Education

Sometimes curiosity begins with an unexpected encounter.

A zebra approaching your vehicle. A giraffe reaching for a piece of lettuce. An ostrich staring through your window. Seeing an animal up close can turn something you’ve read about or seen on a screen into an experience you’ll remember.

At Alabama Safari Park, learning is part of the adventure. With more than 80 animal species and opportunities to experience wildlife from remarkably close perspectives, guests of all ages can discover more about animal behavior, habitats and conservation throughout their visit.

There’s something to discover around every bend.

As you travel through the Safari Drive-Thru, take time to watch how animals move through their surroundings, interact with one another and respond to the world around them. Continue your adventure on foot in Safari Village, where even more animals and experiences are waiting to be explored.

Look closely. Ask questions. Wonder why.

The more time you spend observing wildlife, the more you begin to notice the behaviors, physical characteristics and adaptations that make every species different.

Feeding an animal creates a connection that simply watching from a distance cannot.

Throughout Alabama Safari Park, guests have opportunities to feed animals while observing them from an entirely different perspective. Safari animals may approach your vehicle for specialty grain, giraffes reach down for crisp romaine lettuce and colorful budgies flutter over for a bite from a feed stick.

These encounters are exciting, but they can also spark questions. Why does a giraffe have such a long tongue? What does an animal eat in the wild? Why do different species behave so differently around food?

Sometimes a handful of feed can lead to a whole new way of looking at an animal.

For guests who want an even closer connection with wildlife, our special animal encounters offer memorable opportunities to learn more about some remarkable species.

Meet a giraffe up close, slow things down with a sloth or spend time with an Aldabra tortoise while learning more about each animal’s behavior, care and conservation.

Animal encounters require separate reservations and availability varies.

Take learning beyond the classroom with a field trip to Alabama Safari Park.

School and camp groups can experience wildlife up close while learning about animals, their habitats and conservation. From feeding animals during the safari to exploring Safari Village, a field trip combines discovery with the kind of experiences students will be talking about long after the trip is over.

The safari may end, but curiosity doesn’t have to.

Bring a little bit of Alabama Safari Park home with our downloadable animal coloring pages. Pick your favorites, get creative and keep the wildlife adventure going.