One afternoon in the 1990s, Dr. Lee G. Simmons (Doc), then director of Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, got a call from Bill Grewcock, a longtime Zoo benefactor and early board member of Omaha’s Zoo. Mr. Grewcock asked Doc to meet him and Gene Mahoney, the Foundation’s executive director at the time, on a 200-acre parcel of land he might possibly acquire, just outside of Omaha, in Ashland, Nebraska.
The trio — all key figures in the landmark projects that put Omaha’s Zoo on the map — had been discussing the need for a dedicated conservation and breeding space: one where secondary herds of species and extra males could be cared for, and potentially bred, but kept off display at the zoo. They all agreed this land would suit their purposes beautifully.
At first, there was no plan to open the space to the public, Doc recalls. But some board members thought that it could be a good opportunity for the zoo to add some native-to-Nebraska animals — like elk, bison, deer, wolves and sandhill cranes — to its collection. Most of these animals aren’t suited to a zoo environment, but they’re perfect for a drive-through park. “We can do that,” Doc told the group. “All it takes is money.”
Mr. Grewcock generously offered to sponsor the many miles of fencing needed for the Nebraska native animals to roam free in the park, as well as the roads the site would now need if it were going to be open to the public. Many other donors stepped forward. The expense of crushed rock for roadways was out of the question for such a vast space, Doc explains, so — with typical Omaha Zoo crew resourcefulness —they bought a cheap waste product called mud rock from a sand and gravel pit and compacted it into a hard surface for vehicles to drive upon with a second-hand surplus vibrating roller that the Air Force had used for making runways.
“It was a monster. It would just about vibrate your kidneys loose, but it was exactly what we needed,” Doc, who pioneered the park’s five miles of road by driving over possible routes in his Chevy Suburban, says of the roller with a laugh.
At about this time, Gary Pettit, who remains as superintendent of the Safari Park today, began to offer his help. “When the Safari Park started, I kind of volunteered, hanging “No Trespassing” signs, and cutting trees. They got used to having me around, so they asked me to stay on as superintendent.”
Pettit and his wife, Linda, who works in the dietary kitchen of Omaha’s Zoo, took up residence on the grounds of the Wildlife Safari Park, which officially opened in 1998, and raised their three children there.
Ultimately, with further support from Mr. Grewcock, and our generous community, the park grew to 440 acres. About half that space is for visitors to drive through and observe North American animals in a natural environment, while the other half is dedicated to conservation, breeding, and research.
“We can do a lot for the animals without spending huge amounts of money on all the manmade rock and trees and windows to have them on exhibition,” Doc says. “Most zoos are limited in the facilities and space they can devote to conservation and breeding. This allowed us to join a very small group of zoos in the U.S. that have an offsite area for it.”
The breeding projects are crucial to the species survival plans for animals. The Wildlife Safari Park is already home to world-class tiger and cheetah breeding facilities, and Doc hopes to eventually add a leopard breeding facility. “We couldn’t do any of it without the help of our donors, including families like the Grewcocks and the Jameses,” he says.
Barrett James, director, and chairman of the board of American Interstate Bank, funded the cheetah and tiger breeding facilities, which opened in 2014 and 2019. More recently, he has sponsored a major expansion of the park’s animal hospital which was originally donated by his parents, Dr. Lawrence and Jeannette James. The new hospital is one of the park’s largest projects to date and will include X-Ray and surgical facilities and the capacity to hold and treat big cats.
The thrill of the community’s role in the species survival of some of the world’s most majestic animals is not lost on anyone. “My neighbors swear they can sometimes hear our tigers roar,” Pettit laughs.
This year, the Wildlife Safari Park celebrated its 25th anniversary with the Jurassic Adventure dinosaur exhibition. Its showstopping public-facing areas continue to highlight regional wildlife and Nebraska’s natural beauty in habitats like Bison Plains and Harold and Marian Andersen Crane Meadow.
While the park is closed for the 2023 winter season, there’s much to look forward to next spring. “Each season is different. Right now, as it’s cooled down and the leaves are turning, it’s breeding season, and the animals are more active. The elk are bugling, the cranes are whooping, and the wolves are howling,” Pettit says.
And, somewhere off exhibit, you may even be able to hear a tiger roar in Ashland.