Animal Paradise’s future plans September 13, 2008
Posted by Ron in Animals, Attractions, Businesses.add a comment
Animal Paradise, a drive-through exotic animal park off Route 66 near Strafford, Mo., was taken over by a corporation earlier this year. KSPR-TV in Springfield, Mo., talked to the park’s operators about future plans:
“Black bears will be the next thing to come in,” said owner Jim Meikle.
Exotic Animal Paradise is also planning to change its name, add giraffes, and maybe some other type of attraction along Route 66.
“The core business is the animal park and we know how to do that rather well,” Meikle said.
The story goes on to say the park’s name will be changed to Wild Animal Safari in 2009. That shares the name with another animal park owned by the corporation in Pine Mountain, Ga.
This press release in mid-August reveals more:
Animal Paradise President Jim Meikle said, “The progress is ongoing and we continue to add new animals and exhibits. We have added roughly 300 animals to the original 200 we acquired when we bought the park. Our newest addition is a Liger cub named Levi. We are also constructing a new exhibit to house a rhinoceros, which we expect to arrive this week. We operate narrated tram tours through the 200-acre park, allowing visitors to hand feed free-roaming zebras, oryx, bison, wildebeest, llamas, emus, deer, elk and more.
” … In addition to the vast free-roaming area, we have expanded a shady walk-through area with exotic animal exhibits and added an air-conditioned snack bar and family-style gaming arcade to complement our popular petting zoo and go-cart ride,” Meikle said.
The Strafford park was acquired by Great American Family Parks Inc. in March. A few months after that, the corporation’s name was changed to Parks America.
Parks America (symbol: PRKA.OB) last traded Friday at 5.5 cents a share. The stock price has ranged between 6 and 12 cents a share in the past year. The corporation is based in Santa Monica, Calif.
The new owner told KSPR that it is fighting the perception that the park is closed — no doubt because there was a heavily publicized auctioning of its animals in 2006 just before the park was shuttered for a short time. The company reportedly is spending a lot of money marketing and upgrading the park. Because of that, there will be no Christmas light display this year, KSPR said.
T for tenacious September 10, 2008
Posted by Ron in Animals, Businesses, History.add a comment
The Western Horseman has an interesting article about the century-old T4 Cattle Co., based in the Route 66 town of Motoya, N.M.
It’s a fascinating story about how the ranch, now a whopping 180,000 acres, survived family tragedies, tough economic times, prairie fires and calamatous weather over the decades. It also provides a look into a ranch’s operations.
Getting their old-fashioned kicks August 26, 2008
Posted by Ron in Animals, Events, Road trips.1 comment so far
Most caravans on Route 66 are of the motorized variety. But there is ongoing tour of Route 66 from St. James, Mo., to Springfield, Mo., that harkens back to the days before the horseless carriage.
The Ozark Mountain Mule and Donkey Days Wagon Trail will be going through Lebanon, Mo., on Wednesday with about 15 horse-drawn wagons and 50 riders, according to the Lebanon Daily Record. It will be moseying through at a speed of about 5 mph.
Here’s the wagon train route that day:
The train … will leave its Sleeper-area campsite at about 8 a.m. and travel Old Route 66 to Lebanon. Once the train reaches Route MM, local law-enforcement will take point and lead the group through Lebanon.
The train will move on Route MM, go past St. John’s Hospital-Lebanon to Cowan Drive. The train will continue on Cowan Drive to Missouri 32, then will go right on 32 to Jefferson Avenue. Once on Jefferson Avenue, the train will turn south and head toward Evergreen. The group will continue on Evergreen and will cross Interstate 44 at the 127 exit, then move to Route W. The train will follow Route W to Phillipsburg, then cross the Interstate again to Route CC, which will take it to Conway. The train will end the Wednesday leg of its journey near Conway.
The wagon train ends Friday at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield. Photo gallery is here.
This event serves to remind Route 66ers that the Mother Road followed older trails through Missouri, including the Old Wire Road and Ozark Trails.
Here, kitty … July 16, 2008
Posted by Ron in Animals.2 comments
Police officers in the Route 66 town of Galena, Kan., have contacted the state Department of Wildlife to determine whether an animal seen on surveillance camera video is a cougar, reported the Joplin (Mo.) Globe.
You can see the feline here:
Officers aren’t sure whether it’s a cougar, or simply a big house cat. Others are fairly certain it’s a lot bigger than that:
Larry Williams, a route supervisor with Allied Waste Services, was one of the first to view the surveillance video. He said he is convinced it is a cougar or some other large cat, and not a house cat. He found large paw prints near the business on Wednesday that he said reinforces his belief. Other workers had previously told him about the tracks.
“The raccoons are real thick around here,” Williams said. “There’s plenty for them to eat. There’s deer and turkey, too.”
Williams said by watching the video, it appears to him that the cat weighs close to 120 pounds. [...]
Galena police Chief Larry Delmont said Wednesday that the paw prints found by Allied Waste Services worker Larry Williams measure three to four inches long. He said the prints can’t be definitively linked to the cat on the surveillance video, but he hopes the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks can make a determination from a combination of the two sources.
The story goes on to tell of other reports of big cats in the region, including a black leopard that was shot in May in Neosho, Mo., by a sheriff’s deputy. It was determined the leopard was an escapee after a tornado went through the area.
A wild cougar in Missouri isn’t unprecedented. One was found in the Kansas City area in 2002.
Mother Roadrunner June 28, 2008
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I’ve seen roadrunners in Oklahoma, where I live, but only as a blur as they zip by at incredible speed.
This videographer got good footage of two of them, on old Route 66 between Oatman, Ariz., and Kingman:
I got my camera to take a video, and when I tried to slowly approach the bird it suddenly ran toward me. It was hard to video because it kept approaching so close. It must have been used to handouts from passing motorists.
Animals that get used to handouts from humans often are susceptible to predators. But these birds can easily outrun anything with sinister intentions.
Montana, R.I.P. June 26, 2008
Posted by Ron in Animals, Attractions, Businesses, People.2 comments
Word came today that Montana, the beloved mascot of Rich Henry’s Rabbit Ranch on Route 66 in Staunton, Ill., died overnight, likely from natural causes.
Montana some months ago underwent abdominal surgery and was nearly seven years old, which is the upper limit of the typical life span of rabbits. Montana even had her own Web page on Henry’s site.
Montana was known for her remarkably soft fur, quiet disposition, and tricks that she would perform for Route 66 travelers.
Here’s a video of Montana performing. It begins at the 3:17 mark:
