Clovis’s Hillcrest Park Zoo creates a space for education, ecology, and a wide, wide, world of fun events.
Lions and tigers and Clovis? Oh, my! This eastern New Mexico city, located nine miles from the Texas border, boasts the second-largest zoo in New Mexico. Founded in 1927, Hillcrest Park Zoo features more than 150 animals and 63 different species, including four dozen birds, reptiles, and invertebrates.
In fact, zoo director Stephanie Chavez recently returned from a transport mission for the zoo’s newest addition. “I just picked up a three-pound baby coati named Fuchsia to join the one we have named Scarlet,” she says of the housecat-size relative of raccoons whose habitat includes the U.S. Southwest. They are known for their ringed tails, sharp claws, and ability to climb trees.
“But most people don’t know we also have large animals here: bears, a Bengal tiger, a giraffe, bison, as well as lots of birds and reptiles,” she says. “Visitors often say what a great place this is.”
With a master’s degree in conservation management and background keeping animals at two Texas zoos, Chavez was a good match to shepherd the 140-acre attraction, which includes many creatures native to desert regions, like the coati, tarantulas, kangaroos, ostriches, and a warthog
Conservation is a big part of what makes Hillcrest Park Zoo special. The zoo cares for endangered animals, like Sooner the Bengal tiger, and houses several species of birds that can’t be found in their traditional biomes.
“The relationship we have with animals is extraordinary,” Chavez says. “We are their voice, we are their family.” The zoo’s care, treatment, and enrichment of these animals creates a ripple effect that inspires visitors to get involved through fundraising, events, and education. “They realize what an impact we have on the area, especially with kids,” she says. “We have a summer intern program and know that we’ve definitely inspired many of them to want to be zookeepers.”
Chavez’s youthful energy mirrors that of Clovis itself. In this military, agricultural and railroad community of 38,000 people, the zoo welcomes 40,000 visitors each year. October’s Haunting at Hillcrest features a costume competition, candy giveaways, food trucks, live music, and a pumpkin-carving contest that draws hundreds of entrants to feed their finished gourds to the bison. For one week in December, the zoo invites Santa (and everyone else) to a wonderland decorated with lights, inflatables, and a giant Christmas tree.
The zoo’s education center offers behind-the-scenes, no-barrier sessions for all ages with foxes, lemurs, a camel, and a giraffe. Expansion plans include a new flamingo exhibit, an addition to the giraffe barn, and a big cat exhibit to better showcase Sooner, the Bengal tiger. Located within the 157-acre Hillcrest Park, the zoo shares space with a par 3 golf course, new pickleball courts, lots of playground equipment for kids, a seasonal splash park, a wedding garden, and abundant picnic areas.
When it’s time to say farewell to the animals, visitors have a good selection of international cuisines in town to choose from, thanks to the diversity and influence of Cannon Air Force Base. Local favorites include Leal’s Mexican Food and Juanito’s Mexican Restaurant, pub fare at Bandolero Brewery, and Pan-Asian at Blaz’n Asian and Siam Bistro. “I spend a lot of time at karaoke, trivia, and dancing at Red Door Brewing,” says Chavez.
