Waccatee Zoological Farm 6'12

  Looking for a good place to to sketch exotic animals or are  looking for a place to photograph birds ?  The  Waccatee Zoological Farm is a small family run enterprise  that is run  entirely on private donations. 

 

  The zoo houses thousands of animals and over 100 species.
The first to greet you are the Peafowl (aka peacock).

 

 They are both beautiful to look at and good security.  At the least small disturbance these lovely creatures  begin  screaming ear piercing alarm calls, alerting  the staff and everyone else that mischief is afoot.

 From the road you see herds of buffalo and zebra roaming the open sunny grassland, but most of the zoo is located within 500 acres of private, carefully preserved, wooded property.

Some of the larger herd animals like the ( North African sheep above) are given  large tree sheltered enclosures. . Many of the animals are located in relatively small enclosures,  making them very easy to see and sketch.  

 But fair warning while clean and well fed, it did not seem entirely fair to keep such large animals in such small spaces. I was especially uncomfortable with the  cats and other predators. The zoo's website brags that  "big cats like the leopard, lion, cougar and tiger eye you up close".  It is true that one can get close.  I could get within a foot of this  little serval cat, but  it  wouldn't meet my eyes.  A  large lioness paced endlessly back and forth  between the cinder block walls of her  rooms.    It left me feeling guilty and sad to see these beautiful animals caged like this.

One are that I did find enjoyable was the raised wooden walkway that winds through the  wetlands .   A raised wooden walkway winds through  the

Located where the Waccamaw River, Intracoastal Waterway and Socastee Creek  join, Waccatee Zoo is a natural wildlife sancuary and breeding ground for many species of migratory birds.  At several times of the year it's not uncommon to see thousands of beautiful native egrets or heron in one small spot.  

The birds were everywhere, posing like photographers models

 The egret above had built its nest right over the walkway,

while a heron below posed on a branch beside the walk. The difference between the birds and the other creatures in the zoo is that the birds are free to come and go as they like.  If the zoo area does  not please them, they could simply fly on down the river to another site.

There's a lot more animals than I have shown, so if you are into wildlife art  check it out at: The Waccatee Zoological Farm 

 8500 Enterprise Rd

Myrtle Beach, SC  29588

843-650-8500