It Really Shouldn’t Seem So Strange To See A Gorilla In Amarillo

I had heard stories more than once about a gorilla living in Amarillo, Texas, but had never seen it with my own eyes. The stories say that somewhere just north of town, there's a giant enclosure you can see from the road. Inside, lives Amarillo's resident gorilla.

Intrigued, I went to take a look. It really shouldn't have surprised me to find a gorilla in Amarillo.

Heading North In Search Of Amarillo's Resident Gorilla

I was given a general direction to head in, and told to keep an eye out for a "massive cage." That's pretty much all I was given, and it wound up being enough.

As I was traveling north, it finally came into view. The roof of a giant enclosure loomed in the distance. It looked like the kind of thing they keep pterodactyls in at Jurassic Park.

It was more than a "cage." That's a massive understatement and really downplays how big the thing is. It's an enclosure big enough to give a gorilla room to roam.

Amarillo's Resident Gorilla Caught Catching Some Rays

There it sat near the top of the enclosure. The silhouette of a gorilla soaking up some midday sun seemed a little surreal given where I was seeing it.

It didn't move much. The gorilla just sat, perched in the sun. I sat for a few moments waiting to see if I would catch a glimpse of the gorilla in action.

Unfortunately, it just wanted to work on its tan...so to speak.

I Wouldn't Go Looking For This Gorilla

While it was a little mind blowing to see this gorilla hanging out in Amarillo, I wouldn't recommend making the trip all willy-nilly. There's a couple of reasons why.

• It's on private property with signs posted everywhere explaining that you're not welcome without an invitation; if you know what I mean. Signs are everywhere saying "private property" and "no trespassing." Which leads me to the second problem.
• You can only see the gorilla from a distance. By distance, I mean the road. People aren't real keen on sitting behind you waiting for you to get done gawking at the gorilla.