Austin Zoo
Encyclopedia
Austin Zoo & Animal Sanctuary is a non-profit
rescue zoo and animal sanctuary
located at 10808 Rawhide Trail in southwestern unincorporated
Travis County
, Texas
, United States
, west of Austin
.
The mission of Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary is to assist animals in need through rescue, rehabilitation and education. Last year, over 175,000 people visited Austin Zoo & Animal Sanctuary.
s, pig
s, fallow deer
, donkey
s, and ponies
, with just a few exotic animals. Gradually the number of exotic animals increased, and in 1994 the name was changed to Austin Zoo. In 2000, the zoo became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Today, the zoo and sanctuary is home to mostly exotic animals that were rescued from or unwanted by their owners, animals from other zoos and sanctuaries, and animals who were awarded protection through the judicial system. All of these animals have a forever home with Austin Zoo & Animal Sanctuary.
s, cougars, jaguar
s, three species of monkey
s, black bears, ring-tailed lemur
s, and porcupines. In 2009 the zoo became home to four wolf hybrids which had been abandoned during Hurricane Ike
in 2008
.
s from a private owner. Because these lions are believed extinct in the wild, the zoo agreed to breed them and to provide DNA samples to the Barbary Lion Project. The family of lions now includes two cubs.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
rescue zoo and animal sanctuary
Animal sanctuary
An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and be protected for the rest of their lives. Unlike animal shelters, sanctuaries do not seek to place animals with individuals or groups, instead maintaining each animal until his or her natural death...
located at 10808 Rawhide Trail in southwestern unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Travis County
Travis County, Texas
As of 2009, the U.S. census estimates there were 1,026,158 people, 320,766 households, and 183,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 821 people per square mile . There were 335,881 housing units at an average density of 340 per square mile...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, west of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
The mission of Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary is to assist animals in need through rescue, rehabilitation and education. Last year, over 175,000 people visited Austin Zoo & Animal Sanctuary.
History
Austin Zoo started out as a goat ranch. In 1990, it became the Good Day Ranch, housing animals in need. At that time, the animals were mostly domesticated and local animals including goatGoat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s, fallow deer
Fallow Deer
The Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
, donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
s, and ponies
Pony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
, with just a few exotic animals. Gradually the number of exotic animals increased, and in 1994 the name was changed to Austin Zoo. In 2000, the zoo became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Today, the zoo and sanctuary is home to mostly exotic animals that were rescued from or unwanted by their owners, animals from other zoos and sanctuaries, and animals who were awarded protection through the judicial system. All of these animals have a forever home with Austin Zoo & Animal Sanctuary.
Animals
Austin Zoo currently has over 300 animals from over 100 different species, including African lions, Bengal tigerBengal Tiger
The Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
s, cougars, jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
s, three species of monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
s, black bears, ring-tailed lemur
Ring-tailed Lemur
The ring-tailed lemur is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families. It is the only member of the Lemur genus. Like all lemurs it is endemic to the island of Madagascar...
s, and porcupines. In 2009 the zoo became home to four wolf hybrids which had been abandoned during Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
in 2008
2008 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season was a very active hurricane season with sixteen named storms formed, including eight that became hurricanes and five that became major hurricanes. The season officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of...
.
Conservation breeding
In 2010 the zoo received a pair of lions which were believed to be Barbary lionBarbary Lion
The Barbary lion , also known as the Atlas lion or Nubian lion, is a subspecies of lion that became extinct in the wild or extinct in the 20th century....
s from a private owner. Because these lions are believed extinct in the wild, the zoo agreed to breed them and to provide DNA samples to the Barbary Lion Project. The family of lions now includes two cubs.