Crocodile Encounter in Alvin, Texas

M

MarkinTex

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
This is a little private zoo out in the sticks south of Houston that I stumbled across a month ago. Don't know if anyone has been there. I'm not sure what to think of it. On the one hand I talked to the owner who seems like a really nice guy and has a crocodile preserve down in Belize so is trying to do some good, and he sure does have a lot of alligators and crocodiles from around the world that you can see up-close, scarily close. On the other hand, his enclosures seem kind of sketchy, and especially the ones he has for non-crocodile species, that include things as diverse as red kangaroos, bongos, and ringtail lemurs. Overall the place reminded me of the little roadside tourist traps, often run by Seminole Indians, that I visited as a little kid when visiting my grandparents in south Florida.

Crocodile Encounter
 
I've visited exactly 45 zoos and aquariums in the state of Texas (many reviewed on my Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip thread), but I never made it to Crocodile Encounter. If you have some photos to upload into the ZooChat gallery then that would be awesome.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I really would have liked to see a little more of the place.
No camera on you either? That is too bad!

What crocodilian species do they exhibit?
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Their focus is on the Nile crocodile, but they also have American alligators, spectacled caiman, and a few other species of crocodile. I can't quite remember for sure, and looking it up (they don't have them listed on their page) on other peoples' reviews, their memories differ. I wanna say they had Cuban crocodiles, Orinoco crocs, and apparently at one time they had and bred Chinese alligators but I don't remember if I saw them there or not. Maybe mugger and slender snouted? From their FAQ:

"Crocodile Encounter currently maintains 14 species of crocodilians but our primary species is the Nile crocodile from Africa of which we have the largest group in the nation. Every year our facility grows and you are able to see more species on public display. We hide some of them until they are able to safely handle the rigors of living outdoors. Coddle is probably a more accurate word. They get loved on. Most of our resources are devoted to Nile crocodiles of 5 different bloodlines and our American alligators."
 
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tschandler71 said:
Bongo really are becoming a hot commodity in the secondary market.
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Understandably so. They’re obviously stunning animals, for one. They’re also the most even-keeled, tractable antelope you could ask for, and they’re generally quite hardy, making them rather easily managed in human care. They breed readily when allowed, too. There’s quite a good number of them in private hands in the United States, and the SSP works with quite a few of these facilities.
 
Kudu21 said:
Understandably so. They’re obviously stunning animals, for one. They’re also the most even-keeled, tractable antelope you could ask for, and they’re generally quite hardy, making them rather easily managed in human care. They breed readily when allowed, too. There’s quite a good number of them in private hands in the United States, and the SSP works with quite a few of these facilities.
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Yeah the numbers in private hands are insane. Just here in Southern Appalachia I know of several guys in the double digits.

Something you mentioned about being even keeled. Apparently intact males can be kept in social situations even around females. That is truly rare for hoofstock especially spiral horned antelopes.
 
tschandler71 said:
Yeah the numbers in private hands are insane. Just here in Southern Appalachia I know of several guys in the double digits.

Something you mentioned about being even keeled. Apparently intact males can be kept in social situations even around females. That is truly rare for hoofstock especially spiral horned antelopes.
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That sounds about right, numbers-wise.

While I have not worked with two mature males together, I have worked with an adult male and his subadult male offspring, and he was always very tolerant of them. The bongo bulls I have worked with have been some of the sweetest, most gentle animals. They really aren’t bothered by much. It is, indeed, a very rare behavior in antelope. Greater kudu are also pretty good about being non-competitive with multiple males and females together.

Not to completely derail this thread!
 
tschandler71 said:
Yeah the numbers in private hands are insane. Just here in Southern Appalachia I know of several guys in the double digits.

Something you mentioned about being even keeled. Apparently intact males can be kept in social situations even around females. That is truly rare for hoofstock especially spiral horned antelopes.
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Yep, I know a guy with a ranch here in Texas who has a small group of bongo. Dude also has zebras. Not a zoo or anything like that, just his private hobby ranch, about 2,200 acres. He's about my dad's age and sold his oil rig building company back in early 2014 when WTI was over $100/bbl. I don't know if he was prescient or just lucky to sell at the top just before the market plunged. Also has besia oryx and springbok, and several other species I'm sure.
 
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