This carousel was recently constructed to feature endangered animals. The idea was to provide a ride that also taught conservation. This carousel was located just off to the left of the main path into the park.

All the animals were hand carved and hand painted. Here two panda bears raced together, one on the inside track, the other on the outside track.

The gorilla is the largest species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. The are classified as an Endangered species.

The African Wild Dog s a large, endangered canid found only in Africa, especially in savannas and other lightly wooded areas. It is variously called the African Wild Dog, African Hunting Dog, Cape Hunting Dog, Painted Dog, Painted Wolf, Painted Hunting Dog, Spotted Dog, or Ornate Wolf.

The Black Rhinoceros is native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola. Although the Rhino is referred to as black, it is actually more of a grey/brown/white color in appearance. The Black Rhinoceros is Critically Endangered.

The Asian Elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Asian elephants are the largest living land animals in Asia. The Asian Elephant is Endangered.

The Snow Leopard is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia. Snow leopards live between 3,000 and 5,500 meters (9,800 and 18,000 feet) above sea level in the rocky mountain ranges of Central Asia. The Snow Leopard is endangered.

Some male lions exceeds 250 kg (550 lb) in weight. The lion is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. The lion is Vulnerable.

The Bactrian camel still roams the Mangystau Province of South West Kazakhstan. The Bactrian camel has two humps on its back, in contrast to the single-humped Dromedary camel. The Bactrian camel is Critically Endangered.

The background for the carousel resembled the side of an African thatched hut. An African mask decorated the wall and appeared to be staring at an ostrich.

One of the more tame rides on the carousel was this Eagle nest. Using the wheel in its center a rider could cause the nest to rotate.

The endangered Blue Poison Dart Frog is one of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to Central and South America. These amphibians are often called "dart frogs" due to the Amerindians' indigenous use of their toxic secretions to poison the tips of blowdarts.

The Stellar's Sea Eagle lives in coastal northeastern Asia and mainly preys on fish. It is, on average, the heaviest eagle in the world. The Stellar's sea eagle is vulnerable.

The Hook-billed Hermit Hummingbird is an endangered species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is found in humid forests in eastern Brazil, with recent records from the states of Espérito Santo and Bahia only.

The Island fox is a small fox that is native to six of the eight Channel Islands of California. There are six subspecies of the fox, each unique to the island it lives on, reflecting its evolutionary history. The island fox is critically endangered.

The Sea Otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg (30 to 100 lb), making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals.

Detail of a fish grasped in the talons of a Stellar's Sea Eagle.

The lion turned its head outward as did the tiger behind it. The result was a double snarl by two great cats.

A closeup of the fish in the mouth of the snow leopard.

An island fox is an endangered fox that could be more endangered because of the way he is eyeing the poison frog.

Leafs form the saddle on the back of this endangered Chinese Alligator It is one of two known living species of Alligator, a genus in the family Alligatoridae. The Chinese alligator is native only to China.

A wary child was almost ready to ride one of the endangered animals. Fortunately there was a handy parent at the ready.

This was one view of the carousel from the path that led behind it. Notice the roof was also thatched to resemble an African hut or house. African style shields bordered the edge of the roof. But not all the endangered animals depicted on the ride were from Africa.