beastdoctor
Active Member
CALM is a mini zoo found by Bakersfield, CA. It only houses native California species, and a petting zoo. There is a nice exhibit of desert tortoises/road runners. There is a small, but nice exhibit of California reptiles, such as kingsnakes, rattlesnakes, and chuckawallas. It is the only air-conditioned exhibit there, so a real hit on those blistering hot summer days in BKLFD. There is an exhibit with 2 black bears, which are frisky when the weather is right, such as during the fall or spring. There is a nice collection of foxes, including the San Joaquin kit fox (endangered), the endangered Channel Islands gray fox, the red fox, and the gray fox. They are displayed such that one can savor their musky smell. There are nervous coyotes, displayed between the foxes and the bears. There is a small herd of mule deer, but the bucks are castrated, so no antler development ever occurs, other that a nub. There is a golden and bald eagle display house. The cougars and bobcats have a new display, but one cougar recently died, so they are down to 1. The newest members of the zoo are desert bighorns, from the SD Zoo. They recently had a lamb. I would like the zoo to get into the tule elk display business, as well as the wild boar, which are now a pest in the state, but would look good in the zoo. The zoo puts on a spectacular Christmas lights display at that season, which I like better than the San Diego Safari Park's. There are some small mammals in individual cages and some birds, and a duck pond and a little museum indoors, and that's about it. About a 2 or 3 hour experience.
