Last summer, Kenny and I made a visit to Fort Chiswell Animal Park. Even though we live pretty close to this zoo, neither Kenny nor I had ever visited this attraction. So, on a beautiful [and hot!] day in July, we rode up the interstate to visit the over 200 animals located at this exhibit.
Meet Puff The Camel
Part of the zoo is walk through, where you can get up close and personal with small animals like deer, goats and monkeys. Then there is a huge ride through section where you can see the larger animals while they roam through the field and relax in the pond. Greeting us as we got onto the bus for the riding part of the tour was Puff the Camel. He is a lovable, friendly camel who we were told came from poor conditions. I remember the tour guide telling us Puff was so malnourished when they acquired him that his little humps were flopped over. How someone can treat an animal like that is beyond me. Now Puff is just the sweetest, greediest little camel I have ever met. Be still my heart. <3
We proceeded to the bus where Kenny sat in the seat in front of me. We both scooted up close to the windows to take pictures. We had purchased food to share with the animals as we met them. Kenny took some of his “Zoo Chow” from the bag and put it into a smaller cup, as we were warned that Puff the Camel would take the entire bag if he got close enough. Puff did not disappoint. Not only did he snatch Kenny’s full cup out of his hand, he also took the entire bag from a child. I won’t lie, Puff seemed rather amused with himself after he did it, too. And I thought it was pretty funny myself. 😉
Fort Chiswell Animal Park Admission Rates
At the time of this writing, Fort Chiswell Animal Park admission prices are $20 per adult and $15 per child [3-12]. Younger kids are free. Discounts can be found in many of the area attraction pamphlet stands if you care to look. You can also buy “Zoo Chow” to feed the animals at $5 per bag or roasted peanuts at $4 per bag. If you plan on feeding Puff, you might want to get him his own bag as he is sure to take the bag for himself regardless if he can. 😀
Check out the rest of the animals we visited on my Flickr page!
