Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Wildlife conservation center in Glen Rose, United States.
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is a 1,800-acre non-profit conservation center in the Texas Hill Country near Glen Rose, with rolling hills, limestone deposits, and wooded and open land divided into pastures. Visitors drive through several pastures on guided or self-guided tours; the Overlook is one of two places where they can leave their cars.
The land began as an exotic cattle ranch before being transformed into a conservation facility in the 1970s. Its opening to the public in the 1980s marked the start of its mission to breed and protect endangered animals.
The center helps visitors connect with endangered species and understand why their protection matters. Seeing these animals in open spaces creates awareness about conservation challenges facing wildlife today.
You can drive your own car or join a guided tour to get closer views of the animals throughout the grounds. Early morning visits tend to offer the best animal activity and fewer crowds on the roads.
Fossil Rim was the first ranch to join the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan, after its Grévy's zebra breeding work began in 1982. In April 2016 a first herd of 25 scimitar-horned oryx was released in Chad wearing satellite collars. The species had been extinct in the wild from the 1980s until late 2023, when it was reclassified as endangered.
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