This morning we woke up to 37 degrees and high winds, but
with a beautiful clear sunny sky, so it didn’t take long to warm up to 65
degrees. We decided to go to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park. It
is a state operated zoo and cactus garden specializing in native species of the
Chihuahua Desert and New Mexico. The staff at the zoo works with the New Mexico
Department of Fish and Game and other public and private entities in wildlife
conservation efforts for many injured and orphaned birds, mammals and reptiles.
It’s so nice to know that the animals here are actually better off living at
the zoo than living in the wild.
Admission to the Living Desert Zoo is only $5.00 with free parking. The zoo trail winds through different desert habitats with labels on the trees and cactus as you pass. It’s still a little early in the season so some of the displays were empty but we were able to see quite a bit. The cactus and succulent greenhouse at the end of the zoo trail is really amazing it houses many varieties of both native and exotic cacti and succulents from around the world. No crowds and if we were out of the wind a perfectly beautiful day.
We topped it off with a trip to the dollar store (I love the dollar store) and lunch at Subway, than back to the RV for some relaxation, cleaning and map reading to decide where we will be traveling tomorrow.
Entry to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park, Carlsbad New Mexico
Matching Mexican Parrots
Bald Eagle
Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
Along the Gardens
Bobcat
Prairie Dog
Desert Tortoise
Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Wild Pig
Common Black Hawk
Buffalo
