Meet the Animals

Meet Tuesday, Kip, Freya, & Spirit

Meet Desmond & Lucy

Desmond was born in 2019 at the Milwaukee Zoo.
Lucy was born on Jan 27, 2025 in Kansas City.
They are Reticulated giraffes (Giraffa reticulata) native to the Horn of Africa. They are a sub species that is a nomadic browser and listed as endangered.
Their favorite is Acacia tree leaves in the wild and here they love Sweet Gum Mulberry, Bamboo, and Wild grape leaves.
Also favorite treats are carrots, melon, sweet potato, romaine, apples, and pears.
They are well adapted to dry environments and can go several days without drinking water.

Meet Tank, Tabitha, Gator, and Gaby

Before coming to Carson Springs, these tigers were used as photo cats and abandoned once they became too old, which is common for tigers and other animals. Each of them eats about 10 pounds of raw meat every day!

Each one came from a different place, and you can hear their individual stories on our tours or if you adopt one of them you will also get an email with their individual story.

Meet Raja

Raja was born in an animal park in Bahrain. 

Meet Fiona, Kai and Nya

Fiona is a very old girl and one of our original rescues.

Kai and Nya were born here and are bonded siblings. Since Kai is neutered there is no chance of them mating and they will have a lifetime home as education animals.

Meet Lotis, Kingsley, & Lea

We have three lions here at Carson Springs, Lea is our oldest animal here who was born in 2003. Lotis and Kingsley are our bonded couple, with Kingsley being the only male on the property. Lions are very social species of cat and live in groups called prides of up to 40 individuals.

Meet Dozer and Zee

Zee, born in 2014, is the son of Dozer and Massey who were rescued from a bankrupt sanctuary. All will live here for their lifetimes.

Meet Dakota and Cujo

Born in July 2015, Dakota came to us from Texas at 3 months old. She was rejected by her mother as she was the only cub in her litter, which is very common for pumas. Dakota is a very spoiled girl and loves making a fuss when she doesn’t get her way!

Cujo was born in 2015 in Ohio was sent here as a companion to Dakota. He was housed in a very small enclosure and truly loved his new home.

Meet Scarlett, Rhett, Huey, Peanut, Maddy, Jess, Waylon & Patsy

Scarlett was born here in 2014. She was being attacked by her littermate, so we took over and hand-raised her. She is one of the special ones. Knows the commands that Christine gives her and has a wonderfully sweet disposition around her close people’s family, the people she knew growing up, and who raised her.

Wild animals form very close bonds with their caregivers but are much warier around strangers and can get aggressive and defensive in a split second.

You are visiting their homes and they cannot run away so they defend their territory when unsure or frightened.

She was bottle fed for 5 months which is normal for hyena babies. There are many cute videos of her on our Facebook page.

She loves neck and chest scratches.

Meet the Thor and Daisy

Originally from New Zealand, pronounced “koo-nee koo-nee,” and translated to “fat and round,” these pigs are very similar to pet pot-bellied pigs.

Thor and Daisy are some very special pigs! They are actually a rare breed from New Zealand that had only 50 individuals left until a breeding program was started to save them. They are extremely docile and sweet, and they love munching on all the grass they can get their hooves on!

Meet Doodle, Dexter, & Song

Doodle was born here at Carson Springs to parents Dexter and Song; these cats are very elusive and are rarely seen in the wild, book a private tour for the best chance to see these amazing cats.

Meet Siri

Born in 2012 at a zoo in Kansas and came to us at 12 weeks old. She is the world’s rarest cat, the northernmost subspecies of leopards. There are only about 50 in the wild and less than a total of 200 in the world.

Meet Benji, Jassman, & Prancer

Geoffroy’s Cat is named after the 19th century French zoologist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1772–1844).

A young / baby of a Geoffroy is called a ‘kitten’. The females are called ‘queen’ and males ‘tom ‘. A Geoffroy group is called a ‘clowder, clutter, pounce, kindle (young), embarrassment (young),’.

Prancer and Jassman are proud parents to numerous litters despite the fact that they are extremely aggressive. Two of their sons, Benji and Robbie, live here at Carson Springs right by the Gift Shop!

