PAOLI — There may be no lions or tigers, but grizzly bears, elephants and giraffes are among the numerous animals residing at Wilstem Ranch between Paoli and West Baden.
Though there have been no emergency calls for service for an incident at the wildlife park, West Baden Police Assistant Chief Andy Burkhardt spearheaded a preventative effort to explore the property to ensure firefighters, paramedics and police can access areas of property with varying terrain. Wilstem owner Jerry Fuhs of Jasper welcomed emergency personnel from the West Baden, French Lick and Paoli Police Departments, along with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police and French Lick Fire Department.
Wilstem Director of Operations Carrie Berg of Ferdinand explained both the ranch and emergency personnel simply wanted to make sure first responders all have a good understanding of the property. Carrie’s husband Dustin Berg discussed the property’s zip line course and showed options for landing a helicopter if the need arises.
“It has grown so much in the last few years with new buildings and exclosures,” Berg said. “It was also a great way to get them out, to make connections with local community members, which always good. It was nice to show them the property and thank them for what they do for our community. I think it will be a good partnership moving forward, they mentioned having training opportunities, so I’m hoping it’s now going to building that relationship to them moving forward.”
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