2016 MEDIA KIT

ABOUT US

The Wilds is one of the largest wildlife conservation centers for endangered species in North America. A private, non-profit safari park, the Wilds combines cutting-edge conservation science and education programs with hands-on experiences and one-of- a-kind adventures. In southeast Ohio, the Wilds provides a natural, open-range home to rare and endangered species from around the globe.

ANIMAL POPULATION & NEWBORNS

More than 500 animals representing 29 species from around the world make up the animal population at the Wilds. Additionally, the Wilds hosts a raise-and-release program that includes more than 300 burying beetles and hellbenders.

In 2015, the Wilds became the birthplace of 61 animals, including Bactrian camel, Bactrian deer, banteng, budgerigar, Grevy’s zebra, Pere David’s deer, Persian onager, Przwalski’s wild horse, sable antelope, scimitar-horned oryx, and Sichuan takin.

2016 SPECIAL ACTIVITIES CALENDAR

In addition to the safaris offered throughout the season, the Wilds presents:

REEBOK SPARTAN RACE-OHIO BEAST AND SPRINT WEEKEND: MAY 7-8 This adventurous race takes challengers through mud, water and other obstacles designed to help participants discover their inner Spartan. The weekend kicks off with the “Beast” race on May 7, which features more than 30 obstacles spanning 12- 14 miles, followed by the “Sprint” race on May 8, which features more than 20 obstacles spanning 3-5 miles. Kids races are also offered both days. Complete details are available at Spartan.com. When: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. May 7-8 Cost: $69-209, depending on course and competitive level. A 20-percent discount is offered online with code WILD.

WILDZFEST: SATURDAY, MAY 21 This springtime event features a visit from Dora the Explorer and Character Ambassadors, animal presentations, games and crafts, food and drinks, and other attractions for the young and young at heart. WildZfest is presented by Pepsi with support from AEP.

When: 10 a.m-5 p.m. on Saturday, May 21 Cost: Free + $6 parking for non-Wilds members. Payment is required for additional tours, ziplining and accommodations.

FAMILY CAMPS: JUNE 17-19 & AUG. 5-7 These camp sessions offer a fun-filled weekend for the whole family at the Wilds! Visitors will get a chance to experience a naturalist-led pasture tour, night hikes, campfires and hands-on activities in the field. Campers will stay in the Robert W. Teater Conservation Education Camp, and three meals from the Wilds’ Overlook Restaurant are included in admission. When: 6 p.m. on day of arrival-12:30 p.m. on day of departure, June 17-19 & Aug. 5-7 Cost: $125 for members; $150 for non-members.

ADVENTURES & ATTRACTIONS

TAKE A TOUR…

The Wilds offers guided experiences to the public on a daily basis from May through September as well as on Saturdays and Sundays in October. Guests may board a guided Safari Transport or take a Zipline Safari to view rare and endangered animals living in natural, open-range habitats. From a horseback ride to a safari into the sunset, the Wilds offers a special experience for everyone.

…BY VEHICLE

SAFARI TRANSPORT PASS TOUR

Board an enclosed, climate-controlled vehicle with large windows for the Wilds' signature experience. Guides lead guests through open-range animal areas to observe rhinos, giraffes and other rare and endangered animals. Several stops along the way, including the Mid-Sized Carnivore Conservation Center, offer opportunities to explore, learn and relax while observing wildlife. This activity is approximately 2- 2.5 hours.

OPEN-AIR SAFARI TOUR

Relax and feel the breeze in the comfort of an Open-Air Safari vehicle during a premium day-tour experience that provides outstanding opportunities for wildlife viewing and photography. Tours are approximately 2-2.5 hours.

SUNSET SAFARI TOUR

Take in the sweeping views of the Wilds’ beautiful landscape bathed in the late evening sun. This guided tour provides an excellent opportunity to learn more about rare and endangered animals, which will be the most active during this time of day. The tour includes a stop at the Carnivore Center and other destinations for up-close experiences. Also included is a buffet-style dinner on the deck of the Overlook Café. Tours are approximately two hours; the dinner is served an hour before the tour during the summer months and immediately after the safari during the fall.

