By JANE BANGLEY

By JANE BANGLEY

Rappahannock New* Staff Writer

\ person taking a trip to or from Front Royal on Route 522 for the first time cannot be blamed for stopping to take photographs. Photographs, not of the natural scenic beauty of this area, but of natural wonders transported to this area from all over the world.

The wonders are animals whose species have dwindled to the point where extinction becomes an all too real possibility. That explains why camels and zebras can be seen grazing beside Route 522. It also explains the extensive fencing and the creme buildings with red roofs that stretch for a good distance along the road.

Most of those buildings are remnants of the center’s early days when it was used as a calvary remount center and then as a German prisoner of war camp during World War II. The U.S. Department of Agriculture then took the land over and used it as a beef cattle research station.

When the Department of Agriculture ceased operations at the station, various groups petitioned the government for use of the 4,500 acres. The National Zoo was granted 3,150 acres, and the rest was divided between the Treasury Department, the Northern Virginia 4-H Center and the Warren County School Board.

“The Zoo’s needs for breeding animals, many of which were extinct in the wild, made it essential that the Zoo look at long-range breeding goals." said Mike Morgan. public information director. “That meant that we needed a large number of animals, and the Zoo has only 163 acres in D.C.”

The 3.150 acres near Front Royal was exactly what the Zoo needed. “We w ere very pleased because we came into a place that had been used for livestock and that had graineries, buildings and utility lines," Morgan said. “At first more common animals were brought here, but now we’re pretty heavily into breeding more exotic animals.”

Since there are only twTo other facilities in the country7 anything