The tallest living mammals are a park favorite. Originally found in Eastern, Southern, and Central Africa, giraffes are unable to bend completely to the ground because all their legs are the same (long) length. The giraffes at Fossil Rim have grown accustomed to being fed by hand from the passing cars on tours.
Photo by Juan R. Govea.
If you’ve lived in North Texas for any serious amount of time, you’ve probably heard of Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. Sitting on 1,800 acres in Glen Rose (about an hour’s drive south of Fort Worth), the park is not only home to 1,100 mostly freely roaming exotic species, including 20 threatened or endangered animals like the largest herd of wildebeest in North America. Fossil Rim is also a Top 3 North American breeding center based on aggregate numbers. The park matches the creatures based on personality and social behaviors to “get some of the animals back into the wild,” says Fossil Rim CMO Warren Lewis.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the park that opened in 1984 is a nonprofit whose funding comes from grants by the Moody Foundation, Meadows Foundation, and others, plus donations and paying visitors, who love the self-driving tours — you can’t rightfully call yourself a nature lover until you’ve felt a giraffe’s velvety tongue while feeding them. (For feeding all the other animals, tourists must throw the food on the ground.) Lewis says the park and its 80 employees see about 250 vehicles driving the 7.2-mile trail on weekends and about half that amount during the week.
Fossil Rim works with several zoos and other animal-loving entities across the globe and is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Zoological Association of America.
“We collaborate with a lot of people, but we know we can’t solve endangered species,” Lewis said. “We have two full-time vets on-site and a lot of training goes on, from teaching breeding to rereleasing animals. We invite people to tell our story.”
A Top 3 breeding center in North America, Fossil Rim says it’s dedicated to the conservation of species in peril, conducting scientific research, training of professionals, responsible management of natural resources, and public education. Photo by Juan R. Govea.Fossil Rim stays busy on the weekends and can handle several cars per hour. Visitors need to schedule their tours beforehand via FossilRim.org. Photo by Juan R. Govea.The park is full of several herds of grazing animals, including the European Red Deer. Native to Europe and Southwestern Asia, they look like the American elk and had to be scientifically proven different in 2004. The males emit a powerful bugling call during the mating season which can be heard from more than a half-mile away. Photo by Juan R. Govea.The park homes cheetahs from Southern, Western, and Eastern Africa and Iran. The fastest land mammal has oversized nostrils, a flexible spine, an enlarged heart, and increased lung capacity to be able to reach 65 mph in seconds. Photo by Juan R. Govea.In 2012, the Fort Worth Zoo sent a 38-year-old southern white rhino to the park to retire. Though Edith had not given birth in 10 years, she had a healthy baby 15 months later at the age of 42, making her the oldest known female rhino on record to become a mama. Baby Ursula went on to have several babies, including Rocket, who was born on December 28, 2023. Photo by Juan R. Govea.On occasional Friday afternoons and throughout the weekend, tour guides drive throughout the park and describe the different breeds and their traits to visitors. The park starts the day with tours at 8:30 a.m. and stays open until 4:30 p.m. Photo by Juan R. Govea.Fossil Rim is home to 12 giraffes, including Snorgie, who gave birth out in the open to a 110-pound, 6-foot-tall baby, Big Mac, on June 29. Every animal at Fossil Rim is cared for by 80 staffers plus additional support. Photo by Juan R. Govea.Like most of the other herd animals, the Hartmann’s mountain zebras from Namibia and South Africa roam the park in groups. These animals’ hair is striped black and white, but — fun fact alert — once their stripes are removed, the skin is naturally black. Photo by Juan R. Govea.Native to South Africa, the gemsbok is known as the “African horse.” They are capable of surviving in a waterless habitat where many other animals would perish. African art mimics the definitive facial patterns. Photo by Juan R. Govea.Fossil Rim CMO Lewis: “We’re in the process of raising money for our new vet clinic that’s going to be called the Animal Health and Conservation Center. We are going to break ground in August, and that will be about a $2.5 million project, so we are getting close.” Photo by Juan R. Govea.Fossil Rim Wildlife Center founder Tom Mantzel occasionally stays at the park’s lodge. Guests will encounter animals walking up to the four suites. People from all over the world have stayed at the lodge. Photo by Juan R. Govea.
Don’t Forget To Feed Me has boots on the ground providing pet food for people who can’t afford to feed their pets. Read about them and other local support agencies in our Look for the Helpers article in Eats & Drinks.
