2021-10-14 Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

A number of rally attendees arrived before the actual rally started and some of us decided we would like to visit the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. We picked Thursday afternoon and a self-guided tour. The Center has been around for over 30 years. It was started by Tom Mantzel in 1973. He was a Ft Worth business man with a love for exotic animals and making money in the oil industry. He opened the ranch to the public in 1984 when the oil industry was on the downswing. There is an history to read about the Center which you can find at   https://fossilrim.org/history/.

An interesting sidelight to this visit was the young lady we met at the check-in station. She made a comment about seeing a number of ladies who rv coming through so we told her about the rally. Turns out that she herself is a full-time rver who lives in her RV and has worked at the center for a number of years. We also found out she belongs to our RVing Women and Friends Facebook Group which is open to all women over 18.

I don't have a copy of the little guidebook we got so I am just going to let everyone look at all the photos. We spent two hours driving through the park.

This guy was definitely in line for a food handout.

You are supposed to throw the feed out with the exception of the giraffes that you can handfeed.

Horns are everywhere and of all different sizes and shapes. Doesn't this look like the rack on a moose? It's not.

There are various kinds of deer or animals that look like deer to me. They are definitely eager for a handout.

I'm next. Don't forget me!

I'd like some too please.

You can handfeed the giraffes. there were a number of them but only a couple were right by the road just waiting for the next car to pull up.

They were very gentile but slobbery.

This was a baby back off the road.

More horns!

There is a Cheetah center where they have successfully bred many cheetahs.

This was a black rhino

I think these are wildebeasts.

And, finally a bison near the end.

 We all enjoyed the tour. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.