Boos and Brews Night at Wildlife Safari

Terry and I traveled 10 miles into Winston for the annual Wildlife Safari Boos and Brews night.

Saturday night Terry and I ventured to the annual Boos and Brews night at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. It turned out to be a pricey evening, but we did have fun as we always do when together. The Wildlife Safari staff typically decorate with lights around the village, and put up the appropriate decorations around the viewing pens of those animals inside the village and not on the drive thru. They had created a nice ambiance for the Halloween holiday arriving soon. 

As you walk in, there are smaller creatures in a pen set off in the back portion of the village. The animals in this area are especially for children to see, pet, and enjoy. The enclosure next to the petting zoo houses owls, snakes, tamarins, and different species of birds. Tonight everything along the path was lit in an array of rainbow colors, each covering the trunk of a tree or framing a skeleton in a tree or sitting on a bench. 

I petted a small donkey, a miniature horse and a goat or two, then we moved on toward the middle section to capture pictures of Halloween decor. Cobwebs, witches hats, candles, and black cats were hung from trees and pressed into the dark recesses of a tree trunk. The lights added an ambiance of the upcoming holiday. 

 

Peruvian Cavy

A miniature horse didn't seem to care that he was the center of attention

Two owls look out at onlookers peering in at them

 

The dance floor under the dome on the opposite of the village was filled with lights, loud music, and people who appear to be having the most fun. As we walked closer, I could tell why they looked happier. There were four tables with different types of beer and wine for sale. A large dance floor was at the ready. Terry and I perused the beer tables. He chose his favorite and asked for one. 

We headed out in search of other events happening around the park. Turning on my flashlight app on my phone was a must! The path was dark which added to the eerie feeling. Off in the distance, you could hear the roars and growls of the lions in their fenced area. The sound of the snarling and roaring of the amazingly large kitties made your skin crawl. It was quite frightening to hear them so close, yet you knew they were behind fences. Or at least you hoped. 

Terry and I ventured off to the cougar enclosure, where we saw a group of folks watching something inside the pen. One of the employees had a large flashlight and was shining it into the setting. The beautiful cat came into view. It was tough snapping the right shot of the cougar, since it was so dark in this corner of the park, even with the light provided by the staff. Terry and I were making attempts at getting a good shot, but to no avail. Finally Terry yelled, "Walk toward the light," which threw me into a fit of laughter. 

Now kitties do what they want to do. This pertains to the larger cat family as well. Staff members said the cougar's name was Rogue. He got the name because of the area in which he was found. Roaming around the Rogue River area, he was brought to the safari to be cared for and protected. Rogue was throwing something up in the air, tossing it, turning it over and over in the grass, then placing it in his paws, rolling on his back and kicking it as he brought his hind feet up to meet his front paws. The staff member moved the flashlight over a bit and it dawned on me the "thing" he was throwing around was a rabbit.

We watched the cat play around with his rabbit for a while, making feeble attempts to snag that one picture or video that would allow us to place it on the blog. Terry finally achieved as good of a video as we could get, using what little light was available and his Samsung Galaxy 22 camera.  

 

 

 

Terry took this video.

This is a video I was able to get.

One more I was able to take.

Another I could grab. Not as good as Terry's, but at least it was light enough in the area

We were also able to capture a couple of not-too-bad photos of the alligator in the pond that they were feeding. The alligator would grab the morsel, and flop, roll, and finally swallow the tiny piece of fish or whatever they were offering. 

Terry was able to snag this picture of the alligator waiting for his next bite of food.

 

A hungry gator snapped at his food. Staff members were holding a set of tongs with pieces of food between the metal. The gator would grab the food, swim, roll, and enjoy every last bite. 

Watching gators was fun, but we really were having a difficult time getting good shots of anything in the dark. We headed over to the beer and dance floor tent again. We chose a bleacher to take over before anyone else could grab it, and sat down. The cold metal felt good since the night was still pretty warm. 

As we were sitting on the metal bleacher, we looked through our phones to see what was happening, and to view our photos taken during the night. We were disappointed in most of them since everything was so dark in the park, but we were happy with what we could achieve, even when working around the darkness. 

Next up were the cheetahs, or should I say cheetah and friend? The black and white dog named Rhino was running around the enclosure, playing with shredded toys, cardboard, and even made a couple of failed attempts to get the cat, AJ to play. AJ was having nothing to do with the antics of the dog. He wanted to focus on the staff members inside the pen with him. Dogs are often used in places such as Africa, where livestock becomes a tempting meal for wild animals. The dog will chase off the intruder, taking away the farmer's task of killing something he doesn't want to kill. This also helps to keep populations of endangered animals up to par by the farmer not having to kill the attacking creature, and also the fact that their stock isn't harmed or killed either. It's a win-win situation.

AJ loved the worker and showed his utmost affection for him by licking his legs. The man walked off to do other tasks, leaving the cheetah craving the attention. AJ's eyes peered through the links of the fence, waiting for his caretaker to return. Soon AJ realized how thirsty he was and he attacked the water trough in his area. The cat finally made his way to the woman on staff that night, knowing he could get some snuggle time in with her.

AJ the cheetah knew he could get some loves from the attending staff member.

 

Terry was on the blog site, checking things out, as I sat back and watched some ghosts and ghouls take over the dance floor. It was rather fun doing one of my favorite hobbies, people watching. A gingerbread man danced with a mummy, and a gingerbread man and woman took a few spins around the concrete floor. People were chatting, dancing, and sipping beer throughout the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 All in all, I would say the trip to the Wildlife Safari Boos and Brews went pretty well. The music was great. The DJ was playing popular sounds such as, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," and "Uptown Funk," and we can't forget the classic, "Thriller". The group of folks there at the time were smaller in number to keep it simple, fun, and less crowded. All in all, visitors were being quite friendly and pleasant to each other. Another good adventure, great memory, and my favorite way to spend time, another great time was had with Terry as company.