WILDSIDE TOUR

This exclusive tour provides visitors with an opportunity to interact with animal management specialists for a one-of-a kind adventure. Guests may watch staff conduct a medical procedure, or they might be able give a snack to the giraffes with our Animal Management team – every experience is unique! The guided tours are 2.5 to 3 hours long, providing ample time in the pasture to see rare and endangered species.

SUNSET WILDSIDE TOUR

The awe-inspiring Wildside Tour becomes even more spectacular at sunset. These tours now begin with a more private dining experience, complete with live music to accompany the beautiful scenery, and take place during typical feeding hours, so the animals are expected to be particularly active. The tours include a behind-the-scenes look at the Wilds facilities and opportunities to learn more about the special animals residing here.

…ON A ZIPLINE

ZIPLINE SAFARI TOUR

Enjoy the Wilds from an aerial perspective! Led by two professionally trained guides, this 2.5-hour tour consists of 10 ziplines and a rappel built on a series of observation platforms overlooking various exotic animal species. Zip along a network of cables, through the trees, over the animal watering holes, lakes, and pastures, finally landing among the amazing giraffes. This tour is designed to excite anyone with a love for wildlife and a bit of adventure. Reservations are required.

ZIPLINE OVERLOOK TOUR

A shorter version of the Zipline Safari Tour, this professionally guided tour is a 1.5- hour journey across five ziplines overlooking the animal pastures.

ZIPLINE SUNSET TOUR

Enjoy the same Zipline Safari Tour at dusk on a Friday or Saturday. Make reservations as availability is limited!

*All Zipline participants:  Must be of average mobility and strength and in reasonably good health.  Must be at least 10 years old. Children ages 10 and 11 must be accompanied by an adult on the tour and children ages 12 to 15 must have an adult on the premises.  Must weigh between 70 and 250 pounds.  Must wear closed-toe shoes.

…ON HORSEBACK

HORSEBACK SAFARI TOUR

Giddy up on a journey along beautiful hillsides near the pastures that the Wilds animals call home. Tours are approximately one hour, beginning at the Wilds entrance and traveling through wooded areas, along hillsides overlooking breathtaking landscapes with spectacular views of safari areas and habitats.

Novice and experienced riders alike will enjoy this unique adventure.

SUNSET HORSEBACK SAFARI TOUR

Guests can now ride off into the sunset, literally, as the Wilds recently, in 2014, introduced the Sunset Horseback Safari. Participants can enjoy the magical experience of viewing roaming herds and butterfly habitats while the last rays of sunlight illuminate the grasslands and hillsides. This ride is the perfect way to unwind at the end of the day while savoring the outdoors from a unique vantage point. Sunset Horseback Safaris include a buffet dinner. Rides last about two hours.

*All riders:  Must be 9 years old or older. Riders under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult.  Must weigh between 70 and 250 pounds.

…BY BOAT (OR FROM THE BANKS)

FISHING SAFARI

The Wilds’ features more than 100 lakes and ponds, several of which are swimming with largemouth bass, red-eared sunfish, brown bullhead, muskellunge, bluegill, channel catfish, green sunfish, long-eared sunfish, pumpkinseed, white crappie, warmouth and bullhead.

Participants may use a boat supplied by the Wilds or fish from the bank of one of the scenic lakes. Up to six guests can partake in the excursion, which lasts about four hours. Attendants are available to transport guests, answer questions and assist with equipment.

*All participants:  Must abide by the Wilds’ catch-and-release policy  Must have a valid Ohio Fishing License  Reservations are required at least three days in advance.  Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.  Must wear lifejackets. Standard sizes are available or guests may bring their own.  Must wear closed-toe shoes.

MAKE IT A WILD WEEKEND

To pack the most out of a venture to the Wilds, guests can make reservations to stay overnight. Do to the increasingly popularity of these lodgings, visitors are advised to make reservations in advance.

