Bearizona
Bearizona is a drive-through safari park near Williams, Arizona, on Historic Route 66. It contains a variety of animals that visitors can see up close from their car or shuttle. It was founded in 2010 and is known for its black bear cubs.
History
The park was started by Sean and Dennis Casey, whose parents had founded Bear Country USA. another drive-through safari park, in Rapid City, South Dakota. They chose Williams as the location for their own park as they hoped it would have high traffic as it is located near the intersection of I-40 and SR 64, which leads to Grand Canyon National Park. The park also had a suitable climate. It cost $15 million to create.The zoo's concept was approved by the city in July 2009 and the Caseys bought the property in August. Roads began construction in October. The park's grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on May 22, 2010. It was attended by the Williams-Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor of Williams, John Moore. A jaguar exhibit opened in 2016. In March 2017, the park had to go on lockdown due to an armed suspect coming near the park. No one was injured. The Canyonlands restaurant opened in May of the same year. In 2018, an otter exhibit opened. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the park remained open with additional preventative measures for visitors in order to avoid contracting the virus. It reported increased numbers during the first month of the pandemic.
Description
The park is in size, containing of roads. The majority of the zoo is covered by a ponderosa pine forest. It is closed from December 31 to March 1.Most of the animals can be found in Fort Bearizona, a section of the park that is set up more like a traditional zoo. It contains many black bear cubs, which are one of the zoo's main attractions. The park also contains a sit-down restaurant, Canyonlands, and a gift shop. During the winter season, Bearizona has a Wild Wonderland festival where 400,000 lights synchronized with Christmas music are placed on the trees along with winter-themed events.
Animals
Animals that can be found at the zoo include:Harris's hawk, Livingstone's turaco, black vulture, red-legged seriema, fennec fox, crested porcupine, striped skunk, Argentine black and white tegu, milk snake, mountain coati, and three-banded armadillo are animals that can be seen through shows and presentations.