Steve Friess
High rollers aside, where the wild things are
It's perfectly understandable that Sin City's real wildlife goes relatively unnoticed amid the circus of party animals and sexy beasts. Yet from the African penguins to the zebra sharks, those critters and creatures are the real deal, as the world rudely discovered in 2003 after the on-stage white-tiger mauling of illusionist Roy Horn and the permanent closure of the "Siegfried & Roy" show. Horn's injury, though sensational, did nothing to diminish the public’s appetite for animal exhibits and acts in town.
Despite Las Vegas' much-touted repositioning away from kid-friendly entertainment, the Las Vegas Strip, taken as a whole, could be considered one of the nation's most exotic zoos. But where to start?...
High rollers aside, where the wild things are
It's perfectly understandable that Sin City's real wildlife goes relatively unnoticed amid the circus of party animals and sexy beasts. Yet from the African penguins to the zebra sharks, those critters and creatures are the real deal, as the world rudely discovered in 2003 after the on-stage white-tiger mauling of illusionist Roy Horn and the permanent closure of the "Siegfried & Roy" show. Horn's injury, though sensational, did nothing to diminish the public’s appetite for animal exhibits and acts in town.
Despite Las Vegas' much-touted repositioning away from kid-friendly entertainment, the Las Vegas Strip, taken as a whole, could be considered one of the nation's most exotic zoos. But where to start?...
Steve Friess High rollers aside, where the wild things are It's perfectly understandable that Sin City's real wildlife goes relatively unnoticed amid t... more
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1
Wildlife Habitat at The Flamingo Las Vegas
Bugsy Siegel’s landmark casino has changed dramatically over the years, but in 1995 the owners brought back the namesake birds, the pink Chilean flamingos. They frolic along with endangered African penguins and various fowl around freshwater pools where colorful koi swim with 25-pound green-gray grass carp and yellow albino channel catfish. It’s free and open to the public at all hours.
Pink flamingos Bubblegum and Pink Floyd are a gay couple, according to wildlife manager Robin Haeffner-Matos. They’re always seen together and both have bands on their right legs, which signifies they're male.
2
Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay
Nevada’s only facility accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association boasts a 95,000-square-foot, two-million-gallon saltwater tank that houses more than 2,500 colorful fish and reptiles including nearly a dozen different shark species.
No animals in Shark Reef have names because the staff don’t want to regard wild animals as pets.
3
Lion Habitat at the MGM Grand
As many as five African lions at a time loll about inside a 35-foot-tall glass enclosure that contains elaborate mountainous desert scenery. Visitors walk through a glass tunnel that leads you to a gift shop.
All these cats are direct descendants of the first six lions used for MGM Studios' movie marquees in the '20s.
4
Caesars Aquarium
A 50,000-gallon horseshoe-shaped saltwater tank at the north end of the Forum Shops mall houses more than 500 colorful fish of more than 100 species including zebra sharks and cow-nose rays. Behind-the-scenes tours of the fish facilities are conducted at 1:15 and 5:15 p.m. weekdays. Also, fish handlers dive into the main aquarium to feed the sea creatures at 3:15 and 7:15 p.m.
One yellow-finned snapper goes by the name of Slash, because of a visible scar above his right eyebrow.
5
Royal White Tiger Habitat
At the south entrance to the Mirage Hotel-Casino, there’s a free display that usually contains a few of illusionist duo Siegfried & Roy’s white tigers. A decade-old informational video narrated by the performers shows them wrestling and playing with tigers on their Vegas estate.
One of the white tiger cubs in the video is Montecore, the now-650-pounder that mauled Roy on stage in October 2003.
6
Tournament of Kings
This rousing, twice-nightly 90-minute dinner-theater production show at the Excalibur Hotel Casino features a half-dozen equestrian breeds as key players in a drama that has something to do with avenging the death of King Arthur.
Lights are out in the 29-horse stable on the Excalibur property from 1 to 4:30 a.m., known as "relaxation time" for the horses. Attendants are on hand, however, 24 hours a day, to feed and exercise the animals.
7
Secret Garden of Siegfried & Roy (at the Mirage)
The illusionist duo, off the stage since a 2003 tiger mauling that left Roy permanently disabled, are well-respected conservationists, and here visitors get a glimpse of their signature royal white tigers they used to use in their show as well as white lions of Timbavati, Bengal tigers, panthers, an Asian elephant and snow leopards. Most are endangered or threatened in the wild.
The Asian elephant, Gildah weighs four tons and takes in 40 gallons of water and 250 pounds of food a day.
8
The Tank
A purely entertainment attraction, the Golden Nugget’s new $35 million pool has at its center a 200,000-gallon saltwater tank containing 16 species of sharks and 250 types of fish—all with a waterslide running through it.
All the sharks are male in part to avoid procreation and in part because the males get along better than the females.
9
Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage
Four saltwater pools that combine for three million gallons are home to, at present, six Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. The newest is a calf born in June 2007 and named Sgt. Pepper.
A newborn calf swims non-stop 24 hours a day for about two weeks. The mother will swim as well for a while, then become exhausted and station herself at the center of the tank to keep a watchful eye on the child.
10
Drunk Chicks on the Strip
All kinds of wild life
[source: https://www.forbestraveler.com/Vegas/wildlife-of-vegas-story.html ]
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