Have you ever hung out with a Sloth? Want to chill with the Capybaras? Make your visit to African Safari even more thrilling with add-on Animal Encounters! Connect with some of the world’s most amazing animals and learn how to help save them in their natural habitat.

Our Animal Encounters give you 10–40 minutes of personal time with some of our incredible animals. It’s a chance to learn, connect, and make memories you’ll be talking about long after your visit.

Photography & Media Notice: Photography and video recording may occur throughout the Park for marketing, promotional, and social media purposes. Guests may appear incidentally in photos or videos captured on Park grounds. Adult guests may be asked for verbal permission before being intentionally featured, while a signed photo/video release from a parent or guardian is required before a minor is intentionally featured in Park-created media.

Girls and their mom hand-feeding lettuce to capybaras on the grass during a Capybara Encounter

Basic Capybara Encounter

Get up close and personal with the world’s largest rodent during this 10-minute experience! Available late spring to early fall.

Sloth Encounter

Sloth Feeding Encounter

Meet Cayenne the Linnaeus’s Two-Toed Sloth and the talented zookeepers who care for him! Available year-round.

Girl feeding lettuce to two giraffes through the barn rail during Safari Secrets

Safari Secrets Giraffe Barn Experience

Step behind the scenes and tour our state-of-the-art Giraffe barn, then head upstairs to stand eye to eye with these gentle giants. Available year-round.

Capybara sitting on a guest's lap eating lettuce from her hand during a Capybara Encounter

Extended Capybara Encounter

Want more time with the Capybaras? Check out this 30-minute experience for giant rodent lovers! Available late spring to early fall.

Woman Petting Pot-Bellied Pig Baby

Pot-Bellied Pig Encounter

Meet and interact with Apple Sauce and her piglets, Criss and Cross, during this 15-minute encounter for pig lovers! Learn all about pot-bellied pigs from our Encounter staff and make memories that will last a lifetime.

MORE WILD FUN

The following Walk-Thru Animal Feedings are available during the summer season and Extended Weekends only.

bird feeding

Aviary Adventure

Make some feathered friends! Meet and feed hundreds of colorful budgies in a tranquil environment. This Animal Encounter is perfect for small children.

Goat Feeding

Brian’s Barnyard Goat Feeding

Meet and feed more than a dozen friendly goats in this brand-new section of the Walk-Thru Safari!

porcupine feeding

Zoo-It-All Animal Encounters

Feed Giraffe, Goats, Tortoises, Porcupines and Budgies in the Walk-Thru Safari. Can’t pick just one feeding? Do them all and save with a Zoo-It-All wristband!

employee with pig

HogWILD Experience

Learn about animal behavior and intelligence through a husbandry training demonstration, then watch the pigs take a lap around our very own Porkchop Downs. Start your engines! Included with general admission.