MCGREGOR, Texas — Valerie Lieberman and her husband own Blue Hills Ranch in McGregor, about 20 minutes from Waco. The property is home to all kinds of wildlife, including giraffes, zebras and kangaroos. 

What You Need To Know

  • They had so many animals the ranch turned into an African-style safari. People can tour the property to see exotic deer, antelope, even a British cow or two

  • The ranch is meant to be a safe haven for all sorts of animals where people get to interact with them

  • Many of the animals were rescued and receive round-the-clock care

“We had all this land, and we were like, ‘Let’s add some animals so we don’t have so much to mow,’” said Lieberman.

They had so many animals the ranch turned into an African-style safari. People can tour the property to see exotic deer, antelope, even a British cow or two. Lieberman says you can’t get that type of experience anywhere else.

“Even if you go on safari, let’s say in Africa, and you say, ‘Hey, I want to experience this,’ there’s a slight chance that you’ll see the animal. You’ll see it from afar, and you will not have that one-on-one. Here, you get to do that because these are our babies. They were hand-raised, so they have a love for people,” she said.

The ranch is meant to be a safe haven for all sorts of animals where people get to interact with them. Many of the animals were rescued and receive round-the-clock care.

“So, a lot of times people try to get an exotic animal, and they really don’t know or understand what level of care it takes," she said. "Lucky for us, we have enough staff who are trained. We have enough vets on site to say, ‘Hey, I can take this animal.'”

Some of the female animals on site will have babies soon. Lieberman says it does her heart good knowing there’ll be entire animal families roaming the ranch one day.