Roswell’s downtown provided plenty of things to do during Small Business Saturday, Nov. 25, such as spending money at local businesses, visiting food trucks, and a last chance to see Runyan Ranches’ traveling petting zoo.
The animals were set up in makeshift pens at Reischman Park. While there, people could pet, feed, and “love on” these animals, a social media announcement about the appearance noted.
“It’s our last public zoo,” said Camille Graham, the zoo owner, as she looked out at the goats, sheep, camels, cattle, llamas, and other gregarious creatures that enjoy the company of people. Especially if they are people with some food to offer them.
These food offerings (pellets provided by the petting zoo’s proprietors) are seldom refused by the animals — even if the snack is coming from a boisterous, giggling, squealing, albeit delighted child.
Only on occasion, something highly startling would cause either children or an animal to back away from the other, most often just temporarily.
A relaxed but happy boy, Chisum Bradford, age 2-1/2, smiled as he held a long-handled spoon containing some feed pellets toward a camel. He was having a little trouble holding it steady and toward the camel’s mouth. His grandfather, Cody Burson, put his hand on the spoon to keep it from moving.
“We had to come down here,” Burson commented. “It’s the last one.”
Both are from Roswell. As a spelling aid, Burson also noted that his grandson’s first name is spelled the same way as John Simpson Chisum’s last name. The wealthy cattle baron of the American West during the 19th century had a ranch in Roswell and is the subject of a statue in nearby Pioneer Park.
Another boy, a little older, let loose a high-pitched scream when one of the camels came closer than expected. But he had a big smile on his face soon after and went right up to the camel again.
An older girl said some of the goats were being “greedy” because they were pushing other goats away and trying to get that food from her, too.
Graham has been operating petting zoos for more than 20 years. The traveling zoo has appeared at locations across New Mexico and West Texas.
“They’ll miss us,” Graham said about the people, young and old, who enjoyed interacting with the petting zoo animals at fairs, festivals, and auctions. But transporting the animals to events and often having to sleep away from home between engagements, sometimes in a truck, can be tiring.
“We all sleep better at home,” she said. “So do the animals.”
For example, it was cold and snowing up in Mayhill at 5:30 a.m. as the zoo animals were being loaded up for the trip from Runyan’s to Roswell. Getting the animals ready to transport wasn’t easy because of those conditions. But when the animals arrived at Reischman Park, they were ready to interact.
The petting zoo at Runyan closed two years ago. After it closed the animals “were pretty depressed,” Graham noted.
“And they’re going to really miss this, too,” she commented.
Runyan’s ranch store and fish pad in Mayhill will continue operating. Because the zoo animals will remain at the ranch as pets, visitors might get a glimpse at the animals in their ranch environment. They won’t be on display.
“We’ll be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., each day,” Graham said.
And weather permitting. She did advise potential visitors to stay home if there’s heavy snow.
By Terri Harber
Roswell Daily Record