NOMAD RIDGE

Nomad Ridge is a private, adults-only retreat for parties of two. The Asian-inspired yurts overlook the Wilds’ landscape from a private deck, where guests can gather around a fire pit and enjoy a view unobstructed by city buildings or urban lights.

As the sun sets behind the hills and rises over the valleys, couples can savor a complimentary dinner and breakfast. Staff concierge is also available for 24-hour assistance. The choice of a Safari Transport Pass or Open-Air Safari tour is included.

The Woodland yurts feature a choice of one queen bed or two single beds; the Grand Yurt features one king bed. All options include a private bathroom and deck.

THE LODGE

The Lodge is a private luxury cabin located in one of the more remote locations at the Wilds and near one of the most scenic lakes on the property. While Nomad Ridge provides an intimate setting for parties of two, the Lodge is designed to accommodate groups of up to 12 people.

The Lodge includes a common area featuring comfortable sitting and dining areas, a fully equipped kitchen (complete with dishes, pots, pans, utensils and linens), a screened porch, a gas fireplace and wireless internet. A private bath is in every room within the Lodge.

A reservation at the Lodge includes complimentary passes (for up to 12 guests) for the Open-Air Safari or Safari Transport Pass. Other tours and safaris are available for Lodge guests at discounted rates.

CONSERVATION EDUCATION PROGRAMS

SCHOOL GROUP PROGRAMS

The Wilds offers a variety of educational opportunities for students, from day ventures to overnight stays. Details about school programs can be found under the Discover tab on the Wilds’ website.

WILDECAMP SUMMER CAMP

The annual week-long Wildecamp gives youth ages 8 to 18 the opportunity to explore unique habitats and wildlife. Details about the Wildecamp courses can be found under the Discover tab on the Wilds’ website.

SCOUT OPPORTUNITIES

Scouts can earn badges by participating in day ventures, overnight stays and/or sleepover programs. Details about the scouts programs can be found under the Discover tab on the Wilds’ website.

HOME SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Many different home school programs are offered multiple times throughout the year, and include day ventures as well as overnight stays. Details about the home school programs can be found under the Discover tab on the Wilds’ website.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND FIELD CONSERVATION

The Wilds currently maintains 29 species of animals, 21 of which are part of programs managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and 14 of which are federally listed endangered species. The Wilds’ various programs and partnerships help promote the Wilds’ mission to promote conservation through education.

HELLBENDER CONSERVATION CENTER

Making its debut in 2013, the Hellbender Conservation Center shows guests how Eastern hellbender salamanders and American burying beetles are reared for reintroduction. Visitors can see an adult hellbender, as well as the series of aquaria used to rear the hellbenders from the egg to juvenile stage. Meanwhile, videos will share stories of how scientists at the Wilds are helping the hellbender and burying beetle conservation efforts.

The goal of the hellbender program is to maintain a four-year rotation of up to 300 hellbenders at a time. The facility also has the capacity to host other smaller species of conservation concern.

BREEDING PROGRAMS

The environment at the Wilds provides unique grounds for successful breeding programs. The managed animal program totaled almost 500 animals, a number of which were transferred to other zoos to support their breeding programs.

Research at the Wilds has also directly impacted conservation breeding programs. Some of those programs, as well as the recent achievements within those programs, include:

 Rhinoceros Breeding Program The Wilds manages one of the largest white rhino herds in the AZA and remains the only known facility outside of Africa with fourth- and fifth- generation rhino calves that were born in human care. o In November 2014, a white rhino calf became the 16th of their kind to be born at the Wilds. This animal was the first fifth-generation calf born outside of Africa. o The Wilds’ sixth greater one-horned rhino was born August 2014. o In 2015, the Wilds began building a new barn to accommodate this growing herd of white rhinos.

