Some faces you’ll see along the way…

Penned Animals

These animals can be found in large pens before entering the open range. They are only separated for their protection, or the protection of other animals out in the pastures. These guys are on a special diet, so don’t throw any feed into their enclosure!

Lowland Tapir

Hi there! My name is Tyler, and I am a Lowland Tapir native to the Amazon Rainforest! I am a peculiar and primitive mammal as the earliest tapir’ are known to be from the Eocene Epoch, which began 56 million years ago! Tapir species have survived several waves of extinction - But, with the unprecedented speed at which Lowland Tapir habitat has changed in the past 30 years, my species is now listed vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. 

Bennett's Wallaby

Welcome to the Safari! We are called Bennett's Wallaby and you can find us native to Australia, much like our larger cousin the Kangaroo! We are mainly active at dawn and at dusk, which may be an adaptation to reduce predation or as a way of avoiding thermal stress while capitalizing on available light! We are on a special diet, so save your pellets for somebody else!

Greater Kudu Antelope

To your left, you'll spot us hanging in the comfort of our barn or grazing on grass. We are called the Greater Kudu Antelope originally native to Southeast Africa. We are the inspiration for the Exotic Resort Zoo’s logo… Our male has the most beautiful set of spirally horns that you have ever seen! So, we guess you can say, we are one of the favorites around here!

Dama Gazelle

You can’t miss our beautiful long dainty legs over on your right side! Because of our slender features, we are known as the “Ballerina Gazelle”. We are one of the most endangered species of gazelle, so currently we are more populous here in the Hill Country than in our homeland of Northern Africa! If we come close enough to the fence, feel free to throw us some snacks.

Springbok Gazelle

We’re dainty and tan in color so it might be hard to spot us but take a look to your left. We are native to South Africa, in fact, we are the South African symbol kind of like the Bald Eagle is for America! We are also one of the fastest animals ever... reaching speeds of 55mph!

Nigerian Pygmy Goats

What animal has a beard like an old man, eats weeds like candy, thinks a pile of rocks is a playground, and is smaller than your lap dog? ME! A pygmy goat! You can enjoy our company after your visit by parking at the gift shop and walking down to visit us. Make sure to bring some snacks, we have a hefty appetite! 

Petting Zoo Deer & Babies

You'll cruise right past our petting zoo enclosure before entering the WILD part of your Drive-Thru experience. After the ride, please come by and say hello by parking at the gift shop and walking through the main entrance. We will be happy to take any left-over snacks! 

Every Pasture

Fallow Deer

You will see us in every pen today! There is a lot of us out here and we’re not shy at all. We’re originally native to Europe and we are found in three different colors: chocolate, white and spotted. Our bucks make huge, flat antlers that they lose when breeding season ends. So, if you see some antler sheds on the ground, it's normal. In any deer species, antlers fall off and grow back every year!

Axis Deer

Hello! We are a little darker than the Fallow Deer and we have vibrant white polka dots! We are native to Asia originally, but now were very popular here in Texas. In fact, we’re ranked the #1 most populous exotic here!

Sika Deer

You’ll also see us in most of the pens today, however, we are normally a bit shyer than our Fallow or Axis friends. Our name comes from "shika", the Japanese word for "deer"! We prefer to live in wetlands and forested marshes with dense undergrowth. However, we can easily adapt to a variety of habitats and we are primarily nocturnal.

Greater Rhea

Howdy! We are called Rhea birds, and we are originally native to South America. Although we look similar to ostriches, we are much smaller and we either have all gray or all white plumage! Remember, you do not want to hand feed us, but you can throw some food on the ground. Apparently, we only have a brain the size of a green pea, so we run on pure instinct! You’ll continue to see us throughout the rest of your adventure!

Emu

Now, we are a little bit bigger than our cousin the Rhea bird and you’ll see a few of us in every pen today! We’re shaped like a football and have real soft brown feathers. You do not want to hand-feed us, but if we come up to your vehicle, throw some pellets on the ground and watch us peck it up! If you listen closely during your ride, you just might hear the ladies' boom like a bass drum and the boys whistling to their own tune! 

