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Feature Article in the Tyler Morning Telegraph Television Commercial
Selections
from area newspapers Press
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Jacksonville
Daily Progress Samantha Swindler When Noel Ischy went to work Friday morning, he watched a herd of buffalo stampede down a hill while his son Kyle inspected a possibly-pregnant camel. Nine months ago they never owned a camel, and they’d never met a bison. Bust last summer the Ischys became the proud new owners of Cherokee Trace Drive-Thru Safari – a 300 acre ranch just east of Jacksonville, stocked with about 300 animals from 20 different species. “Everything here makes noises. It’s weird. They bugle,” Kyle said, adding he can recognize the noises of the different animals. Kyle is also learning a few things about camel care. Humphrey the camel does not bugle – he rolls his tongue out, covered with drool and saliva and makes a sound like a clogged toilet. Humphrey also likes to get up close and personal with visitors, following cars through the safari and pacing behind the Welcome Center window. “He thinks he’s a big dog, but he’s a 2,000 pound camel,” Kyle said. The Ischys pride themselves on providing a natural, open environment for the animals. For the most part, Kyle said the animals rarely need human care. Guests are welcome to take as much time as they like driving the approximate three mile path through the park. Palestine
Herald-Press Jacksonville home to safari park Sherryl-Lynn Williams Nestled with in the pined woods of Cherokee County is a hidden piece of the African grasslands – Cherokee Trace Drive-Thru Safari and Bed and Breakfast. The 300-acre free-range safari park is open to the public for a nominal fee that more often than not brings wonder and amazement to the visitors and guests. “Just watching the kids enjoy seeing the animals and watching their reactions was great,” Mandy, the children’s mother said. “Hearing
the customers say the things that she just said is wonderful,” said Staci
Doty, Park Operations Manager. “It’s the most wonderful thing in the world
to see the park through eyes like hers.” Visitors receive a sheet before they enter the safari with color pictures of the animals and an explanation about each one. The admission fee to the park is good for all day and Doty suggests bringing a picnic lunch and making a day of it. The
Daily Sentinel (Nacogdoches) Safari East
Texas How can you travel to Africa, Asia and India and never leave the Piney Woods of East Texas? The answer is simple: Take a short drive to Ponta and visit the Cherokee Trace Drive-Thru Safari Park. Visitors view a wide variety of animals, from Arabian camels and Rocky Mountain elk to South American Llamas, African Watusi cattle and more on the 3-mile through the park. Cherokee Trace “is similar to a zoo, but it’s different,” Noel Ischy said “the animals here are out in the open. It’s a different sense of being around the animals than in a zoo.” Future plans include the addition of bed-and-breakfast style cabin rentals at the site and the possible expansion of the habitat area for more animals. Tours of the park also could be expanded to include a behind-the-scenes look at the regular care and feeding of the animals, particularly for school groups.** **Since
this article was published, Cherokee Trace has implemented many of the
plans made in 2004. We have opened an additional 130 acres to the public
and added several new species. The Behind-the-Scenes
tour began in May of 2006, giving our guests the "inside scoop"
on all the animals and the future dreams and plans for the park. Many
area schools have discovered the wonder of the park and have realized
what a great educational experience it is
for kids of all ages. |
