jbnbsn99's Texas Zoos #2

Cool...that's nice to hear. Thanks for passing it on!
And I absolutely agree with everything you wrote about JBNBSN99
 
Thanks guys. Your visits were the highlights of a rather grueling 3 week period for me.
 
I think I will give some hints to resurrecting this thread. I have two more zoos to add to my list of the Texas zoos and a full review will be coming with in the next few days.
Capital of Texas Zoo and Austin Zoo. These are 2 of the smallest zoos in Texas and neither is an AZA zoo, but I did see my first and only Fanaloka!!!

By my reasoning I have only a few more places to visit to complete my catalog of all the Texas animal facilities.

Downtown Aquarium Houston
Aquarium in Kemah
Moody Gardens
Texas Zoo
Bayou Safari Park
(all 4 of these will be taken care of in 1 2-day trip later this year)

Gladys Porter Zoo
Texas State Aquarium
Natural Bridge Wildlife Park
(all 3 of these will be taken care of in 1 2-day trip within the next month or so)

International Exotic Animal Sanctuary
(will be taken care of when ever I get to set up an appointment to visit)

Amarillo Zoo
El Paso Zoo
(no clue when I will get to visit these)

I think that will cover everything in the state as far as public collections are concerned.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Isn't the Capitol of Texas in Austin? So are there two zoos there, or is the first one misnamed? (Perhaps it is that the one in Victoria which used to simply be called Texas Zoo?).
Click to expand...

There are two zoos in and around Austin.

I doubt that there is any market for such a book, but who knows.
 
Bayou Safari Park? Where is that?

I have been to Moody Gardens, although it was a few years ago so I don't remember too much about it.
 
Trip to Austin - Part 1 - Capital of Texas Zoo

So, just when I thought I knew all the zoos in Texas, one that I had never heard of springs up. The Capital of Texas Zoo. Talk about out of the way. Most zoos I’ve visited have been pretty easy to get to, with things like, you know, roads. Not here. Well, a slight hyperbole if you will. There were roads, just not the kind you are used to (i.e. paved). We are out in the boonies just outside of Austin in what appears to be a converted homestead.

I had a goal for this trip. It was not to see great exhibit design or great potential in zoo excellence; I knew neither would be found here. My goal was to see a few animals I hadn’t seen before. I mostly succeeded.

The CoTZ is not an AZA facility, one of the few actual zoos I’ve visited that isn’t. It shows here too. The entry was a small portable building (mobile home) with a desk and stack of exotic snakes in small terrariums. In order to get admission you need to honk your car horn so alert the people on staff that you are there. The day I went only a single keeper was looking after the whole place. It reminds me of some of the facilities across the pond that so many younger members of the site are so fond of and that we “Yanks” can’t stand. Chicken wire and lumber for everyone! Just like the roads getting here, the paths of the zoo aren’t paved. I can’t imagine it after a good rain. I would call this a roadside zoo, except for the whole road issue. Like many roadside zoos it has your standard fair of essential animals (a single lion and a single white tiger, ring tailed lemurs, brown lemurs, wallabies, emus, fallow deer, a pony, etc.).

Here’s where we start getting interested though. How about lots of rare pheasants (curassows, several Asian pheasants no labels so I don’t know the exact species)? They had my first Asiatic Black Bear as well as European Wild Boars (one of my favorites at this zoo). Nile and Morelet’s Crocodiles. The Nile Croc might possibly be of Malagasy origin from a source I’ve seen, but I can’t confirm this. Tamar Wallaby. Patas and Vervet Monkeys. African Genet and Asian Palm Civets (kopi luwak anyone?).

Here’s the kicker though. Fossas. The place had 4 Fossas, and is evidently one of the major breeders in the US for them. The guy who owns the place imported a lot of them a few years ago when it was very easy to do and only cost $600 for each animal. They are supplying other zoos around the country with Fossas. If that wasn’t enough he not only imported a lot of Fossas, but also somehow got a Fanaloka. Yeah, that’s right, this little Podunk zoo in the middle of nowhere happens to be the only zoo in the world that has a Fanaloka. A single male named Fanny. I told a few other ZooChatters about this and they were skeptical, but I have pictures to prove it, and they aren’t fuzzy, so we are not on the hunt for Fanalokasquatch.

Overall, the CoTZ is what it is, a little hole in the wall, kind of like your favorite dive bar. It may smell a little like vodka and stale urine, but occasionally a hot girl walks in and makes it all better.
 
So, I'm off in a little bit to visit the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Boyd, TX. Sounds like a roadside place, but is the only AZA accredited animal sanctuary out there.
 
Trip to Austin - Part 2 - Austin Zoo

Well, my journey to the state's capital wasn't complete until I visited a second zoo in the area. Honestly, I didn't have high hopes for the Austin Zoo, as all I knew it as, was a rescue center. Coming from Austin I assumed that it was run by hippies and PeTA. Turns out I was wrong. I saw no signs of PeTA people there, although sometimes they tend to blend in well with the rest of the human population. The best way to spot a PeTA person is to look on the other side of telephone poles. Due to their lack of sufficient protein they are often easy to high behind tall cylindrical items. No bean poles here, I'm safe for another day.

