Big Animals Heading to Colorado After Zoo in Puerto Rico Closes
The weather in Colorado and Puerto Rico is very different. Hopefully, the zoo animals headed our way know how to grow a winter coat.
Puerto Rico only had one zoo and it closed to the public in 2017 after major hurricanes damaged the island. The Puerto Rican government recently announced the zoo would be closed permanently. So, a lot of animals need a home. Several of them will take a flight on a large cargo plane to Colorado.
The Wild Animal Sanctuary has rescued animals from all over the world so this is not a new mission for them. They've put animals on boats and planes. The big cats will get used to the Colorado climate just as we have seen others do through the years. The Wild Animal Sanctuary has rescued hundreds of animals that had to acclimate.
According to their website, the sanctuary cares "for more than 750 Lions, Tigers, Bears, Wolves, Jaguars, Cheetahs, Leopards, Mtn. Lions, Camels, Mustangs and many other species of animals.?
So back to that winter coat idea, the elephant and the primates from the Puerto Rican zoo will indeed go to a warmer climate. The Wild Animal Sanctuary has a Texas facility in addition to three locations in Colorado. Their website says the "three facilities represent the largest carnivore sanctuaries in the world and are designed and built like no others in existence."
If you've never been to the facility that is open to the public in Keenesburg, it's well worth your drive. They have this cool elevated bridge you walk along called the "Mile Into The Wild". From that bridge, you can view all kinds of big animals.