outpost area, which Ramer did and says provides a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“You are in the middle of pasture. Rhinos might come up to the fences at night,” she says. “You feel like you’re looking at the African plains.”  KP

14000 International Road, Cumberland, thewilds.org

While You’re There

Chill out by tubing or kayaking with Pea Ohana Watersports on the scenic Licking River in nearby Zanesville. peaohana.com