About Us
Who Are We ?
The Preserve is dedicated to expanding elephant education, knowledge, and conservation. These efforts have brought about numerous professional accolades and recognition. We’re committed to doing our part to help save elephants from extinction.
The innovations in care and husbandry of elephants at The Preserve have spread around the world and have benefited a myriad of other elephants in human care and in the wild.
The elephants at The Preserve are ambassadors, educators, cultural icons, and the darlings of their community and their many fans. Together, this elephant family is determined to move ahead with a strong purpose to inspire and connect people with this endangered species.
We are proud to now bring that same high level of care and passion to several exotic species that call The Preserve home. Our mission stands strong as we continue to inspire and educate with animals from all over the world!
Commitment, dedication and expertise are hallmarks of making it onto The Preserve animal care team. It takes a special person to care for the elephants here; it really is more of a lifestyle than a job. Our elephant trainers and handlers come to us with different levels of experience. Some have degrees in Zoology, Animal Science or Animal Training and Management. Several are graduates of the Animal Care and Training Program at Moorpark College in Moorpark CA, https://www.moorparkcollege.edu/departments/academic/exotic-animal-training-and-management. Some have worked at zoos and other animal facilities.
No matter what experience people come with, they always undergo extensive training by our expert team to assure consistency and quality in the humane care and management of our amazing animals. Our senior elephant trainer has been with us 30 years. That is commitment!
Commitment is an important quality when choosing people to care for the elephants and all the animals at The Preserve. Everyone starts at the bottom and works their way up, no matter their previous experience. We look for people who are always on time, who understand that the animals come first and have the tenacity and wherewithal to do their best every single day to make sure every animal here is well cared for.
How Did We Get Here?
The Preserve has been in Fredericksburg TX since 2018, but our rich history goes back much further. Gary and Kari Johnson are our founders, each has a 50+ year history with elephants.
Kari’s journey started when her mom married a master elephant trainer in Texas. She started a full time apprenticeship with elephants when she was 14 years old.
Gary had an unusual opportunity to be around elephants when he was 8 years old in southern California, where an exotic animal facility was located. From that time on, he was hooked and spent all his time doing everything possible to see and learn about elephants. He owned his own elephant at 16 years old!
Gary and Kari met and married in Southern California and started their young lives with their elephant family together by starting their first business; Have Trunk Will Travel.
It had always been a dream to build a home where they and their beloved elephants could all transition to retirement and grow old together. Kari is from Texas originally and that is why they decided to settle in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. It has truly been a dream come true.
A Day At The Preserve.
Every day at The Preserve begins and ends the same - feeding, care and cleaning of our animals.
The time in between is spent exercising and training. Everyone is always busy with so much to do to maintain the beautiful preserve property.
Every day is different, from hand feeding kangaroos and teaching animals new behaviors for their mental stimulation, to digging holes and lots and lots of raking to make sure everything is picture-perfect for our valued guests.
Meet Our Animal Family!
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Kitty
Born: 1967
Favorite Activity: Scratching on Oak Trees
Kitty is our oldest elephant, but don’t let that fool you! She loves to goof around and make silly noises. Kitty is mischievous and likes to investigate everything.
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Rosie
Born: 1984
Favorite Activity: Snack Time
Rosie has built herself the reputation of eating others’ food. Her favorite food is watermelon! She is also known as our chatterbox, making lots of squeaks and trumpets throughout the day.
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Becky
Born: 1987
Favorite Activity: Bath Time
Becky is our smallest elephant. Her favorite time of the day is when she gets a bath. On warm days, Becky loves to splash and throw water on herself. Muddy days are an extra special treat
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Louie
Born: 2017
Favorite Activity: Keeping cool in the shade.
Compared to his other giraffe buddies, Louie is an introvert. He enjoys his alone time, usually spending it in the cool shade. Louie is our largest giraffe, and his ossicones go in different directions. -
Rowdy
Born: 2021
Favorite Activity: Training sessions
Rowdy is very studious and inquisitive. He is always willing to learn from his trainers. When he isn’t learning something new he is usually with his brother, Walter. -
Walter
Born: 2021
Favorite Activity: Painting
Walter’s newest talent is painting. He has big and bold brush strokes. He is also a good eater, always willing to eat from our guests. -
Lilly
Born: 2022
Favorite Activity: Swimming
Despite their unique look kangaroos are great swimmers, and Lilly is no exception. On dry land, Lilly enjoys relaxing in the shade. Being hand raised, she prefers spending her day with people rather than other kangaroos. -
Willow
Born: 2024
Favorite Activity: Meeting new people
Willow was hand reared by us. She loves to meet new people and is very friendly. She looks up to Lilly as a big sister. -
Monroe
Born: 2022
Favorite Activity: Playing Hide-and-Seek
Despite being albino, Monroe is great at hiding in her Australian habitat. She usually spends her day in the foliage. -
Sid (with Monroe)
Born: 2022
Favorite Activity: Hangout with Monroe
Sid acts like Monroe’s shadow. He is always found hopping right behind her. Their unique bond is quite entertaining. -
Chris
Born: 2022
Favorite Activity: Eat corn on the cob
One of Chris’ favorite activities is to eat corn right off the cob! He is able to hold the corn with his paws. His ever growing teeth allow him to eat his corn without any hassle. -
Milo
Born: 2023
Favorite Activity: Digging
With their claws, African Crested Porcupines are great diggers. Milo is always looking for buried treasure in his habitat. Like his sister Lulu, he enjoys going on walks. -
Lulu
Born: 2023
Favorite Activity: Going on walks
Lulu enjoys going on walks through the property. She loves receiving corn on these walks, that is her favorite food. One way to tell her apart from her brother Milo, is that she has a white patch by her chest. -
Kevin
Born: 1994
Favorite Activity: Running through the sprinklers.
Kevin loves the water! He enjoys being sprayed by the hose and splashing in puddles. He is known to get the occasional “zoomies,” running around his habitat. -
Kookaburras
Favorite Activity: Laughing
What else would a Laughing Kookaburra want to do more than laugh? Their distinct call can be heard throughout the entire property. We currently have three kookaburras, Dylan, Oliver, and Marley. -
African Spurred Tortoises
Born: 1990s
Favorite Activity: Basking in the sun
We have three tortoises, Franklin, Radcliff, and Steven. As reptiles, they thermoregulate by basking in the sun. This raises their body temperature and keeps them active.
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