The Camel Pen

Dromedary Camel

Hey there! We’re sure that you’ll spot us quickly. Our names are Cooper, Cruz and Cayden! We are Dromedary Camels, native to Africa and traditionally used as pack animals. You can hand feed us with a big handful of feed but watch your bag because we might steal it! 

Sable Antelope

You will have a very hard time spotting us today, but normally we're found lying low over in the shaded area on your left. We are called Sable Antelope. We are the last antelope that shares genes with the now-extinct Bluebuck Antelope - So, you can call us a "living fossil"! 

Texas Dall Sheep

The Texas Dall Sheep was derived from cross breeding Corsican and Mouflon Sheep on the YO Ranch in Kerville. This beautiful animal typically has a bright white coat and weighs in at a hefty 140 to 150 pounds!

Watusi

Hi! My name is Ferdinand and I am three years old. Watusi were originally bred using the Egyptian Longhorn & the Zebu Longhorn during ancient Egyptian times. We have the largest horns in the entire cattle kingdom, in fact if you were to measure around the base of my horns, they are 30 inches in circumference! 

The Zebra Pen

Grant Zebra

We are sure beautiful, but our bite packs a punch! So, please do NOT hand-feed us. Grant Zebra like us are a subspecies of the African Plains' Zebra, and each member of our herd carries their own unique set of stripes! You’d think our stripes would make us stand out in the wild, however, we’re actually one of the best camouflaged animals in the world because we blend in beautifully on almost any background! 

The Elk Pen

Common Elk

Hello! We are the North American Elk and we are found in both brown or white coats! The Exotic Resort Zoo really loves us because we were the first type of animal they ever started collecting about 27 years ago. Read more about how they got started on the 'About Our Zoo' page in the top menu!

Moufflon Sheep

You'll find a few of us mixed into the bunch. We are wild sheep, a species regarded as one of the two original ancestors of modern-day sheep! Our coat is reddish-brown and short-haired, and a dark stripe runs along our back, with lighter colored patches on the side - so, don't confuse us with the not-so-shy Aoudad sheep! 

The Ostrich Pen

African Ostrich

Thanks for finally making it to Ostrich territory! You really don’t want to hand-feed us, we peck! We’re the largest of all flightless bird species, standing as tall as 10 feet when fully grown! Our females lay some biiiiig eggs to match, coming in at 20-24 times the size of a chicken egg!

Eland Antelope

We are the biggest species of antelope in the entire world! Our big bull is named Eli and our females are named Eleanor, Elisabeth and Emma. We will come right up for a snack! In fact, we are infamous around here for sticking our whole head into your car... so, watch your bags of feed! We don’t vocalize a lot of sounds, but we will make a click-clack sound from our ankles to communicate with one another. Morris Code, anyone?

Aoudad Sheep

You’ll find a ton of us back here! We’ve got some big rams, a lot of females and a whole bunch of babies! You are more than welcome to hand-feed us. This species has been inappropriately called a sheep, although recent genetic information reveals that it is much more closely related to wild goats. We are also excellent climbers!

Asian Water Buffalo

Hey there! We’re probably hiding in our pond if it's a hot summer day… but if you spot us, be sure to throw us some snacks! We are native to Southeast Asia and were domesticated years ago to plow rice farms, because we are very strong and very accustomed to muddy and swampy conditions. In fact, we've been nicknamed the "Living Tractors of the East".

The Buffalo Pen

North American Bison

We are more commonly known as the Buffalo, this is just a nickname we picked up somewhere along the way! Technically, there are huge physical differences between buffalo and bison. Feed us by holding the food above our nose and when we’re ready we’ll open up our mouth for you! Yes, you will get a little slobbery. 

Gemsbok Antelope

Please be careful of our long and sharp horns! We are called Gemsbok and we are a large antelope native to the arid regions of Southern Africa, such as the Kalahari Desert. Similar to many other Oryx species, they can raise their body temperature to a whopping 114 degrees Farenheit! This helps them to easily manage hotter weather!

