It’s a jungle in Fort Wayne, Indiana, this summer. African Journey, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo’s newest exhibit, opens in June and invites visitors to not only observe, but also feed 16-foot-tall giraffes. (Did you know that giraffes’ tongues are black and can be more than 18 inches long?) Fully accessible pathways bring you and your family quite close to wildebeests and nearly nose-to-nose with 500-pound lions.
The centerpiece of the safari is the winding Savannah Trail. Follow snaking paths and bridges through grasslands, woodlands and ponds. Cross rock outcroppings, called kopjes in Africa, and witness the plants and animals that thrive there, including hyenas, vultures and dik-diks — a variety of small, African antelope.
Especially for the kids, African Journey incorporates many interactive elements, including hidden tunnels for playing among the rocks, telescopes to help discover hidden nests, lion teeth for touching, a replica a researcher’s tent and more. Try on a set of warthog tusks, watch an interactive video of animal research projects or have fun learning to play authentic African percussion instruments while in the company of leopards, colobus monkeys and de Brazza’s monkeys.
After an afternoon in Africa, be sure to check out the rest of the zoo, home to more than 1,500 animals. For even more adventure, get a bird’s eye view of the zoo on the Sky Safari, take a spin on the Endangered Species Carousel and explore the Outback on the River Ride.