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Severe flooding forces Out of Africa Wildlife Park to close

By
FOX 10 Phoenix
Monsoons
Published July 22, 2026 5:51 PM MST
Published July 22, 2026 5:51 PM MST
article

The Brief

    • Mud, heavy debris, uprooted trees, and toppled fences blanket the grounds of Out of Africa Wildlife Park after two days of storms.
    • Park officials were forced to close the park until cleanup is complete, with no exact reopening date announced yet.
    • Caretakers are working to protect animals and repair damaged brand-new fencing while asking for donations to help rebuild.

CAMP VERDE, Ariz. - Mud and heavy debris now blanket the grounds of Out of Africa Wildlife Park, after two days of storms pounded the area.

"I’ve been here since 2009, and I’ve never seen it flood like this," said Ashton Powell with Out of Africa Wildlife Park.

Local perspective:

Uprooted trees, toppled fences, and paths turned to rivers forced park officials to close their doors until the cleanup is complete.

"Most of the damage came with the brand-new fencing that we had for the enclosure to keep the giraffes a little bit more contained," Powell said. "That’s been broken with all the debris and the extreme water that’s come down."

Now caretakers are pulling double duty, protecting the animals they love while racing to rebuild the place they call home.

"Cleaning up debris and sludge and mud away from the fence line so we can better support that fence line that’s kind of leaning right now. That’s the biggest thing and filling the hole with dirt," Powell said.

Dig deeper:

A path at the park used to extend all the way over to a fence line, but staff say the floodwaters ripped through and took the land with it.

"Oh it was raining sideways, you couldn’t see so it was very messy, very rainy and water was flowing exceptionally fast," Powell said.

The focus remains keeping the animals fed and safe, even if it means trekking through the mud to continue caring for each and every one of them.

"I wish we could say that we could just get a huge crew in here of tractors and excavators and everything but we have to keep the animals peace in mind with everything we’re doing," Powell said.

What's next:

There is no exact reopening date yet, but officials say they will open as soon as it is safe.

Donation page for Out of Africa Wildlife Sanctuary

https://outofafricapark.com/donate/

The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Ashton Powell with Out of Africa Wildlife Park.

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