Luray Rescue Zoo
- sarahwilk24
- Feb 20, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 10
430 pieces | LEGO: 41717 (retired)
Assembled by Kristy Williams, June 2025
Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)
February 20, 2023
On the last day of their trip to Luray, they stopped by the Luray Zoo. It's a small rescue zoo that features photos of the owner with Steve Irwin back in the 1990s, who visited the zoo. The couple enjoyed seeing the large reptile exhibit, which is one of the largest collections of venomous snakes on the East Coast. They found a massive snapping turtle in a glass tank, completely unmoving except for the tiniest air bubbles that escaped from its nose. Outside, they found a pen full of goats, which they fed pellets to. Because Hunter adores goats, they spent quite a bit of time just hanging out with them, even befriending one who liked to hang back from the rest of the pack and had a fiendishly charming smile. They encountered a small lemur-like primate that spent its days throwing poop at visitors (which they had the distinct pleasure of experiencing, but luckily the little s**t had bad aim). The animals all came from other zoos, or situations of unwanted pets, confiscations, and abuse. Some of the animals had experienced trauma (like our friend, the poop-thrower). After they saw all the animals, it was time to say goodbye to Luray and head back home.
That evening was not the relaxing bliss they both hoped for, though, as Cali escaped out of the front door as Hunter brought their luggage in from the car, and they spent the better part of the night trying to coax her to come back inside. She was spooked, so the only way they could get her to come back was to lock up the rest of their animals, turn off all the lights in the house, and leave the front door wide open. After about 10 minutes of waiting (they even had to keep away from the windows, because she could tell they were watching), she ran back inside the house, and they whipped the door shut behind her. And then, after calming down a bit, they informed Sarah's mom about the proposal. She was happy for them (if a little puzzled about this whole "half-engaged" business they were trying to explain).
They did a horrible job of taking photos while at the Luray Zoo. The only one they captured was of this adorable goat. There were lots of other goats in the same pen, but this little cutie preferred to hang out away from the crowd. Hunter wanted to take him home, but they couldn't bring home news of their engagement AND a new goat. Only one or the other, so they abandoned any plans of a goat heist that day.