So, I am pleasantly surprised when I get to the place at how nice it is. It isn't the world's greatest by any means, but for their goal as being a rescue center it is one of the better ones out there. I won't bore you with a complete walk-through. I think instead I will do a snowleopard style Best, Average, and Worst.

Best - Big cat areas.
No exhibit here is sparkling with visitor amenities and pristine views. I hardly expect that honestly. What these areas have is a lot of space. The Jaguar exhibit is one of the best I have seen. While I am not a fan of taxonomic grouping, it is nice to see Jaguars next to Leopards for comparisons. All of the big cats (lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, pumas, bobcat, and lynx) had very nice sized enclosures and all had access to pool with running water. The Black Bears had a similar living arrangement.

Average -
Farm section
a large portion of the Austin Zoo is dedicated to a farm area just for kids to pet a goat.
Diversity
Obviously the main focus is on big cats, but the rest of the collection seems to be made of animals that some people will keep as exotic pets.

Worst
Monkey cages
Several species of primates lived here (spider, squirrel, patas, colobus monkeys and ring-tailed and brown lemurs). None were in large enough areas. Lots of other animals were in similar cages. However, as far as I know most, if not all, of these animals were taken in by the zoo after someone couldn't care for them any longer.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with the Austin Zoo. It is what it is. And if that isn't the most boring tautology I don't know what is. This is a place, from everything that I could see, that might be able to pursue AZA accreditation in a few years time.
 
jbnbsn99 said:
So, I'm off in a little bit to visit the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Boyd, TX. Sounds like a roadside place, but is the only AZA accredited animal sanctuary out there.
Click to expand...

I believe they are AZA related, which is one step below accredited. Still, the only sanctuary that is, so it must be pretty good. The last time I checked their website, they were developing a huge bear area with enclosures of one or more acres each. Sounds fantastic, but I don't think that part will be open to the public yet.
 
International Exotic Animal Sanctuary

First off, shame on me for not writing this two months ago when I visited. I will make amends now though.

IEAS is not your typical "sanctuary." This place is proud of its AZA status and I think rightfully so. This is not a zoo by any means and should not be thought of as such. The only way you are able to see the place is to arrange a visit by calling ahead for a tour. Tours are only done at 11:30 and last about an hour and a half. Tour is usually guided by one of the interns working there.

A caveat for someone like Arizona Docent, this is not a place for photography. You can only carry a small hand-held camera (no tripods) and you don't ever stop to get a chance to take photos.

Most of the exhibits are functional enclosures that are perfect for these animals. Housed at the facility are just cats and bears that have been rescued from one place or another.

By far the best area is the Bear Orphanage. This a a set of 2 5-acres yards for 10 black bears. These are so densely wooded that on my trip we didn't see a single bear.

One thing I admire of the place is their strict non-breeding policy (with the possible exception of their Amur Leopard who is an SSP animal from a major zoo and is just being housed there).

Honestly, there really isn't that much to report on the place. No exhibitry to comment on or guest amenities. Just a simple sanctuary that does a lot of good and is going things the right way.
 
I am setting out on the next leg of my Texas zoo tour tomorrow morning. 2 day trip - Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, Texas State Aquarium, and finally the long overdue Gladys Porter Zoo!
 
We are back from our Texas Zoo Trip.We hit up Dallas World Aquarium, Dallas Zoo and Fort Worth Zoo and found each establishment to be outstanding. We wanna give out a special thanks to Brett for giving us an awesome Monorail tour and taking time out of his day to have lunch with us and tour Giants of the Savannah.Giants is as advertised and then some by far the best exhibit of its kind.We are going to do our best to post individual reviews and post pics in the next couple of days.

Team Tapir
 
I guess I should. I got kind of jaded with reviews after reading a few epic and brutal reviews. Maybe later today.
 
My "epic" South Texas Trip - Part 1

Oh where to begin.

A long time ago,
in a land south of here,
I took a journey.

This journey was epic,
at least to me it was,
I had only ever done this
once before.

Two days away from home,
away from comfort, a familiar toilet,
and a bed of my own.

A hotel I would have to get,
the cheaper the better,
hopefully no roaches this time.

I awoke early that day,
Hesitation awoke with me,
doubts of my journey.

I pushed through those doubts
and out the door I went.

Four hours driving awaited me that day,
at least that is how much before my first port of call.

Rain loomed overhead
e're I drove further south.
Would this be the day
I would get rained out?

30 minutes before my first destination,
The mighty thunder gods unleashed their fury;
had I offended some unknown PeTA deity.

I pulled over for gas,
and out of the storm.
I stocked up on victuals, noms, and more.

No end to the deluge insight
and hope faded of a zoological respite.

My hope was gone,
but my victuals remained.
I would plug ever onward
despite the rain.

My exit approached,
the sky began to lighten,
I turned off the highway,
and my day began to brighten.

The rain was subsiding,
but the sky, ever ominous,
told me to keep an eye open,
for a further annoyance.

The narrow winding road,
was full of construction.
Men with flags
delayed my arrival.

After four hours,
sitting upon my rump,
my patience was thin,
but I must take my lumps.

A childhood curiosity awaited me ahead,
I place known only by billboards from my youth,
and strange rumors of species unknown.

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch it was,
A Safari in Texas,
Not something unheard of.

I knew precious little,
but that didn't stop me,
For I had a goal,
See all the zoos,
In the great state of Texas.

Turn record over now for side B
 
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