The Rescue Round-ups!
ZZ Top, our ornery but oddly charming Ze-donk, came to Lyon Ranch in 2003. His unplanned conception at the ranch where he was born was the result of a one-night stand between a donkey and a zebra. He was given to Lyon Ranch because at the time he was deemed 'valueless,' though a few years later hybrids like the ze-donk became overnight sensations. ZZ is not an animal that any would consider pet quality since he possesses the worst traits of both parents, but he is a wonderful companion to our bactrian camel, Keesa.
Our emu is named Doris, which suits her fabulous personality to a T! Doris was found racing around a golf course in a panic after being hit by a car. Once a group of volunteers managed to corral her, Doris was checked by a vet and brought to Lyon Ranch. Despite her rough start Doris has proven to be very affectionate and curious.
Since 2012 Lyon Ranch has been state and federally licensed to care for a number of restricted species as well as domestics. Chalka the fennec is a little fox who was born with a severe nutritional deficiency called rickets, which caused his bones to grow incorrectly. Regardless of this setback, Chalka has faced each obstacle with his foxy smiles and wiles intact!
All proper ranches have a horse, of course, and at Lyon Ranch we have quite a few! Our small equine herd consists of two standard horses, six mini donkeys and seven mini horses that have come from a variety of sub-standard homes. Many of our hooved friends are now in their senior years and delighted to live out their retirement in the grassy four-acre pasture.
Parrots have the common misfortune of being purchased by people who have done absolutely zero research on having a pet bird. Since parrots are noisy, messy, smelly and destructive, they soon become desperate to re-home their bird. Spot the cockatoo is one of these noisy, messy, smelly and destructive birds who has also been blessed with a delightful personality. We don't mind his zest and enthusiasm, even when he does get a little loud.
Crusader went through five homes before he was a year old with the excuse that he was always getting too big. Well a big dog certainly fits in perfectly at the Lyon Ranch since we have four of them. Sometimes it feels like we're bursting at the seams with our pack of pups, but they do help us out by patrolling the property and being wonderfully sweet.
In 2016 California Fish & Wildlife helped us re-home 5 ocelots and 4 Geoffrey's cats from another facility in Northern California where the permitee had died without leaving instructions regarding his animals. We managed to bring them safely to the ranch where they are content to remain as long as it's quiet and undisturbed. Since these cats were never trained or handled, they dislike, but tolerate, the company of humans.