Aggieland Safari New Aggieland Safari Park and Species List

3/18/2021 trip

BOVIDS:
1. banteng
2. bison
3. blackbuck
4. domestic goat
5. domestic ox
6. gazelle sp. [Dorcas? Rhim?]
7. oryx sp. [Beisa?]
8. red lechwe
9. scimitar oryx
10. water buffalo
11. white bearded gnu
12. yak
13. zebu

EQUIDS
1. domestic donkey
2. domestic pony
3. plains zebra
4. zonkey

CERVIDS
1. barasingha
2. fallow deer
3. Pere David deer
4. Sika deer

CAMELIDS
1. alpaca
2. llama

SWINE
1. domestic hog
2. red river hog
3. warthog

RODENTS
1. capybara
2. prehensile tail porcupine

PRIMATES
1. Geoffroy spider monkey
2. Ringtail lemur

CARNIVORA
1. Asian smallclaw otter
2. crabeating raccoon
3. fennec
4. fishing cat
5. kinkajou
6. silver fox
7. tayra

MARSUPIALS
1. Bennett wallaby|
2, red kangaroo

OTHER MAMMALS
1. giraffe
2. hippo
3. southern tamandua

PARROTS
1. blue-and-gold macaw
2. budgerigar
3. cockatiel
4. gray parrot
5. Eclectus
6. turquoise front Amazon

GAMEFOWL
1. peafowl
2. turkey [wild?]

WATERFOWL
1. barheaded goose
2. black swan

RATITES
1. emu
2. greater rhea
3. ostrich

OTHER BIRDS
1. red crested turaco

NOTE: the large aviary was closed due to damage in the snowstorm, so I saw far fewer bird species than on previous trips. Many of the primate exhibits have been removed or repurposed. I still can't figure out what type the gazelle are, but I ruled out Grant's, my previous guess, as they lack the appropriate rump pattern
 
That's sort of a disappointing line up for a Texas based Safari park. You would think they would have some of the Kudu/Nyala/Bongo breeding like rabbits on Texas ranches.
 
To my knowledge there aren't any Dorcas Gazelles left in the US, not even on private or hunting ranches.

~Thylo
 
ThylacineAlive said:
To my knowledge there aren't any Dorcas Gazelles left in the US, not even on private or hunting ranches.

~Thylo
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hmmm then my best guess is Rhim gazelle maybe. none of the individuals I saw had the dark stripes of Tommies, nor the white patches above the tail of Grant's
 
tschandler71 said:
That's sort of a disappointing line up for a Texas based Safari park. You would think they would have some of the Kudu/Nyala/Bongo breeding like rabbits on Texas ranches.
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last time I went I saw more types of antelope, both in the drive thru and walk thru portions...possibly some were off hiding in trees, or they had casualties in the snow storm? A number of cages were being renovated, and the aviary was still noticeably collapsed from the snow But I did notice the kudu were missing, last time I went there was kudu in the giraffe cage

also, I can confirm the tamandua is Southern, and signed as Southern, but the species epithet is incorrectly given as mexicana
 
Having Hippos and Giraffes is impressive, I was meaning primarily the lack of bovid diversity.

But where would one even get Hippos on the secondary market? I thought even the legit channels (AZA, SSP, ZAA) had trouble sourcing them.
 
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AbileneBoy said:
hmmm then my best guess is Rhim gazelle maybe. none of the individuals I saw had the dark stripes of Tommies, nor the white patches above the tail of Grant's
Click to expand...

Do you have a photo? A look at the horns would probably make it pretty easy to identify as a Rhim.

~Thylo
 
ThylacineAlive said:
Do you have a photo? A look at the horns would probably make it pretty easy to identify as a Rhim.

~Thylo
Click to expand...
I worked at Aggieland Safari at the time doing education tours and can confirm that they never had rhim antelope, and while there was no Oryx beisa, we did have a single gemsbok with a horn deformity named Elvis.
 
AbileneBoy said:
last time I went I saw more types of antelope, both in the drive thru and walk thru portions...possibly some were off hiding in trees, or they had casualties in the snow storm? A number of cages were being renovated, and the aviary was still noticeably collapsed from the snow But I did notice the kudu were missing, last time I went there was kudu in the giraffe cage

also, I can confirm the tamandua is Southern, and signed as Southern, but the species epithet is incorrectly given as mexicana
Click to expand...
Since opening, the park changed ownership multiple times and is currently owned by Wild Animal Safari, and as such a lot of the animals that the park opened with are gone now. Especially in regards to the hoofstock and bird collections. It was very disappointing watching the park's collection decline under the management of Wild Animal Safari, the staff are a great group of people but the owners care for little more than money.
 
Has anyone visited here recently? Reading through this thread, it seems like they had a really strong start and burned out almost immediately. I'll be in the area in two weeks, and am trying to weigh this place vs Natural Bridge Safari Park.

The main thing I'm curious about is whether or not there's any chance they actually have black wildebeest, as USDA suggests. USDA also lists them as having mountain coati, which I think we all know what the deal is there, as well as giant eland, which was cleared up in this very thread, so I know there's a strong possibility this is a mis-report and nothing else. And on one hand, I've definitely seen USDA log blue wildebeest as black before, but on the other, it does seem like there actually are a small number of black wildebeest kicking around in US safari parks, so it doesn't seem quite as farfetched as the other inaccuracies.

Either way, solid chance I swing by for the crab-eating raccoon and Eld's deer.
 
biggest_dreamer said:
Has anyone visited here recently? Reading through this thread, it seems like they had a really strong start and burned out almost immediately. I'll be in the area in two weeks, and am trying to weigh this place vs Natural Bridge Safari Park.

The main thing I'm curious about is whether or not there's any chance they actually have black wildebeest, as USDA suggests. USDA also lists them as having mountain coati, which I think we all know what the deal is there, as well as giant eland, which was cleared up in this very thread, so I know there's a strong possibility this is a mis-report and nothing else. And on one hand, I've definitely seen USDA log blue wildebeest as black before, but on the other, it does seem like there actually are a small number of black wildebeest kicking around in US safari parks, so it doesn't seem quite as farfetched as the other inaccuracies.

Either way, solid chance I swing by for the crab-eating raccoon and Eld's deer.
Click to expand...
If you are debating between Natural Bridge and Aggieland, it should really be Natural Bridge, no question. The two facilities are not comparable in my mind. Natural Bridge is now an active AZA Sustainability Partner and is actively working to improve. Aggieland is a roadside safari, plain and simple, that has obviously placed more of an importance on making money than animal welfare. Of the 67 zoological facilities I have visited, it is only one of two that I regret visiting. To me, the Eld’s deer and crab-eating raccoons would not be worth it (no black wildebeest). And for what it’s worth, when I visited in January 2023, I only saw a single Eld’s deer female.
 
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