Drive-Through Zoo Used By Disney
The Olympic Game Farm Is A Destination Full Of Up Close Encounters With Exotic And Wild Animals In Their Natural Habitat
For some people, the zoo just isn't up close and personal enough. Some people want to be in the environment with the animals, seeing them in their natural habitat. Some people want to get licked by a buffalo. For those people, there's the Olympic Game Farm in Sequim, Washington. Zebras, llamas, tigers, wolves... The Olympic Game Farm is a destination full of exotic, exciting animals, but also a place with an interesting story all its own. A founder and a story so interesting it may rival the waving bears.
The Olympic Game Farm's driving tours are the main attraction. People enter in their own vehicles and circle around the property as many times as they want. A trip to the Olympic Game Farm can take anywhere from a half hour to an entire day.
At the beginning of the tour, visitors can see a prairie dog town. There are also Tibetan yaks and llamas nearby, a couple of zebras and fallow deer. Then there's the bear field, full of grizzlies, kodiaks and brown bears who wave as the cars go by.
“The bears like to wave at the people as they drive by. That's one of the little tricks they do,” said President Robert Beebe. “We have bread to feed them here at the farm, or tourists can bring their own whole wheat bread. Bears realize if they do something cute or funny they will get something in return.”
After the bears, is the farm's predator compound, where they have tigers, cougars, bobcats, lynx, fox, wolves and raccoons. Then there's a large field full of elk and buffalo. This is where bread may come in handy again.
“The buffalo come right up to the car,” said Beebe. “Their big, black purple tongue comes right into the window. We're one of the few places where you can have an experience like that.”
While the cars are not allowed to stop along their route, the buffalo are determined: They will stand in the middle of the road to stop the cars. That's when they come up to the windows looking for bread. It's big personalities like this that make working at the Olympic Game Farm continuously exciting and rewarding for Beebe.
“It's great working with the animals,” he said. “They each have their own unique personalities. They have likes and dislikes... I like watching the kids experience the animals up close. They seem very excited about it. It's a great way for people to spend time together. Also, it helps animals that have nowhere else to go.”
Many of the animals at the Olympic Game Farm are rescues or were confiscation turnovers from Fish & Wildlife. But a few of the animals at the farm have a very interesting background: Their ancestors were movie stars.
While the farm has been open to the public since 1972, the farm has been featured and used in Walt Disney films since the late 40s, including their True Life Adventures series. Most of the animals featured in those films were from the farm. Disney also kept animals at the farm between filming and movies.
“It was people's interest in seeing Disney's movie stars that made my grandfather, Lloyd, open the farm to the public,” said Beebe. They started collecting endangered animals, including red wolves, clouded leopards, snow leopards and jaguars. They animals were being used to populate zoos. Then came the educational aspects and the driving tours...
Originally from Washington state up near Canada, Lloyd did a lot of hunting back in the 20s and 30s. He then became a logger and later an expert bow hunter, collecting records for hunting. Lloyd later decided he wanted to start a dairy farm. It wasn't going too well, but something more interesting was about to come his way.
Lloyd noticed an orphaned cougar cub near his property. It would come down from the mountains. Soon Lloyd was feeding it. Then he started training it. He pawned off his first car to buy a camera and started taking photographs of the cougar and of the nature that surrounded him.
It was around that time that Walt Disney put out a call for wildlife photographers. Lloyd sent some photographs and Disney “picked him up,” said Beebe. Soon he was taking trips to Antarctica and into the rainforest, filming for Disney. He was a leading force in positive animal training in the industry.
“It's all very humbling,” said Beebe. “My grandfather never boasted about anything. I'll still run across things and think, 'Wow, that's pretty cool.' A lot of wildlife photographers would stage things back then. But he would go up into the mountains and use what was actually there. Just the opportunities for animals to do what they did naturally...”
When Lloyd retired, he gave the Olympic Game Farm to Beebe's father and uncle. Then Beebe and his brother took over in 2008, after retiring from the military. For Beebe, the experience of working at the Olympic Game Farm is one of a kind, doing something that most people never have the chance to do.
He does a lot of training with the cougars (“they're pretty laid back”), bears (“they're super smart and great to work with”) and wolves (“they're very attentive”), who are now stars of their own, much like their ancestors. Every so often, the farm will get a call from various filmmakers looking to shoot documentaries on their property. They'll want shots of animals walking through the trees or even lounging and sleeping.
Said Beebe: “We teach them to walk point to point. You want them to go across the screen for the camera to follow them. We put a buzzer at the opposite end with some meat over there. The faster you buzz, the quicker they'll go.”
While exciting, working with wild animals is not all cuddles and hugs like many viral videos will lead people to believe. Trainers have to cautious. They have to be constantly aware of their surroundings. Sometimes the animals will “play a joke,” or they'll give a little love bite or quick swipe. Sometimes they'll even spray pee on the trainers.
And while most people don't get the chance to be trainers, the Olympic Game Farm offers the next best thing: One of the most up close encounters with wild animals most people will have. It's this unique experience that makes the Olympic Game Farm a worthwhile destination.
Then there's the pony rides, mini walk tours (where children have the chance to pet goats, ducks and a pig), a reptile room and a chance to visit a 200 year old barn that was used by Walt Disney in some of his films. They are also hoping to bring back guided walking tours, said Beebe, a 2.5-mile tour through the park.
But nothing beats that big purple tongue slurping a slice of bread right out of your hands.
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Gilgal Oasis RV Park is located between the magnificent Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan De Fuca in the quaint city of Sequim. Pronounced "S'kwim", it means "Quiet Waters".