March 19, 2018 - We were in Palm Desert today to see The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. The Living Desert was established in 1970 as a 360 acre wilderness preserve that is now a zoo and botanic garden combination dedicated solely to the deserts of the world. The programs here provide environmental education, native wildlife rehabilitation, plant propagation, and captive breeding of African and Sonoran Desert species, including this area's iconic desert bighorn sheep. The park is large so we bought tickets to the tram that travels around the park.
Both the gardens and the animals are interspersed around the park. Here are some pictures of the gardens.
For the adventurous visitors, you can stay overnight here.
There are many activities for kids; petting zoos, playgrounds and a merry-go-round.
There are dozens of species of animals here, like this Mexican wolf.
This is a coati, which is a member of the raccoon family in the Americas.
This is a North American pronghorn.
This is an African slender-horned gazelle.
This is an Arabian Oryx.
There are seven Bighorn Sheep living on their own mountain, this is one of the six females.
And this is the lucky male, keeping an eye on his harem.
The most exciting animal for us was the cheetah. There are three three-year old sisters sharing a large enclosure.
Before the Living Desert we stopped for breakfast in Palm Desert at Keedy's Fountain & Grill. It's been around since 1957 and it proudly looks it. In fact, its slogan is "A Blast from the Past." It's very fifties with the old fluorescent lighting and their yellow Formica counter and tabletops. It was packed, noisy and plenty of fun, plus the food is great!
