ROOSTER COGBURN, RESCUED WILDLIFE, AND WILD HORSES

February – March, 2019

On a whim we stopped at the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch in Picacho, which bills itself as “The Darndest Place You’ll Ever Visit!”  It is a 3-generation family-owned and operated working ostrich ranch that opened to the public in 1999 as a novelty attraction, enabling visitors to feed the ostriches.  The ranch has been featured in TV shows such as “Larry the Cable Guy – Only in America”, “Extreme Roadside Attractions”, “Amazing Animals”, and “Arizona Highways.

 

Nowadays Miniature Sicilian Donkeys, Nigerian Dwarf Goats, Fallow Deer, Peking Ducks, Boer Goats, Rabbits, Chickens, cownosed rays and the all-time favorite Rainbow Lorikeets can be fed during a visit.  There’s also a small enclosure for desert tortoise.

As we made our way around the property we kept wishing that our younger grandkids would have been with us – what a grand time they would have had with so many of the animals eating right out of the palm of your hand (including the rays!).  The only aggressive anmals were the chickens…to those who wanted to feed them, as well as to each other!

Brian didn’t know that Barbara was afraid of birds until it was time to feed the Lorikeets.  You’re given 2 small covered cups of liquid bird food, told to hold the cup by the base and raise your hand.  The birds fly over, settle on your hand, take the cap off the cup and help themselves.  It’s an easy process – the feet don’t dig into your hand and the birds don’t weigh anything, really.  They’re not aggressive and stick to the business of getting fed.  You’re just a conduit and hopefully you don’t get pooped on!  However, if you’re afraid of birds you just might freak out when the first one lands on your hand or if 5 or so birds decide to land on you all at once.  Guess who got over her fear in a hurry!

We purposely traveled a long way down a dirt road in pursuit of the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center.  As far out of Scottsdale as you could go and still be in Scottsdale, the Conservation Center rescues native wild animals that have lost their homes to development, or are found injured, orphaned, or abandoned.  When possible, the animals are rehabilitated and released — healthy and wild — back where they belong.

We parked in the empty lot, and started to walk around.  Finding a volunteer nearby we were told that the only way to visit was by booking a tour.  We noted that we hadn’t known that, and were told never mind – would we like to join the tour starting in an hour?  Well, yeah!  Turns out that volunteer was the docent of the next tour!

The docent did a wonderful job educating the group of 15 or so on the founding of the Conservation Center, and, because of her tenure, knew the animals by name and by their individual stories.  Some of the animals arrived at the Conservation Center after being found injured in the wild, but many others were dropped off by owners who realized that their cute young pet wasn’t so cute anymore.  Those pets may have become more aggressive as natural instincts took over, and some owners didn’t feed their pet properly and ended up with a sick wild animal on their hands.

It was amazing to see so many animals rehabbing and while in their cages, up close.

 

The “mascot” of the Conservation Center is a 75 pound desert tortoise who had been orphaned, adopted, and now has the run of the place.

 We have two favorite remembrances of the Conservation Center.  The first leg of the tour had us observing 4 pairs of Mexican Grey Wolves, each pair sharing a pen.  As we left that area and were taking a look at some coyotes, the wolves started howling which started the coyotes yipping, the bobcats screaming, and the dogs barking.  What a delightful cacophony of sounds we had never heard before!  We were fortunate that we could hear the chorus 3 more times while on our visit.

Our other favorite remembrance was watching the docent call a black bear by name, and to have the bear respond by lumbering up to the cage fencing.  The docent then smeared the fencing with peanut butter to the delight of the black bear who would then get its treat!

Coming from Pennsylvania we were used to seeing warning signs along the roadway for deer crossing.  Traveling through the Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland we got used to seeing road crossing signs for Moose and Caribou.  But travel in Arizona in an area between the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Reservation, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, and Tonto National Forest and there’s a good chance you’ll not only see warning signs for wild horse crossing, but you will encounter wild horses as well.

The internet gave us directions and, sure enough, we found the Salt River and lots of water fowl, but no wild horses.

We asked a fellow fishing the Salt River where we might find the wild horses, and he told us to travel south along Bush Highway and we’d see the herd.  Nope.  We read that we’d see the herd if we traveled north along Bush Highway just past Butcher Jones Recreation Area and Saguaro Lake.  Nope.  BUT, we did encounter 2 stallions along the banks of the Salt River across from Coon Bluff.

Brian walked around a bend and saw 2 stallions grazing on the river’s edge….amazing!  We were told by others that were observing the horses that these 2 stallions had probably been run-off of their birthing herd by the alpha male, were now on their own, and would have to start their own herd as they reached maturity.

As we were driving back and forth along Bush Highway looking for herds of wild horses, Brian noticed someone walking amongst the cactus, mesquite trees, wildflowers and scrub, and he hurriedly pull over.

The man who was tracking the group was looking to observe the birth of a foal.  He had been tracking a pregnant mare for a week, and he had had no luck yet today to find her.  But he had found another pregnant mare, her 1-year old foal and 4 other young horses.

We noticed that the jaw line of these wild horses was more “square” compared to the elongated jaw line of other horses we have seen, and that these Salt River Wild Horses have a beard.  The horses had no startle reaction as Brian came within 10 feet or so of them; they just went right on grazing and when finished, moseyed on to another tasty patch of grass.

What a great day!

Barbara and Brian