When is the last time an Asian small-clawed otter crawled on you and licked your face? What? “Never” you say?
Well, your luck could change with a day trip to the Capital of Texas Zoo.
Each day zoo owner and operator Michael Hicks picks out people from the crowd visiting the zoo to have a close encounter with one of the two otters, Kumi and Okami, at the zoo. They also do tricks for the audience.
While watching that don’t be surprised if a peacock or two casually strolls by.
The zoo out in the country off of US 71 between Austin and Bastrop is home to more than 500 wild animals, some rare, Hicks said.
The zoo is part of an international breeding program for fourteen endangered species, and this is the main reason the zoo exists, Hicks said.
One of the rare breeds being bred at the zoo is the Vietnamese pheasant which is currently extinct in the wilds of Vietnam.
Another is the dingo, the wild dogs of Australia, whose pure blood lines are threatened with interbreeding with feral dogs in their native country.
Both these animals are on display at the rural zoo.
The zoo features a large prairie dog town. The prairie dogs are ground squirrels that are related to groundhogs, chipmunks and marmots. The prairie dog towns are well organized and divided into wards, which people call neighborhoods. Each ward has a series of coteries where families of one male and usually up to four females live with their young.
At the zoo, you can observe the daily life of the small creatures as they stand guard, scurry from hole to hole and search for food.
There are big cats with a black leopard, tiger and male and female lions. The lion enclosure is being expanded as is the one for the Asiatic black bear, and the work should be completed later this year. One can still see the lions in their current enclosure and catch a glimpse of the bear.
The zoo features Axis deer, different kinds of lemurs, coatimundis, Patagonian cavi, Borneo breaded pigs, large antelope, emus and other animals that you normally wouldn’t see wandering the woods in Texas.
Speaking of wandering, in addition to the free-roaming peacocks, there is also a female turkey that has free range of the place.
According to workers at the zoo, she will sometimes find someone she fancies and follow them for a good while.
If you want to pay a bit extra you can feed Tank, the two-ton hippopotamus who will come out of his pool and waddle over to the fence for some “delicious” hay.
Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic lunch that they can enjoy in the park at the Peacock Pavilion.
Hicks has operated the zoo since 2001. Before that he earned a degree in biology from Southern Arkansas University. He worked at zoos in Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Baltimore before founding the Capital of Texas Zoo.
If you go
Getting there: Coming from Bastrop on U.S. 71 take the exit for SH 21 and follow 21 west to McDonald Lane, watch for a small sign that says Peacock Pavilion on the right side of the road. If you pass a football stadium on your left, you have gone too far, so turn around. McDonald Lane is about 1,000 feet away. Stay on McDonald Lane for about 3 and a half miles, then turn left onto Jenkins Road. There is a very small sign that points the way to the zoo and you will see the zoo entrance about half a mile down the road.
Tickets: Adults and children 12 and older: $11.25
Children 11 to 2: $8.79
Children under 2: Free
There is a 10 percent discount for military on admission tickets.
Food: You are free to bring items for a picnic.
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