Let’s Get Batty!

Next time you’re outdoors just after sunset, watch and wait, and you may see a little quick flying creature offset by dusk’s twilight.  That just might be your friendly local neighborhood bat, one of 25 known California bat species, who live in the trees, eves, rock crevices, attics, and bat houses. October 24-31 is International Bat Week, designed to create awareness about the need for bat conservation. There’s so much to celebrate about bats! Bats eat their body weight in mosquitos, flies, moths and other insects nightly. They are awesome pollinators and spread seeds that can grow new trees. The Little Brown Myotis (Moyotis lucifugus) has a lifespan of up to 32 years. NorCal Bats will be at Safari West October 26th, when you can learn more about these heroes of the night! 

Photo: Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society

Spooktacular Halloween

On Saturday, October 26th, from 10am – 3pm, Safari West's tour guests have an opportunity to visit with the Junior Keepers and Safari West’s conservation partner organizations, Bird Rescue Center, Native Bird Connections, East Bay Vivarium, UC Berkeley, and NorCal Bats! The Junior Keepers will present spooky bones and share their knowledge of Osteology and encourage all ages to participate in mask making. Your gifts to the Safari West Wildlife Foundation keep our Junior Keepers engaged with learning about wildlife conservation and habitats, birds, bones, biology, and ignites a desire for some to engage in future career potentials in these fields. Safari West is offering special holiday treks on this special day, and we hope to see you there!

Safari West LIVE – Across the Country

With your support, the Safari West LIVE program continues onward, with two to four broadcasts weekly, scheduled with hospital’s child life services teams across the country. Young explorers join naturalists LIVE on exciting adventures across Safari West’s Sonoma Serengeti and converse about the wild residents at Safari West, including Giraffes, Cheetahs, Rhinos, Zebras, and the walkthrough aviary filled with exotic birds from around the world.  Recent adventurers zoomed in from children’s hospitals across California, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Texas, Wisconsin!  We want to thank our donors for your gifts as they truly brighten these children’s lives and offer a reprieve and escape from their hospital rooms while undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments. Our team is greeted with smiles and laughter as the children spot their favorite animals.  We are truly grateful for your support of this amazing program!

 North Bay Schools are Discovering Africa!

School is back in session and the Discover Africa program is thrilled to welcome back Title 1 schools for exciting adventures with the incredible Safari West animals! This opportunity is a true gem, making a huge impact on hundreds of children as they learn about these amazing animals up close, beyond just seeing them online or on television. It's incredible how many adults, who visit Safari West, fondly remember their school trips from two decades ago and share inspiring stories of how those visits ignited their passion for conservation and the natural world. Bringing this level of hands-on education to children each year is a wonderful blessing. We are deeply thankful to our generous donors and the amazing grant that enables the Safari West Wildlife Foundation to continue offering this experience to schools in our region, that would not have access otherwise. Many Title 1 schools in our region, identified by their districts for having a significant percentage of economically disadvantaged students, are seeing increases of over 80% of the student enrollees in need. The foundation provides opportunity for these classes to directly engage with and learn about the animals on the Sonoma Serengeti. Your contributions are what make it possible for the Safari West Wildlife Foundation to provide this life-changing program to students year after year. Thank you for your generosity and support!