Red Kangaroo

Being lazy over by the cabins, you’ll see all of us taking a snooze. We are the biggest of all Kangaroo and Marsupial species! When we have babies, they’re only the size of a gummy bear and they are still not fully developed because we only carry them in our womb for 27 days! Luckily, we’ve got the handiest little pouch to carry around our babies as they continue to grow.

Black Hawaiian Sheep

We are called Black Hawaiian sheep!  The males have horns that can weigh up to 30 pounds, which is more than all the bones in their body combined. We are considered a hair or shedding sheep, because we actually have two coats: a hair type coat and usually a woolier undercoat. The undercoat may resemble a thicker hair to a more wool type of look and texture. This undercoat grows during cool weather and will naturally shed off when warmer weather arrives!

The Addax Pen

Barasingha Deer

There’s a few of us in this pen, you should be able to spot us being lazy under a shade tree! We have humongous ears and a long snout, so we look like we are right out of a cartoon. We’re native to India and some call us the “Indian Swamp Deer”, because we really like muddy and swampy conditions! 

Nilgai Antelope

Hello! We are originally from Asia, but the King Ranch discovered us and brought us to Texas where we thrive in the wild down south. Currently, we’re ranked the 2nd most populous exotic here!

Royal Yak

It is easy to tell us apart by our long, luscious hair. We are native to the Himalayan Mountains, so we've developed a huge lung capacity over the years to handle lower oxygen levels a bit easier. In fact, our lungs can hold up to three times as much oxygen as that of a typical cattle species! 

Addax Antelope

We’re light tan in color, with a set of spirally horns. Because of the shape of our horns, some people call us the “Corkscrew Antelope”. We are native to Egypt, in fact there are old writings and pictures depicting that we were first used as an early form of currency for Ancient Egyptians! 

Llama

Now, you're seeing our llama crew! We’re traditionally used as pack animals, just like the camels, but sometimes our humans took us for a whirl! So, we are a lot stronger than people think. We chomp on wads of grass for some time before swallowing them for complete digestion. So if it looks like we're chewing bubblegum, we're not! Haha!

Jacob's Sheep

I am the crazy looking sheep that has FOUR horns! Sheep with spots like mine have been described in many cultures throughout history, appearing in works of art from the Far East, Middle East, and Mediterranean regions. Among these accounts is the Biblical story of Jacob, who bred spotted sheep and for whom this breed is named! How neat-o is that?

The Oryx Pen

Scottish Highlander Cattle

We’re the big, shaggy cows you’ll find in the very last pen. We hope that you saved us some food! You can feed us by holding a huge handful over our mouths, we’ll stick out our tongue and let you drop it right in! We are native to Scotland! Traditionally, raised for our beef there because we are so muscular. In fact, we are the oldest registered beef cattle! 

Père David Deer

We are no ordinary deer! With giant antlers atop a head shaped like a horse, we have a donkey’s tail, and hooves like a cow but with webbing between the toes for swimming. If that’s not extraordinary enough, we were hunted to extinction in their native China during the late 19th century but were saved from total extinction by Europeans who had taken specimens back to zoos in France and Germany and successfully bred the deer in captivity!

Scimitar Horned Oryx

We’re the beautiful white and red animals with the long symmetrical horns. It is actually believed that we inspired the legend of the unicorn with our horns! They are so symmetrical that from the side, it looks like we only have one! 

Waterbuck Antelope

We are nicknamed the 'Target Antelope' because we have white fur that looks like a target on our booty! Ours are still a little new here, but we are working on their people skills... so, if you see them nearby be sure to throw them some snacks!

Blackbuck

We’re the little and dainty guys! We were over-hunted close to extinction in our homeland back in the 90’s but remained off of the endangered species list because there is so many of us here in Texas! Currently, there’s over 30,000 of us here and we’re ranked the 3rd most populous exotic.

Farewell!

Visitors will exit from the Oryx Pen.

We hope that everyone enjoys visiting with us. We are truly appreciative of you supporting our small business during this time. Thank you & we can’t wait to see you again!

Post pictures to our Instagram @exoticresortzoo or Facebook @AdventureZooSafari!