Morning Bray Farm

We visited Wildlife West Nature Park yesterday. Unlike a typical zoo, Wildlife West is a preserve for orphaned, injured and certified non-releasable animals and birds in natural habitats.

This is Morley, a golden eagle. Morley is missing his right eye, making it impossible for him to be released into the wild.

Here’s Dia, a western red-tailed hawk. Dia was found on the ground, injured in the right shoulder and wing – the result of a gunshot.

Magnificent.

Here’s Don having a chat with Lucky, a white-tailed deer rescued by the New Mexico Game & Fish Department.

I couldn’t get over how beautiful the pronghorns were. Tonto was orphaned as a baby and brought to Wildlife West by the New Mexico Game & Fish Department.

Did you know the pronghorn is the only living member of its family in the world? They are not antelopes. They’re the fastest land mammal – they can sprint up to 60 mph and maintain a speed of 30 mph for miles (they can sustain high speeds longer than a cheetah). They can see 320 degrees without turning their head and can see movement up to four miles away.

This is Forrest, a gray fox. He was found orphaned as a baby in a train car in southern New Mexico.

Meet Ernie, a great horned owl. Ernie is at Wildlife West due to a serious injury to his right wing, most likely caused by a collision with a vehicle.

And, last but certainly not least, Don and I were intrigued by Max and Polly, a pair of crested caracaras.

Max and Polly are at Wildlife West because they were illegal pets.

They are members of the falcon family, although their structure and habits are quite different from those of other falcons.

Stunning.