Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Fossil Rim Wildlife Center - Glen Rose, Texas

Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas is 1,400 acres and has a 9.5 mile road to drive through large fenced enclosures with animals (compared to 600 acres and a 4.5 mile road at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon). It has all the advantages that Wildlife Safari has and more. It is possible to feed many more animals from the car which is what really makes it fun (Wildlife Safari has only one small area where it is possible to feed the animals). It was one of the most fun travel activities Judy and I have done. 

What follows are some of the photos we took:
The blackbuck is native to India, Nepal and Pakistan. This was the first time I've ever gotten a good look at one. The males are black and the females are brown. 



This was the first time I'd seen a roan antelope. We subsequently saw one in the wild in Hwange NP in Zimbabwe. 


A sable antelope. I hoped to see one on our trip to Southern Africa, but this will have to suffice. 

A scimitar-horned oryx. Went extinct in the wild in the 1980s, but was reintroduced into the wild in Chad in 2016. Some of the reintroduced animals came from Fossil Rim and the collars on the wild animals were tested on the herd at Fossil Rim. 


The emus were very fun. They came right up to the car window and pecked the food out of our hands. The peck didn't hurt, but it was strong enough that we could really feel it. These were one of the most fun animals. 



The common or Ellipsen waterbuck has a target on its rear-end. We saw these in Buffalo Springs, Kenya and in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. 



The beautiful red deer of Europe and Asia, very similar to the American elk, which we've never seen in the wild. We did get in some neck scratching and feeding. 



A blue wildebeest which we've seen in Etosha NP, Namibia.

Reticulated giraffes which we've seen in Buffalo Springs NR in Kenya. 




The addax, critically endangered in the wild in North Africa and much more common in captivity. This was the first time I'd ever seen one and maybe even heard of one. They were very cool. 



A wild Rio Grande turkey

A Barbary sheep or aoudad, native to North Africa, but now with more in Texas than their native range. 

Look at Judy's smile and you can tell she's having fun!

A fallow deer, of Europe, which we've never seen in the wild.


A gemsbok, which we've seen in the wild in Etosha NP in Namibia. 


A mountain zebra which we have not seen in the wild. 

When it opened its mouth in the car Judy started to laugh harder than I have ever heard her. This picture is indelibly inked upon my mind. 

There are other animals we did not see or photograph. Fossil Rim is a fantastic place to visit. I would love to go back. 

1 comment:

  1. It felt like Eden at Fossil Rim. In general, the animals were not afraid of us at all. I will never look at a zebra again without thinking of that big, toothy grin inches away from my face. What a blast.

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