The scimitar-horned and Arabian oryx are species that do very well here. “As we are a desert region, we have many species from the desert, especially hoofstock. It’s one of around 12 groups we donate to,” says Ollson. “We have also been very active with the Sahara Conservation Fund. Recipients include The Peninsular Pronghorn Recovery Program, The Marine Mammal Center, Zoological Association of America, Cheetah Conservation Fund, The International Crane Foundation, Gibbon Conservation Center and more. In terms of conservation, Wildlife World Zoo spends $50-$60,000 a year in grants to conservation projects. ![]() So we do not keep species that may be affected by Valley Fever at Wildlife World Zoo.” Wildlife World Zoo and conservation “Historically, zoos in that area have had trouble with Valley Fever in several different species, particularly in the great apes. ![]() This is indigenous just to the Southwestern part of the United States, Arizona, Northern Mexico, and a little bit of California. “Large primates, for example, do not do well in our climate because of a fungal disease commonly known as Valley Fever. We also look at whether the species will do well in a desert environment: there are some that do not. “In addition to climate, we look at our ability and knowledge to manage those species. “We still do our lory parrot feeding the exact same way that it was done back in ’86 because it works so well. So we established a lory parrot feeding experience with 25 or 30 lories of several species here in 1986 and were the very first zoo to do. “It was such a delightful experience, even from the perspective of an aviculturist, that I remembered it a few years later when I opened Wildlife World Zoo. He took a few agriculturists, including myself, behind the scenes to feed some apple slices to his lories off-exhibit. Lint, who was curator of birds there had hand-raised some lories of various species that year. This was inspired by a behind-the-scenes visit to San Diego Zoo in the late seventies: “And then we were the first zoo in the world to have a lory parrot feeding session,” he says. There is also a sea lion show in the aquarium, three times a day. The educators put on wildlife education shows on the grounds. One is my deputy director and general curator the other oversees exhibitry here at the zoo.” At that point, they worked part-time as they completed their educations. They grew up in the neighbourhood, and they were seniors in high school when we opened the zoo. “In fact, I have some great leadership throughout the zoo, including two gentlemen that started with me when we opened in 1985. “I had made a lot of contacts with zoos and people in the zoo industry, and I decided to buy another piece of property on the west side of the Phoenix metropolitan area”Īround 35 years ago, with a handful of animals and five employees, he opened Wildlife World Zoo. ![]() He owned some property he had purchased on the outskirts of Phoenix, and, after several years of teaching, decided to add to it: ![]() He still kept and raised exotic animals in his spare time. He worked briefly in that field, then became a teacher. Ollson attended Arizona State University, graduating with a degree in marketing and advertising. “They would ask me, ‘What do you want for your Christmas present or for your birthday?’ And I’d say, ‘Anything alive.’ So as a child growing up, I was fortunate to have a lot of different types of animals in my life, and I carried that on into my adult life.” When I was about six years old, I got my first German Shepherd dog and my first pair of ducks. So were my dad and my grandfather – they loved animals. I was always interested in wildlife and animals. “I was born and raised here in Phoenix on a five-acre farm. Mickey Ollson, director of Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park, spoke to Blooloop about the attraction‘s expansion, which includes pasture, pond, island and wetland habitats according to the needs of the animals that live there.
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