Jim’s Jungle Exotic Petting Zoo regains stride with return to area tours

By Ruth Ann Ruiz

The Post Newspaper Features Editor

Five years into their marriage, the Peelers decided they were going to start a mobile petting zoo. 

“At our nephew’s birthday party there was a petting zoo and we just thought, ‘hey we love animals, and we can do this, and we can do it even better,’” both Kelly and James shared. 

Not just any ordinary petting zoo would do for them, the Peelers wanted an exotic animal petting zoo. Out of their vision they created Jim’s Jungle Exotic Petting Zoo.

Since their beginning five years ago, they have grown to keep between 80-100 animals on a five-acre farm in Alvin. Some of the animals come to live on their farm through direct purchases from exotic animal breeders in Texas. Some of the animals, such as goats and lambs, are donated to them by local FFA and 4H students, while others come to them as rescue animals. 

The lineup of animals includes your normal run of the mill: mini ponies, a mini cow named Moonshine, regular size cows, chickens, bunnies, a turkey named Charlie, goats, a lamb, a pot belly pig, some cats and dogs, baby geese and a tortoise named Ike. 

The exotic lineup includes a lemur named Gizmo, a wallaby, a  coatimundi named Blu, and a kinkajou. 

All their animals have names and all of them are people friendly. But not all of them go out for petting duty. Some are family pets who stay home on the farm while the others go out to work. While on the farm, the animals don’t have any tasks other than to be themselves. 

“The animals know when they are home, they can relax so we don’t have petting customers come to the farm,” said Kelly. 

When it’s time to go to work, the animals know the scoop. “We hook up the trailer and they pretty much board themselves. Except, Ike, the tortoise, who needs to be carried,” said Kelly. Riding in a trailer can stress out an animal, so the Peelers only accept petting gigs that are within a 90-minute drive. Also, to keep the animal’s anxiety levels down, they limit the number of events to three in one day. 

The animals each have their own unique personality quirks. For instance, Moonshine does not get along well with other cows. She must live away from the other cows. She and the deer get along well and share a living space. 

Charlie, the turkey, sleeps on the front porch and can’t seem to get himself down, so the first task of the day is taking Charlie off the porch. The pot belly pig is shy.

 Kelly and James do not keep their animals in cages, although they do have to put the littlest ones in traveling containers when they head out to an event.

“I grew up farming and I don’t want my animals caged,” said James. 

“Our animals are like family to us,” added Kelly. 

Gizmo, the lemur, has been living a quarantined life since the pandemic started. “He can get sick with anything that makes a human sick,” said James. To protect him, Gizmo lives safely in a room and the only humans allowed near him are Peelers. He won’t be out on petting gigs until the Peelers feel it’s safe enough.

It takes three veterinarians to cover all their animals. One is used for the farm animals; another is used for the exotic animals and still another is used for surgery for any of the animals. They keep all their animals fully vaccinated, and they do not use pesticides on the property. 

One of their regular gigs is at Santa Fe’s Three Acres Food Truck Park. “They draw a large crowd, the children really love the animals,” said Barbra Minter, co-owner of Three Acres Food Truck Park. 

The pandemic shutdown brought their paying events to a halt.  But the animals still had to be fed and bills paid, so the Peelers took on other gigs such as Door Dash and pet sitting. 

“We almost came close to selling the business,” said James. 

With the opening of the state in March, they were able to resume transporting their petting zoo, bringing joy to the faces of children at various events. 

“Things are looking better now, and we feel so lucky and blessed to have our all of our animals,” said James.