UPDATE: They are currently closed to the public but are planning to reopen in January. Follow them on facebook or sign up for their newsletter for updates.
I can’t stop oohing and awwing over these photos! We had such an amazing time at Roos n More Zoo, which is an hour’s drive outside Las Vegas. We got to interact with so many exotic animals and took so many photos.
About Roos n More Zoo
Roos n More Zoo is a privately owned non-profit educational zoo started by two vets who had never originally set out to open a zoo. They took a medical leave of absence and moved to Moapa to house their pet camel and kangaroos. It was when more people started asking to visit the animals and schools were requesting the animals to educate the children that they started taking the steps necessary to open a zoo.
It’s an hour drive outside of Vegas, but well worth the drive if you’re visiting. They offer a very unique hands-on experience where you can meet and greet just shy of 400 animals.
The most popular animals are monkeys, otters, kangaroos, and African cats, like the caracal and serval.
These guys below are capybaras, the largest rodents in the world. I wish I had something to show for size comparison, but they can grow up to 4.40 ft (134 cm) in length and weigh up to 146 lb (66 kg).
I just loved this sweet albino kangaroo. She was one of my favorites among other eastern grey kangaroos.
This Cape porcupine was more a fan of Jacob than she was of me. Guess you can’t win them all over.
Next up are the African cats.
The Asian sea otters or small-clawed otter were a talkative bunch. They liked crawling onto your lap and sometimes into your clothes (*PRO TIP: Wear pants and clothes you don’t mind getting a little dirty).
Baby Monkey Room
The baby monkey room was Jacob’s favorite part of our visit. They can keep different species of monkeys and lemurs together while they are young, but once they hit adulthood, they live with their own species.
The Red Ruffed Lemur was the friendliest of the bunch. He was constantly jumping around asking for affection. He especially loved rubs right under his arms.
These guys were a little more shy, but later warmed up to us. The black spider monkey was mouthing words to me I couldn’t understand. :)
This little ring-tailed lemur wouldn’t stop giving us kisses on the mouth. So flattered he liked us that much!
This was such a unique experience and is one of the few interactive zoos around. You can actually play with lots of animals you don’t know about! They also hold private tours and private parties on location or can also transport up to 5 animals to your party.
Party Like an Animal Roos n More Birthday
Every year, we try to throw themed birthdays, and this year we dressed up as animals to party with animals at Roos n More Zoo! We had visited before and learned that you could host private parties there, which sounded like the perfect birthday party to me! There really isn’t any other zoo experience quite like it.
I’m so thankful for the friends who came out, those who drove in from Cali and flew in from SF, Boston, and Atlanta. Do you believe that we accept the love we think we deserve? I realized that I often don’t feel like I deserve that love or to have such great friends. I’m ever so slowly learning to let love in. And whether I deserve it or not, I feel fortunate to have such great people in my life. Thanks for having so much patience with me and being there to celebrate another year.
I kept going back and forth this year thinking how silly it is to celebrate birthdays after so many years (there are so many birthdays.. and unbirthdays!), but I really love having just about any excuse to celebrate and seeing everyone come together. Also, I especially love making people do things that might weird them out.. like dressing up as animals.
I was too scared to get my camel kiss.
Couldn’t commit like Arthur who definitely got some tongue action.
Thanks Fern for the group photos and for being my unofficial photographer for the day! :) Thanks Jacob for being an amazing husband and dealing with the logistics of it all. That being said, if you didn’t get invited, you can blame him! :P
I’m rethinking my life calling to be a vet and take care of exotic animals! Is it too late for me?
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Have you been somewhere like Roos n More Zoo?
What animal would you want to meet most?
