On three Saturdays this September, the gates at Global Wildlife Center in Folsom, Louisiana stay open well past closing time, letting visitors trade the midday heat for golden-hour views of giraffes, zebras, and camels roaming free across the 900-acre preserve. The after-hours event, called Sunset Safari Saturdays, runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and pairs wagon tours with regional food themes tied to the homelands of the animals on site.
The series returned to the preserve this month, according to Visit The Northshore, with three Saturday events. The first is scheduled for September 12, followed by events on Saturday, September 19, and Saturday, September 26. The concept borrows from South Africa's traditional sundowner safaris, giving guests a chance to catch animals during their more active dusk hours, as WBRZ reports.
Tickets run $50 per person and cover an after-hours safari wagon tour, animal feed and treats, non-alcoholic mocktails, and regional light bites from local vendors, according to a listing on Visit The Northshore's events page. That admission also includes access to the preserve's kangaroo and capybara habitat area, giving visitors a chance to get up close with animals that don't typically make the wagon-tour route.
A Preserve Built for Roaming, Not Just Viewing
Global Wildlife Center bills itself as one of the largest free-roaming preserves of its kind in the country, sheltering more than 2,000 animals across over 30 exotic, threatened, and endangered species, according to ThrillZing. Reticulated giraffes, Grant's zebras, Bactrian camels, and American bison all share the roughly 900 acres, with animals free to move rather than being confined to fixed enclosures for most of the property.
The nonprofit facility opened in 1991 under founder Ken Matherne and operates through the Global Wildlife Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. Following Matherne's death in late 2021, management of the preserve passed to his daughter, Maci Matherne, per the same ThrillZing account. Beyond the wagon tours, the center has other visitor offerings, according to a Visit The Northshore listing.
New Giraffe Calves and a Longtime Matriarch
The preserve had reason to celebrate this spring, welcoming two newborn reticulated giraffe calves, Nova and Noah, born six days apart on March 27 and April 2, 2026, respectively. Their names were submitted by a local nine-year-old girl and selected through a social media vote, Global Wildlife Center announced. Reticulated giraffes have seen their wild population drop by roughly 30% over the past 35 years, making each birth notable for the species' conservation outlook.
Visitors on the safari route might also spot Kameel, a 33-year-old reticulated giraffe matriarch who was born at the facility in 1993 and is recognized as the second-oldest living giraffe in North America. Kameel holds a distinct place in the preserve's history as the very first giraffe born there, according to the same Global Wildlife Center announcement.
Tourism Dollars and a History of Scrutiny
The center's evening events plug into a broader tourism economy in St. Tammany Parish, which generated $1.3 billion in visitor spending across nearly 3 million visits in 2023, ranking third among all Louisiana parishes in total visitor spending, according to Visit The Northshore. That spending is credited with saving each local household more than $1,300 in annual taxes.
The preserve has not always drawn only positive attention. An investigative reporting series by WWL-TV and The Advocate in May 2019 raised workplace safety and animal care concerns based on complaints from former employees, touching on wagon incidents and veterinary protocols, according to WWL-TV. The nonprofit reported more than $3.7 million in revenue in 2017.
Free Admission for Local Honor Roll Students
Global Wildlife Center also runs community-facing promotions tied to local schools, including a Smart Cookies program that offers free Safari Wagon Tour admission to K-12 students who achieve A/B Honor Roll status during select summer and winter periods, according to the center's own news updates. The incentive runs separately from the September Sunset Safari series but reflects the center's broader push to position itself as an educational resource for the region, not just a weekend attraction.
With three events on the calendar this month, running through September 26, the sunset format gives the preserve a way to showcase its animals in a different light than the standard daytime tour, quite literally, as dusk settles over the wagons and the regional menus rotate week to week.
