West Yellowstone, ID — The National Park Service and the Bermuda-based vacation destination company BrightStar Adventures Limited have announced the nation’s first “interactive wildlife petting zoo” nestled in West Yellowstone National Park.
The joint venture, called Joe Rogan’s Darwin Adventures, will feature the famous park’s native wildlife and allow participants to interact with the animals without Park Rangers interfering.
In the past few years, the United States Park Service has faced substantial funding cutbacks while the number of park visitors has skyrocketed.
BrightStar saw an opportunity to relieve the pressures on Yellowstone staff and provide a “unique experience for the back-to-nature market segment.”
“We are excited to be working with Mr. Rogan on the design and implementation of Darwin Adventures,” said project spokeswoman Bethany Millbright of BrightStar Adventures during an early morning conference call.
According to a draft planning document The Fazzler has obtained, the new attraction will require all Darwin Adventures participants to sign a waiver releasing BrightStar and the National Park Service from any fault resulting from animal injury.
The new feature will be stocked with American Bison, Moose, Elk, and the recently reintroduced Grey Wolves.
“Yes,” said Ms. Millbright, answering a question in the Q&A session at the end of the conference call.
The new facility will be located between the park’s western entrance and the famous Old Faithful geyser. Designers of the project said the spot was chosen to reduce traffic congestion on Highway 191, which will allow more tourists to visit the gift shops located around Old Faithful.