Monday, July 12, 2010

7:00 AM: Breakfast

8:00 – 11:30 AM: Drive to the Everglades

I rode in Amanda’s van and tried to sleep for as much of the 3.5-hour drive as possible. Some of our classmates left several hours earlier to visit a Seminole museum. We met up with them at the Billie Swamp Safari Park within the Seminole Indian Reservation.

12:00 PM: Lunch

Upon arriving at the park we had some bagged lunches waiting for us.

1:05 PM: Critter Show

Our first activity was watching a critter show featuring vultures, armadillo, opossum, ferrets, tarantulas, and a large alligator snapping turtle. The presenter was quite knowledgeable and did his best to impress our large group of veterinarians and veterinary students.

2:00 PM: Snake Show

We were ushered into a dark room with bleachers and a small stage. Over the course 45 minutes the showman brought out many snakes native to the area. These included a coral snake, king snake, and eastern diamondback rattlesnake.

2:50 PM: Swamp Buggy Tour

Our group loaded into a large “swamp buggy” for a tour of some of the park. It was a weird experience. In addition to some local wildlife, there were hundreds of feral pigs and cows. Additionally, they have brought in exotic species such as water buffalo, bison, and ostrich. It seemed like a disease outbreak waiting to happen…

4:30 PM: Airboat Ride

For our final activity of the day we loaded onto several of the iconic everglades airboats. While on the water we got to see wild alligators, turtles, and many species of birds.

5:30 PM – 8:30 PM: Ride Home

I was in and out of sleep for most of the ride home.

Evening:

After eating pizza as a group some of us went swimming and discussed how strange the day was. Many were disappointed by the days activities. Instead of visiting everglades national park, we spent most of our time at a roadside zoo, where it felt as though the animals were not well cared for. My previous memory of the area (with my Grandparents) was much more pleasant.