Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

In 1973, Fort Worth businessman Tom Mantzel bought Waterfall Ranch and developed it into a private exotic game ranch and hunting operation known as Fossil Rim Wildlife Ranch. In the early 1980s, he shifted toward conservation, launching breeding programs for endangered species such as Grévy’s zebra and addax. Financial strain after the oil crash led Mantzel to open the ranch to the public in 1984 with a scenic drive‑through safari and growing education efforts. In 1987, new owners Jim Jackson and Krystyna Jurzykowski transformed the property into Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, taking on non-profit status in 2008. The Center is now an 1800-acre conservation institution with public education and breeding programs, including propagation efforts for rare animals such as the Attwater’s prairie chicken, scimitar-horned oryx, red wolf, Mexican gray wolf, cheetah, Southern white rhinoceros, and other creatures.