Self Against the City

If you have ever doubted that dear old adage about how enormous, fantastical things can come in the smallest of packages, then you have obviously never paid a visit to the Nevada Zoological and Botanical Park. Although it looks small when you approach it, the garden and zoo spans across an amazing three acres. The botanical and zoological wonder, which is located right down from Texas Station, on Rancho Drive, contains greater than 200 different species of animals and plants.

What the Nevada Zoological and Botanical Park lacks in numbers, it makes up for in exotic and rare intrigue. For instance, insofar as animals go, the zoo has collections you cannot find anywhere else in the United States. It houses the biggest collection of intriguing swamp wallabies to be found in the entirety of North America, not to mention the last living family of Barbary Apes.

The zoo contains Mowar, an Indo Chinese tiger who is one of a mere seventy held in captivity. There are Canadian River otters, as well as a fossa couple. Fossas are the biggest predators you can find on Madagascar. They are a very rare species – but then, the Nevada Zoological and Botanical Park has no less than forty endangered species on the property.

In addition, Alligator Pathway, which is a large exhibit on ancient alligators, is a huge draw, as is the reptile exhibit. There, you can find an eyelash viper, a very rare viper from Belize. The Mojave green is also there – it is the most lethal rattlesnake currently known.

There are plenty of birds on the property as well, including Don, Donna, and Charlie, a trio of ostriches. And you cannot forget MG and Midas, majestic siblings, the king and the queen of the jungle – lions, in other words.

The perfect place for a family vacation, the zoo is interactive, allowing visitors to feed selections of birds as well as adorably pygmy goats. With plenty of picnic tables and concession stands, visitors can make a day of their visit and truly have the experience of a lifetime.