Grove City’s safari park will offer jobs and educational programming to the local community and provide breeding programs for rare and endangered species.
Adam Guiher, the owner and director of the Grove City location and Living Treasures Animal Park Moraine, said the new park will offer over 50 jobs to Slippery Rock students and graduates.
“Our current safety and operations manager holds a bachelor’s degree in safety management from SRU and has been employed by us for eight years,” Guiher said. “Our organization in New Castle has already employed several dozen SRU students and graduates in the decade that I have owned and operated the facility.”
Jobs offered will include at least 12 seasonal positions for students with biology tracks as well as positions in marketing, office management, customer service and animal care, he said.
The safari park is meant to aid preservation efforts and raise awareness for some of the world’s most endangered and least known species, Guiher said.
“The Pygmy Hippopotamus, Bongo Antelope, Brazilian Tapir and Pere David’s Deer will all benefit from breeding programs and from the public hearing their stories,” Guiher said, indicating that the safari will be the only location in Pennsylvania and one of few in the United States to house such animals.
Living Treasures has already participated in university studies for rare species such as the Barbary Lion and Eurasian Wild Horse, he added.
“Elk and top-genetic white-tailed deer will be observed throughout the course along with other North American natives,” Guiher said of the 30-acre North American section of the safari, which will feature a four stage zip-line tour.
Guiher said the safari project has support from all involved government officials and is set to exceed the expectations of the two main zoological trade associations in the United States, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Zoological Association of America.
“Since purchasing the New Castle facility in 2005, we have rebuilt the entire facility to meet and exceed these standards,” he said.
Guiher said that he is currently preparing an accreditation application for both of his facilities and believes that, after a review process, both will be recognized by the ZAA.
“I have personally been elected as a professional member of the ZAA, which is the highest level of membership in the organization,” he added.
Guiher said he felt more information regarding the track record of his facilities should have been covered in The Rocket’s Sept. 24 article, entitled “Safari park to open in Grove City.”
“The facts clearly show our facility is independent of the second Living Treasures and covering that facility’s USDA report without covering our facility’s inspection reports, which are available online, does not fairly represent the track record of our current organization in New Castle or our safari park being developed in Grove City,” he said.
Guiher said that Living Treasures Moraine has been praised by veterinarians and other zoo operators, as well as USDA inspectors who perform routine, surprise inspections on the facility.
All permits for the new park have been submitted and Guiher is currently awaiting approval to build a bridge connecting the two halves of the safari property, he said.
Guiher said he currently has some sketches of buildings for the property and that preparations for the park are moving forward smoothly.
“The safari park will create ideal environments for learning experiences and studies on many different levels,” he concluded.
