Gary Hill

Just read about Butch passing...I did reach out and talk to him by phone afew years ago...he was very important to my Career in Animal Care for sure...

Those were pictures of the first year..How is everyone..been awhile since I checked in...

Just checking into the website...shame there is no more activity anymore ..:(

Those are Great pictures .. cant remember the guy to the left with Jake, Charlie and David.

Orginal Safari was, 1. American 2. Elephant/Rhino/Ostrich 3. African Plains. 4. 1st Lions 5. Black Bears 6. Bengal Tigers 7. Brown Bears 8. Bird Sanctuary 9. Leopards. 10. Second Lions ( but was proposed to be Cheetahs) 11. Siberian Tigers 12. Sheep and Goat 13. Baboons.

Randy, didn't you work at an animal park in Virginia before you came to GA?

Ricky Wallace was the first Warden to work the Leopards and as Ed said, that experience of them being out didn't work well...so that lasted all of a couple days in the very first days the park opened in July of 74.. from then on they were only displayed in the trap outside of the den. Rick Wallace was one of my room mates back in those days and we all talked about everything that happened everyday. Ed I finally caught up with Butch, he lives in the Carolinas...spoke to him on the phone and actually has a fb page but doesn't get on often.

Randy, I don't see any photos?

Why is there a line though all of my last post??

Well yes today 40 yrs ago the park opened its gates to the public..I was involved with the park 2 yrs before as they bought all our animals from World Of Animals , in Mesquite, Tx.. I was also lucky enough to be sent to Africa to bring back the elephants...believe me it was one of the hardest things to do when I left and moved on with my animal career..I want to Thank Butch Dring ..Lion 1 for choosing me to go..I looked though the pages today and now being 61 , I remember my youth with a different perspective..