Guide for Amerika Expressen
During the next approx 20 minutes, we will travel through our North American prairie and see some of the different animals living here.
A NEW WAY OF EXPLORING
In the early 19th century, the development of the steam train made traveling and transport of goods much easier, especially over vast distances. The steam train came to America during the 1820s. This enabled settlers to colonize the American prairie due to the large apacity of trains ensuring transport of both cargo and passengers.
WELCOME TO THE AMERICAN PRAIRIE
The first area is the North American prairie, a vast open landscape and the original home of many native American tribes.
THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
Native Americans lived in a close relationship with nature and had done so long before Europeans arrived in America. They followed the philosophy, that only the most necessary amount of resources should be harvested from the nature to protect it for future generations.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
The railroad tracks often led across the hunting grounds of the Native Americans. As a result, many tribes attacked the construction sites, resulting in some violent battles with many casualties on both sides.
THE AMERICAN BISON
Native Americans were incredibly dependent on the American bison, as it was one of their most important resources. When a bison was killed it, could be used in more than 50 different ways and almost every part of it was utilised.
THE AMERICAN BISON TODAY
Since then, an intensive breeding programme was launched and lots of efforts made to save the species. Today approximately 30.000 bison live in the wild in the United States.
USA – CANADA, THE BORDER TO “BEAR-COUNTRY”
We now move from the prairie further north and reach a landscape with more dense forest and mountains.
North America
BLACK TAILED PRAIRIE DOG
During the 20th century nearly 98% of the whole population of all 5 different prairie dogs disappeared. It is estimated that earlier, more than 5 billion prairie dogs existed. The massive drop in population size has several reasons. Many people chose to fight prairie dogs with poison, traps and by shooting them, as they were considered vermin. At the same time the population was hit by several contagious diseases.
AMERICAN BLACK BEAR
American Black Bears live in the northern part of America, although they also can be found in the northern part of Mexico. Black Bears vary in size, depending on their sex, the time of the year and food sources available. The weight of a male can range from 80kg up to 250kg. They are omnivores and eat both meat roots, berries and even grass. Even though they are called Black Bears, the colour of the fur shows many variations. A white colour variation, found in Canada, was of significant importance to the Native Americans and regarded as a spiritual symbol. Though hunted, Black Bears are not considered as an endangered species and the overall population is estimated to be between 850.000 and 950.000 individuals.
ARCTIC WOLVES
The Arctic Wolf is a subspecies of the Grey Wolf, adapted to the life in the Arctic regions of North America. Arctic wolves are smaller in size with shorter ears and snout to help keeping them warm. They have white fur which helps them hiding in the frozen tundra. They live in packs, consisting of the breeding pair and their offspring. The arctic climate of their habitat has prevented them from being hunted as much as the Grey Wolf, which is probably the reason why Arctic Wolves are not particularly scared of humans. Their vast arctic habitat also makes it difficult to estimate the precise number of the population.
BURROWING OWL
The burrowing owl got its name by burrowing and nesting in holes in the ground on the open prairie. It is a trait that is unique for this species of owl. The burrowing owl is unmistakable which is most evident by their long legs and terrestrial behavior. The
burrowing owl has beige feathers and large, yellow eyes since it is diurnal.
MARABOU STORK
The Marabou Stork is often called the worlds ugliest bird, with his bare head, neck and chest. The bird is a scavenger feeding on dead animals, and the bare head and neck make sure that no blood or flesh is getting stuck in the feathers and starts to rot, which could cause diseases.
THE GREAT WHITE PELICAN
The Great White Pelican is one of the largest pelican species. No other bird has a bigger beak than the great white pelican. The size of a pelican is measured by its weight, size and the volume of the beak, which can contain about 11 litres of liquid.
JUNIOR RANGER WORLD
also try the NEW safari ride in Junior Ranger World:
OFFROAD PATRULJEN
Come on a Ranger mission in your own Land Rover among living animals on a 400 m long off-road track. In Junior Ranger World, you will also find Vikunja and Nandu. Go to Junior Ranger World.
Have a nice day
We hope you have a wonderful day at Ree Park Safari. If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them.