 Cheetah Breeding Program The Wilds has one of nine designated cheetah breeding centers within the A ZA’s Species Survival Plan, and works with the Cheetah Breeding Center Coalition.

o In 2015, the Wilds acquired two new female cheetahs for the breeding program: one arrived in March from the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and

the other arrived in May from the White Oak Conservation Center.

 American Burying Beetle Release The Wilds is one of four AZA facilities that breeds beetles for the endangered species recovery program and has been releasing beetles on site since 2010. Over the history of this project, the Wilds has raised more than 2,200 beetles and provided more than 1,100 for release projects in Ohio. o In 2015, the Wilds released 84 beetles that had been raised on the property. o In 2015, the Wilds acquired new wild-caught breeding stock from Nebraska through partners at United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL FIELD CONSERVATION The Wilds is a founding member of the Conservation Centers for Species Survival (C2S2), a consortium of five very large AZA institutions dedicated to applying combined land and scientific resources to population sustainability.

While not an exclusive list, the Wilds has promoted population sustainability of the following animals:

 Freshwater Mussels The Conservation Medicine department has worked with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium staff to develop ground-breaking techniques to help understand the health of freshwater mussels – one of the fastest declining animal groups on the continent – and the factors influencing the success of mussel conservation efforts.

 Eastern Hellbender Salamanders Recent surveys conducted by the Wilds and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Eastern hellbender salamanders in southeast Ohio have determined their population has declined by 80 percent in the wild. In response, government agencies, zoos, soil and water conservation districts, a land trust, and education institutions joined forces to aid in the recovery of hellbenders.

The Wilds is working in collaboration with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources and West Liberty University to collect hellbender eggs from the wild and raise these animals in a protected setting for eventual reintroduction into stream systems where this species no longer found.

 Sichaun Takin The Wilds is home to the largest herd of Sichaun takin outside of mainland China, and the only zoological facility to manage a large herd consisting of both male and female members. The Wilds has even provided other zoos with takin for their own animal care programs.

Research completed on the takin herds at the Wilds has resulted in the development of techniques used by researchers working with this species in China, the takins’ native land. This is a collaborative project involving the Wildlife Conservation Society, Smithsonian and Chinese partners.

 Trumpeter Swan and Osprey The Wilds worked with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Cleveland Zoo to release trumpeter swan and osprey in Ohio. Both species are now well-established at the Wilds, and both programs are no longer actively releasing these animals.

RESTORATION ECOLOGY

The Wilds is a living laboratory, helping researchers better understand how ecosystems can recover from human influence. Long-term studies at the Wilds have been instrumental in learning more about increasing local biodiversity, restoring wetlands, growing forests on damaged landscapes, using marginal land for sustainable agricultural practices, and ecological recovery following large-scale disturbance.

A few recent restoration accomplishments include:  Creating more than 650 acres of prairie since 2004.  Maintaining more than 500 acres of open grassland through seasonal mowing.  Removing invasive autumn olive scrub from 82 acres, thus creating more open pastures.  Restoring more than 18,000 linear feet of stream and 84 acres of riparian buffer. These efforts included removing invasive species, shaping banks, adding rocks and other habitat, establishing native plants and installing riffle.  Planting more than 10,000 trees since 2015 in an effort to reforest the landscape.

Recent and ongoing research projects at the Wilds include:  Muskingum University researchers’ monitoring of imperiled populations of grassland nesting birds. The Wilds is uniquely suited to provide habitat for these birds, the populations of which are declining in other areas in the state.  The United States Forest Service’s testing of plots for biocontrol of the invasive tree Ailanthus with a native fungus.  The Ohio State University research on native bee responses to prairie restoration through monitoring and nest boxes.  West Virginia University’s investigation of the land’s ability to support rare native species.  West Virginia University’s investigation of native grasses’ potential to be used as biofuel.

CONSERVATION SCIENCE TRAINING

The Conservation Science Training Center, created in 2010 through grant funding, serves as an innovative, collaborative research center. It has drawn students, scientists, and conservation professionals to the region for unique research, cognitive, and training opportunities.

