Carlsbad, New Mexico Activities The Living Desert Come face to face with a mountain lion at the Living Desert State Park, a unique zoo and botanical garden offering an opportunity to experience the Chihuahuan desert first-hand. You'll see mountain lions, bobcats, quail, hawks, owls, badgers, skunks, bears, wolves, deer, elk, javelinas, foxes, prairie dogs, buffalo, waterfowl, snakes, lizards, roadrunners and more.