Ride a 'round with a rhino!The Houston Zoo’s Wildlife Carousel opened May 1, 2004. It’s located at the entrance to the John P. McGovern Children’s Zoo under a specially designed pavilion that keeps riders spinning in cool comfort even in the middle of a hot Houston summer.
The carousel is a unique work of art, hand carved and painted by skilled craftsmen from Carousel Works in Mansfield, Ohio.
Many of the exotic animals represented on the carousel can be found in the Zoo such as the Okapi, Bongo, Babirusa and Giant Eland. In addition, creatures special to Texans are present as well, including the only armadillos known to exist on as carousel figures.
The Houston Zoo’s Wildlife Carousel was made possible through generous gifts from numerous donors. You can see their names in personalized plaques at the base of their sponsored animals. A portion of the proceeds from the Carousel will help fund the Zoo’s ongoing conservation efforts. Riders of all ages can have fun taking a spin and knowing that they are bringing hope to endangered species and wild habitats around the world!
WILDLIFE CAROUSEL TRIVIA
- The entire carousel weighs approximately 36,500 pounds.
- The carousel’s so-called jumper system is what makes the animals go up and down.
- The jumper gear ratio of 4.33:1 makes the figures go up and down 4 1/3 times for every revolution.
- A crank connected to the jumper system raises the carousel figures 10 inches up and down per revolution.
- The carousel platform (floor) is sanded wood with four coats of polyurethane.
- The big over head beams on the carousel are called “sweeps.” The sweeps are clean, straight grain Douglas Fir beams that are painted and varnished.
- Each carousel figure is a hand-carved wooden figure, made up of between 60 to 80 blocks of wood, primed with alkyd primer and painted with Japan Oils.
- The figures are covered with up to eight coats of clear enamel that contains mildew resistant additives.
- How do you care for these wonderful animals? The answer might surprise you. Scuff marks on the figures and the chariots are removed with a gel-type hand cleaner - the same kind of hand cleaner car mechanics use to clean grease off their hands!