Collaborative partners at the center include several universities in and beyond Ohio, zoological institutions, federal agencies and others. Research topics include microbial interactions, forest restoration, aquatic ecology, plant community composition and molecular ecology.

Additionally, the Wilds Conservation Medicine Residency Program is one of only 19 accredited zoological medicine-training programs worldwide.

MORE FACTS AND FIGURES

PROPERTY

The Wilds sits on 9,154 acres (approximately 14 square miles) in Cumberland, Ohio about 90 miles east of Columbus. The property encompasses and includes 2,000 acres of pastures and a 27-acre Carnivore Conservation Center.

Designated as an Audubon Important Bird Area, the Wilds property includes a birding station with covered lookout. The grounds also house a butterfly habitat, hiking trails, more than 15 miles of mountain bike and hiking trails, and about 150 lakes.

HOURS OF OPERATION

The Wilds is open seven days a week from May through September, and Saturdays and Sundays in October. Select winter tours are available from November through April.

VISITOR AND PARTICIPATION STATS

The Wilds experienced another record high attendance after hosting more than 121,000 visitors in 2015. Driving this increasing attendance were the popular tours – particularly the Open-Air Safari, Safari Transport Pass and Wildside Tours – as well the variety of education group offerings.

STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS

The Wilds experience is made possible by the 28 full-time and two part-time employees, as well as 163 seasonal workers, 21 adult volunteers and 8 teen volunteers. (These figures are based on year 2015 records.)

HISTORY

1940s-80s Area is surface-mined.

1971 Federal Reclamation Act required contouring, topsoil, and erosion control plantings.

Mid 1970s The Ohio Zoological Commission forms. Spurred into action by the numerous zoos in the state (Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron and the now-defunct Kings Island Wild Animal Habitat), Governor Jim Rhodes created a commission to develop a plan for how Ohio could support these cultural and tourism (and eventually scientific) organizations.

Late 1970s Initial concept of the Wilds forms as a public-private partnership involving the Ohio Departments of Natural Resources and Development, the Ohio zoos, and the private sector.

1984 Formally incorporated in 1984 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit under the name The International Center for the Preservation of Wild Animals, Inc. (ICPWA). ICPWA received a gift of approximately 9,154 acres of land from the Central Ohio Coal Company, a subsidiary of American Electric Power Company.

1989 Johnson Visitor Center completed (with geothermal heat).

1991 Last cut of the Big Muskie to the east of the Wilds.

1992 Przewalski’s wild horses become the first species to be released into the Wilds’ pastures.

1994 The Wilds opens to the public for tours.

1997 Day and overnight education camps begin.

1998 Overlook Café and the gift shop opens.

2000 The Robert W. Teater Conservation Education Camp (yurt camp) opens.

2001 The Wilds and Columbus Zoo and Aquarium partnership begins.

2005 American Burying Beetle Facility constructed. Conservation Centers for Species Survival (C2S2) forms.

2007 Mid-sized Carnivore Conservation Center opens.

2009 Nomad Ridge opens to public. A Southern white rhino calf becomes the first recorded fourth- generation white rhino to be born in human care.

2010 Conservation Science Training Center opens. Persian onagers born at the Wilds were the first wild equids ever produced through artificial insemination.

2011 Zipline, horseback riding and fishing safaris are added to the Wilds experience and generate additional revenue to support the mission.

2012 Rick Dietz is hired as Vice President of the Wilds.

2013 The Hellbender Conservation Center opens. The Wilds presents the first annual Soirée fundraising event.

2014 The Wilds welcomes the first birth of a fifth-generation white rhino outside Africa. The Wilds welcomes the sixth greater one-horned Asian rhino to be born on the property. The Wilds begins offering Sunset Wildside and Sunset Horseback Safari tours. The Wilds begins hosting the Reebok Spartan Race.

2015 Construction of a larger rhino barn begins.

CONTACT US PHONE: 740-638-5030 ADDRESS: 14000 International Road, Cumberland, Ohio, 43732 EMAIL: [email protected]

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