Texas reserve offers safari-like experience

Stephanie Oswald

In this story: Preservation efforts Up close with the animals Comfortable accommodations RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Stephanie Oswald
CNN Travel Now

GLEN ROSE, Texas (CNN) -- A true African safari usually comes with a hefty price tag and a demanding time commitment, but you don't have to travel all the way to Africa to get your feet wet.

We spent a few days taping for a CNN Travel Now safari special at a place in the Texas hills, the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, where many travelers come to "test the waters" and make some exotic friends. An afternoon spent feeding giraffes, gawking at guanacos and photographing an adorable rhinoceros calf can help you decide whether you're ready for the real thing.

Tourists can take guided tours in open-air jeeps for just under $30, or take the scenic wildlife drive at their own pace for about $15 for adults and $10 for children. Following the route is easy, but if you don't know a lot about the specific creatures parading in front of you, the guided tour might be your best bet for getting the most out of the experience.

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My adventure at Fossil Rim began just a short way into our jeep tour of the grounds, when a small but aggressive group of giraffes surrounded our jeep. Our tour guide was Fossil Rim Vice President of Conservation, Bruce Williams. He reassured me that the lanky creatures were only searching for food, but looking up at these towering animals was a bit unnerving. They have long black tongues -- velvety to the touch and quick to wrap around a feed pellet held in front of their mouths. Watching the graceful giraffes saunter away is like watching a ballet in the wild.

Preservation efforts

While some of the animals roaming the 1,500 acres of this nonprofit wildlife haven come from faraway lands, for the most part, these creatures rarely arrive at Fossil Rim directly from the wilds of their native countries. "We work with zoos and other wildlife centers in cooperative programs," said Williams.

Not all of the critters are exotic. In fact, one of Williams' pet projects involves the Attwater's Prairie Chicken, a species native to Texas, and quite likely one that easily could have disappeared without Fossil Rim's intervention. Only about 50 live in the wild today.

Fossil Rim has received recognition for its preservation efforts, including successful managed breeding of threatened species such as black and white rhinos. "Our greater mission is to have people begin to think and act differently regarding the environment and their effect on the environment," Williams said.

Up close with the animals

The menagerie at Fossil Rim ranges from cheetahs and rhinos to a species of prairie chicken native to Texas

My two favorite encounters involved a rhino calf named "Jabu" and a cheetah cub called "Sapphire." Getting up close and personal with a cheetah cub is an incredible experience. Even though she was only a few months old, just the notion of having a cheetah crawling up my pant leg conjures up images of "Wild Kingdom" and instills a tiny bit of fear. Even though you can see the cub has a sweet disposition, there is still a chorus of inner voices telling you "you're playing with a CHEETAH!"

"Jabu" was behind a fence, in a pen with her mom. She played in the mud puddles and raced around as if kicking up her heels in delight over the unusually warm winter day. I never imagined a hefty rhinoceros could have the energy level of a cheerleader and nimble skills all her own. These two little animal children were a delightful addition to the postcards in my mental collection.

And here's something you don't come across every day: special maternity care for a rhinoceros. "We really kind of pioneered a technology here at Fossil Rim where we use ultrasound on both our white rhinos and black rhinos and we can even document pregnancy in animals at about 30 days," Williams said.

Comfortable accommodations

This environmental Eden is just outside Glen Rose, Texas. It's about a 90 minute drive southwest of Dallas and a three hour drive from Austin. The center has a couple of options accommodations-wise, ranging from $150 to $300 per night. Rustic canvas tented cabins at the Foothills Safari Camp have their own bathroom, and central heating and air conditioning.

We stayed at The Lodge at Fossil Rim, a ranch-style home with several rooms to rent, some with a fireplace and/or a Jacuzzi tub. It's the former home of the wealthy oil magnate who initiated the idea of building a refuge on the Texas range for the deer and the antelope to play. A delicious and hearty breakfast is included in the room rate and dinner can be arranged for a price, or you could drive into the small town to find a meal.

The first person who gathered the exotic animals at Fossil Rim never intended for it to evolve into a center for research, education and tourism. He simply wanted a place to enjoy his collection of wild animals. Today it's a collection that has grown to amazing proportions, and is open for the world to see.

Fossil Rim

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