Day Trips

At Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch south of New Braunfels, springtime is especially exciting. The animals in the drive-through zoo are more active, everything is green, and the wildflowers are blooming. Best of all, though, are all the new baby animals.

The largest newborn this season is Hope, a 10-foot giraffe who is dwarfed only by her parents and sister. A reticulated giraffe, a threatened species, Hope experienced three medical setbacks in her first 72 hours of life, but survived to become a "spoiled" toddler.

The smallest of the baby animals is a ringtailed lemur, which is small enough to fit in a teacup. Lemurs are on the endangered species list. There also are baby elk, deer, llamas, ostriches, bison, and zebras.

About seven miles off of I-35 at Garden Ridge, the wildlife ranch opened in 1984 when Raymond and Trudy Soechting replaced the cattle on their 200-acre ranch with exotics from around the world. The caverns next door are run by Raymond's mother and brother. The Soechting's two sons and their wives also work at the ranch.

"All the grandkids were raised here," said daughter-in-law Tiffany Soechting. "It's a great place to raise kids." And the ranch is a great place to take kids for a visit.

The three-and-a-half-mile safari trail winds through three main pastures with the car windows often swarmed with ostriches, American elk, or some other unusual face. Often the animals will trot along with the car hoping for more morsels to be thrown their way. A guidebook of color pictures helps visitors to identify the animals.

Whether the animals are begging at the car windows, cautiously waiting for food pellets to be thrown to the side of the road, or ignoring the passing cars while they graze, the animals are majestic and amazing. One of the most amazing things to look for is all of the different shapes of horns worn by the animals. From the graceful long points of the Thomson's gazelle to the almost five-foot spread of a Texas longhorn, the horns come in all shapes and sizes.

You would have to travel to every continent (except Antarctica) to see all of the animals housed at Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch in their natural environment. Even then, you might not get to see some of the animals. The ranch protects nine species that are on the international endangered species lists. There are only 12 Addax Antelope living in their native North Africa. Only 31 of the Northern White Rhinos survive in the wilds of Africa. Loss of habitat and over-hunting have made parks like Natural Bridge the last sanctuary of these and other species.

More than 600 animals representing 50-plus exotic and native species roam the ranch. The Soechtings plan to add an additional 200 acres of pasture land and another drive-through lane this summer. The drive takes about 45 minutes and you can do the trip as often as you like. At the visitor center there is a gazebo and picnic area with a petting zoo and cages for the primates and screeching macaws and other exotic birds.

Although guests are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy at the shaded tables, there is a snack bar in the gift shop. The gift shop specializes in nature-related and educational gifts, as well as more bags of animal food for another drive through the animal park.

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch is open daily, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The best times to visit are in spring or fall when the weather is cooler or early or late in the day. "Right before a front moves through the animals are really active," Tiffany said. "The animals seem to sense the weather change."

September through May, the ranch opens 9am-5pm, and June through late August, 9am-6:30pm. For more information, call 210/438-7400. For information on Natural Bridge Caverns, call 210/651-6101.

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Coming up this weekend...

Bluegrass Music Festival in Llano brings the local talent to City Park, Apr. 11 & 12. 915/247-5354.

Attwater's Prairie Chicken Festival in Eagle Lake honors one of the most endangered bird species in North America with tours and events, Apr. 11 & 12. 888/TEXASFUN or http://www.lcra.org

Strawberry Festival in Poteet celebrates the town's claim of being "The Strawberry Capital of Texas," Apr. 11-13. 210/742-3608.

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Coming up...

The Great Texas Birding Classic along the Texas coast will be the largest birdwatching competition ever staged in the U.S., Apr. 19-27. 888/TX-BIRDS.