The Experience at Fragile Planet

Updated: June 29, 2024

Iris Garcia
Special to LFN

On Thursday, June 13th, the Los Fresnos Chamber of Commerce and the South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce joined together to celebrate the Fragile Planet Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of their new attraction— the Safari Experience!
With much determination and long, 12-hour work days, in the South Texas heat, Fragile Planet Wildlife Park’s Safari Experience is now open to offer visitors a unique opportunity to see, encounter, and feed exotic animals like never before here in the Rio Grande Valley.

Marketing director of Fragile Planet, Irasema Garcia, shared “We’ve been overjoyed with the incredible heartwarming response from the RGV Community! It’s incredibly uplifting to see how the community has come together with open arms to experience this adventure with us. We hope we can continue to bring them excitement and unforgettable experiences.”

The Safari Experience includes a wagon ride through the Safari Park, where you can meet Oliver, the infamous and most beloved camel, zebras, ostriches, emus, water buffalo, Watusi, and a variety of other animals. Additionally, visitors have admission to the Wallaby Walkabout, where you can get up-close to kangaroos and wallabies. The Experience also includes access to the Petting Zoo, which is sure to create lasting memories as you interact with baby goats, a calf, baby deer, and adorable silkie chickens.
As you journey through any of the tours, it becomes evident and quite contagious the passion that drives the extraordinary team at Fragile Planet. From the team member who greets you at the gate, to the tour guide who shares with you their wealth of knowledge about each of the animals, to every staff member you encounter, it is clear to see how much they care about the animals and the importance of offering unforgettable experiences to each of its guests. It is this passion and vision that drove Co-Owners, Tyler Thomas, Nick Stacey, and Gabriel Ligon, to bring their love for animals, conservation, and education to Los Fresnos, Texas.

Tyler and Nick expressed, “The most rewarding part has been seeing the community interact with and learn about the animals. Our idea was to bring joy and new experiences to the RGV Community through something that we love, which is animals, and seeing them get the same enjoyment that we do is amazing!!”
Even if you’re not an animal lover or haven’t thought twice about conservation or endangered species, I challenge you to pay them a visit and see if you feel the same way after. Not only is the team so knowledgeable and well-versed about each of the animals under their care, but it is their excitement to share with you what they know that makes you inclined to grow your understanding.

In closing, Ms. Irasema said, “as someone who was born and raised in the 956, I am very pleased to be part of such an incredible community changing project. Me da mucha alegría ser parte de este proyecto, pero me da mas alegría ser parte de una comunidad que tiene tantas ganas de evolucionar y crecer. La única manera de poder crecer es apoyándonos uno al otro y la comunidad del RGV nunca ha fallado en eso. Es increíble poder decir que tenemos un Safari a la vuelta de la esquina. Familias que no podían tener estas experiencias, ahora tendrán la oportunidad de venir hacer memorias inolvidables. Es increíble. Este es el principio de nuestra aventura y esperamos que la comunidad RGV nos siga apoyando.”
Thank you, Fragile Planet for investing in our area, and for the beautiful culture you foster of openness, friendliness, and love for what you do— it is a true labor of love, and our community is very fortunate to have you!