A wild ride

Other than the company name and logos on it, the tractor-trailer driven by Carolyn Lantz basically looks like the typical truck you’d see on any highway.

A quick peek inside will reveal this isn’t your typical 53-foot trailer.

Aussie Kingdom, started in 2007 and based in Elizabeth, Colo., brings approximately 379 species found in Australia to all parts of North America.

The business was a result of Lantz’s passion and affinity for the unique wildlife native to Australia.

According to its website, Aussie Kingdom is the only traveling Australian animal stage show in the United States and Canada.

“We primarily travel in the summer,” Lantz, president of Aussie Kingdom, said. “The opportunity to take these animals out and introduce them to people is really special. The people you meet along the way are half of the experience.”

Lantz earned her commercial driver’s license at 18, and drove for about a year before deciding it wasn’t something she wanted to do full-time, at least not at that point.

She kept her CDL current, and after spending time in the emergency medical field as well as corporate America, Lantz made a return to life behind the wheel as a steward of Australian – and all – wildlife.

That stewardship starts right on Lantz’s Colorado ranch, where she plans to open a wildlife center in the near future and a fully heated facility currently stands to house the animals during the winter.

As far as the trailer, which was previously a race car trailer, Lantz said a lot of work was put in to build complete living quarters in the front half of the trailer, while the middle consists of animals that require cages and room to move around.

All the equipment is in the back of the trailer, and it’s all designed with the safety and comfort of the wildlife in mind.

“It’s completely custom and climate-controlled,” Lantz said. “We have a generator for air conditioning or heat. We always take the most efficient route and cap our travel at 500 miles per day.”

Unfortunately, like is the case for many drivers, parking can create some challenges for the Aussie Kingdom truck, says Lantz. Additional needs are also considered on trips to keep the animals comfortable.

“We typically have to stop at 5 p.m. when traveling in order to get a parking spot,” Lantz said. “The routes pretty much change every year, and some parts of the country are harder to drive a truck through. We try and limit the vehicles running around us. The trailer is insulated to limit the noise and help control temperature.”

But those challenges have done little to slow the travels of the Aussie Kingdom trailer. In fact, the traveling show has been to all 48 of the contiguous states, providing educational opportunities at everything from small county fairs all the way up to state fairs.

Lantz, who’s active with the Western Fairs Association, Florida Federation of Fairs, and Zoological Associations of America, stressed the importance of the educational impact of Aussie Kingdom.

In fact, it’s the reason she does what she does.

“We’re more likely to preserve and protect what we know,” Lantz said. “The animals don’t do tricks. It’s all about the educational part of the program.” LL