Wild for animals: The area's top spots for viewing wildlife

Who says you have to go to Africa for a safari? Southeast Missouri has plenty of opportunities for viewing wildlife.

Lazy L Safari

Lazy L Safari Park, a 15-acre walk-through zoo, opens this June near Cape Girardeau. Owners Vicki and Todd Lantz have been raising alternative livestock for years and decided it would be a good idea to open their ranch to the public. Vicki's father, David Hale, operated 5-H Ranch for nearly 10 years, and Lantz is now happy to carry on the family business.

Near the park entrance are a petting zoo and barn full of animals. Follow the path along the creek to a large, fenced-in field with kangaroos, camels, African crested porcupines, lemurs, zebras, four-horn sheep and more. The park will eventually expand to include a gift shop and shelter, Lantz said. Lazy L is open from April through October and can be enjoyed by animal-lovers of all ages.

A bigger zoo experience can be found at the St. Louis Zoo, with more than 800 species of animals spread over 90 acres, plus daily sea lion shows, children's programs and animal feedings. The zoo is celebrating its 100th birthday this year with a "Zootennial Exhibit." Best of all, admission is always free. The Memphis Zoo has more than 500 species on 76 acres, featuring children's rides and a carousel, open chats with animal keepers and special events and educational programs.

The National Tiger Sanctuary is 70 miles north of Cape Girardeau, near Bloomsdale, Mo. This area, home to seven tigers and one cougar, offers three tour options: a behind-the-scenes tour placing you within three feet of the cats; a feeding tour, where you'll see staff members feeding the tigers; or another tour where you'll get to feed the animals yourself. Guests are welcome to bring a picnic lunch and eat on the deck overlooking the tigers. But the sanctuary hopes to provide more than entertainment -- the tigers also serve as powerful ambassadors in raising critical environmental issues.

"Tigers are going extinct, and they're at the top of the food chain," says Georgia Wohlert, director of the tiger sanctuary. "Everything we do in life affects the environment, and we want to shrink that ecological footprint. The land for our animals is disappearing, and it's because of us -- but you can't sustain life without plants and animals." The sanctuary is looking to relocate and add more cats, so visit this summer while you can.

Gio Mayfield-Wubbena, left, and Olivia Nguyen sit in a tree seat while looking at Missouri wildlife depicted in a winter scene Wednesday, July 26, 2010 in the Missouri Conservation Nature Center at Cape Girardeau County Park North. (Fred Lynch)

The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center showcases the cultural history and diverse natural resources of Southeast Missouri. Indoors, the center has hands-on exhibits, freshwater aquariums, wildlife viewing areas, classrooms and an auditorium. Outdoors is White Oak Terrace, two miles of trails winding through stands of poplar and oak trees, sinkholes and a small man-made swamp, where you're likely to see hummingbirds, butterflies and more.

Mingo National Wildlife Refuge

For a more rugged adventure, Southeast Missouri has a number of wildlife refuges and conservation areas where animals run free in their natural habitats. Mingo National Wildlife Refuge is a major resting and wintering area for migratory waterfowl and other birds near Puxico, Mo. The 21,592-acre refuge contains bottomland hardwood forest, marshes and water, cropland, seasonally flooded impoundments and grassy openings where hundreds of whitetail deer make their home. Mingo is open year-round for fishing, hiking or simply taking in the scenery from one of the overlooks.

"Mingo is a very unique place, and we encourage everyone to come out to any natural wildlife refuge," says Ben Mense, refuge manager. "There are all kinds of wildlife you would not see every day, so it's really cool place to come if you're interested in nature."

The refuge is building a brand-new office and visitors center, expected for completion in July 2011. It will include exhibits about the history and care of Mingo and how it changes from season to season, as well as two large rooms for school groups to meet and do nature-related projects. It will even be a "green" facility with geothermal heating and cooling, solar capabilities and a rainwater system to minimize water use, says Mense. Trails surrounding the visitors center will be redone and connected, he adds.

Otter Slough, in Stoddard County, consists of 4,866 acres managed primarily for species associated with wetlands, such as migratory waterfowl, herons, egrets, mink and otter. Peck Ranch Conservation Area, spread over 23,048 acres of rugged, forested hills and hollows in northwest Carter County and eastern Shannon County, is a prime spot for viewing forest and woodland birds, deer and turkeys.

In Dunklin County, Ben Cash Conservation Area is a 1,300-acre wildlife area on the St. Francis River and is one of the few remaining vestiges of bottomland hardwood trees. It contains a diverse floral community and lots of birdwatching opportunities, especially for woodland warblers, waders and waterfowl. Little River Conservation Area, located on 1,066 acres near Kennett, Mo., has wetlands that attract many migratory birds.