Meet Raider & Nala

They have an incredible sense of hearing — their large ears can hear beetle larvae hatching from dung balls. To escape from predators, they rely on their incredible agility and speed. They have an impeccable ability to dodge predators, and they are able to reverse directions at a flat run without ever losing speed.

Meet Adelaide, Brisbane, Luke & Lulu

Native in the wild to Australia and New Guinea has a loud distinctive call that resembles human laughter and are found in habitats that range from the forest to the savannah. Kookaburra often have the same partner for life.

Meet Mara, Sugar Bear, Lucy, Major, Frazier, & Daphne

The word ‘lemur’ comes from ‘lemures’, which means ‘ghosts’ or ‘spirits’.

Red Ruffed Lemurs love fruit. But they love figs the best. They will even fight over them!

Red Ruffed Lemurs have six bottom teeth known as a “tooth comb”. They use it to groom, or comb, their fur and to help pull the skin off fruit.

Red Ruffed Lemurs have a long claw on the second toe of their back leg which they use for brushing their fluffy coats. Though Sugar Bear and Mara are exact opposites in personality, they have parented numerous babies together including 2 sets of triplets! Mara is a devoted mother while Sugar Bear is much more independent. All lemurs are critically endangered.

Meet Starbuck, Scout, & Tommy

Endemic to the island of Madagascar, the ring-tailed lemur is the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. They are highly social, living in groups of up to 30 individuals. To keep warm and reaffirm social bonds, groups will huddle together. The ring-tailed lemur will also sunbathe, sitting upright facing its underside, with its thinner white fur towards the sun

Meet Freddie

The tayra is an omnivorous animal from the weasel family. Their feet have toes of unequal length with tips that form a strongly curved line when held together. The claws are short and curved, but strong, being adapted for climbing and running rather than digging. Tayras are awake during the day and asleep at night, like us!

Meet Trina

Native to South and Southeast Asia, the fishing cat lives mainly in the vicinity of wetlands, along rivers, streams, oxbow lakes, in swamps, and mangroves.

Meet Gumby

The jungle cat inhabits dense vegetation areas wetlands and swamps in the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and China. Jungle cats eat a variety of rodents, small reptiles, bugs, and plants.

Meet Cora & Junior

In the wild, they are from the evergreen forests of Africa and are omnivorous birds that live in pairs.

Meet Wilbur & Winnie

Winnie and Wilbur have a were born in 2014 (though they are unrelated).

They have a unique habit of grazing on their knees.

They are very fast when they need to be, up to 30+ miles per hour.

they are sensitive to heat and cold having no fur and very little body fat. For this reason they have a heated house here in the winter and shade and mud holes in the summer.

They usually have babies every spring. Winnie is very protective of her piglets.

They love to do their race and get treats at the end.

Meet Zara & Buttons

The smallest of the cat family, the rusty-spotted cat is native to India and Sri Lanka among its deciduous forests and grasslands.

Meet Penzi & Bagy

This tortoise is the third-largest species of tortoise in the world. They are native to the Sahara Desert and are herbivores and can live up to 70 years.

Meet Abigail & Boomer

The jaguar is the largest cat species in the Americas and the third largest in the world, behind tigers and lions. The jaguar is a great swimmer and had a bite powerful enough to pierce shell of turtles and are the most active hunting their prey at dawn and dusk. They can be spotted or black.

Meet Cody, Missy, Winston, & Mimi

These lemurs are arboreal, spending most of their time in the high canopy of the seasonal rainforests. Mainly in Madagascar, they are active exclusively in the day time and eat mostly fruit.

Meet Ollie, Xena

Both were rescued from homes that were deemed unfit by authorities. We took them in to give them great habitats and care for life.

Meet Annabelle & Myers

Differentiated from the three-toed sloth, two-toed sloths spend most of their lives hanging upside down from trees! They are nocturnal and eat greenish algae as their main source of protein, which eventually affects the color of their coat.

Meet Savannah

The black-backed jackal is a medium-sized canine native to eastern and southern Africa.

Meet Charlie, Judith, & Zoe

The sitatunga is a swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout central Africa. They are most active at dawn and dusk and can be found in solitary or in groups.