Gwen Scott wakes up every morning, grabs her cup of coffee, listens to the singing of white-handed gibbons and sets off to feed more than 150 exotic animals living in her backyard.

Scott, co-owner of TGR Exotics Wildlife Park, said children, families and animal lovers flock to see the hundreds of animals from different regions of the world that call the business home. The Scotts bought their first animal—a pot-bellied pig—about 21 years ago, and their collection has expanded ever since.

"There were these big ranches out far away from here, and they had all these amazing animals. So my husband, Troy, thought, 'This is amazing,'" Scott said. "We got a pair a llamas, a pair of miniature horses, a pair of donkeys and decided what we like best."

The 10-acre park has grown to house a wide array of animals today from all over the world, including red kangaroos, gibbons, warthogs, howler monkeys and bison. Scott said she gets her animals from other private zoos, breeders and occasional donations. She said the park receives most of its revenue from zoo hours, camps, private tours and special events.

TGR provides opportunities for young employees, internships for college students and volunteering opportunities for high school students, Scott said. The park also sells some of its animals to zoos around the country to participate in educational programs, which brings awareness to the animals.

Building a similar wildlife park today would be difficult, Scott said, because the park was grandfathered in, allowing it to circumvent recent wild and dangerous animal laws. However, she said there are responsibilities to consider when purchasing exotic animals.

"To me, if you make a commitment to buy animals you have to realize that, are you going to be able to house them properly?" Scott said. "That's the biggest thing. You have to make that commitment to that animal. There is no one else taking care of it other than you."

Scott said she plans to buy new animals in the future, but she has not made decisions on which animals.

TGR Exotics prices

• Zoo tours—$15
• Cub Club—$8 (1 child, 1 adult), $5 each additional person
• Open zoo—$10 (adult), $5 (ages 3 to 16)
• Zoo School—$15 (first child), $10 (each additional child)
• Discovery Classroom—$10 (per adult), $5 (per child)

Owner's favorite animals

• Falcore, the howler monkey
• Jewel, the red kangaroo
• Sandy, the aracari toucan
• Plow, the armadillo
• White-handed gibbons
• Walter, the warthog
• Choco, the camel

TGR Exotics Wildlife

22115 Sherrod Lane

Spring 281-353-5252

www.tgrexotics.com

Zoo hours vary