Fossil Rim: Safari, Texas Style

Vacationers hear the cry of a red wolf, a sound that soon becomes a long howl accompanied by the songs of fellow wolves. Reaching for binoculars, the travelers spy a wildebeest and a small herd of springbok headed down to the watering hole for an early morning drink.

These guests are on safari, but not in Africa. They're touring the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, a 3,000 acre privately-owned conservation center southwest of Fort Worth.

"Imagine yourself going to Africa without the plane ride, the shots or the worries," says Christine Jurzykowski, co-owner of Fossil Rim. "There are two main differences between what you experience in Africa and what you'll see here. Here you will see more animals in a shorter time, and here you will not see something like a cheetah killing a gazelle. Otherwise, in terms of behavior, you will witness things here you would see in Africa but you will do it in extreme luxury."

Texas is dotted with drive-through animal parks, but Fossil Rim is in a class by itself, combining entertainment with education and scientific research. This one-of-a-kind project is the brainchild of Jim Jackson and Christine Jurzykowski. Jurzykowski is a former film producer whose New York film company produced everything from commercials to feature films (including The Handmaid's Tale).

Visitors have their choice of a self-guided scenic wildlife drive at their own pace and in their own car or a guided tour in a tour van (guided trips must be booked several days in advance.)

Day visitors enjoy a nine-mile drive through the ranch, feeding animals along the way. This drive winds through four areas, each containing free-roaming animal populations moving in herds. You'll probably see sable antelope, Grevy's zebra, oryx, and greater kudu, as well as gazelle and ostrich. The highlight for many is a chance to feed the reticulated giraffes, shy, silent giants that tower nearly as high as the oak trees.

Halfway through the drive, guests can stop at The Overlook for a chance to pet a pot-bellied pig at the petting farm, shop in the nature store, grab a burger at the snack bar, or stretch their legs on a short nature walk.

The best attraction at The Overlook is, as the name suggests, the panoramic view. Here, from atop the fossil-encrusted rim for which the ranch is named, guests can see across the valleys and surrounding hills. For these exotic species thousands of miles from their native lands, this Texas ranch is more than just a new home. By providing protection from the forces which have brought them near extinction, Fossil Rim offers the endangered species something more: hope.

Participants enjoy a game drive in open vehicles led by naturalists who point out and identify the animals roaming free on the ranch. Guests can also go behind the scenes to talk to veterinarians who care for and study these exotic species about which little is known. There are also nature walks, bird watches, horseback rides, hikes, and expeditions to study 66-million-year-old fossils on the ranch. Once an inland sea, this region is rich with fossils. In more recent times the Comanches camped here, adding their own artifacts to Fossil Rim's archaeological heritage.

One of the most exciting activities at Fossil Rim is a trip to the Intensive Management Area, a part of the ranch open only to safari visitors and those who take part in behind the scene tours. The IMA houses species such as red wolves, long-legged maned wolves from South America, cheetahs, black rhinos, and Attwater's Prairie Chickens.

Although it might seem that the cheetah and the Attwater's Prairie Chicken, a native of the Texas coastal plains, have little in common, they share a sad fate: both risk extinction without the efforts of agencies like Fossil Rim. This facility has the first of only three captive populations of the Attwater's Prairie Chickens in the world (less than 500 are living in the wild). When settlers first crossed the coastal plains to settle the West, these chickens numbered over a million.

Fossil Rim's cheetah breeding program has been highly successful, so much so that now approximately 20% of all cheetahs in the U.S. trace their lineage back to the center. The cheetahs are housed in a long, narrow containment, permitting them to race around their enclosure at the blinding speeds they would clock in the wild. In addition to the breeding program, Fossil Rim also conducts several research projects aimed at increasing the cheetah's chances of survival. In one such project, Fossil Rim, along with Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo, is studying the cheetah's reproductive physiology. From this project came the first surviving litters of cheetah conceived through artificial insemination. The cubs were born in 1992.

If you’d like to stay at the ranch, you have two alternatives. The Lodge, once the home of the ranch's former owner, is now an elegant bed and breakfast. Perched on a hillside overlooking a prime wildlife viewing area, the Lodge features a huge rock fireplace, massive beam architecture and stained glass windows. Five guest bedrooms, each furnished in its own eclectic style, are available.

One of the most unique ways to experience Fossil Rim is with a stay at the Foothills Safari Camp. Guests stay in private tented structures, each with two twin beds, linens, a private bath, central heat and air-conditioning.

For more information: visit http://www.fossilrim.org

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