Most days I really like my job, writing about all the interesting places to visit in New York State. Then there are days when I realize that I have the best job in the world. Our visit to The Wild Animal Park was thoroughly enjoyable and I just couldn’t wait to share it with you. Shockingly, The Wild Animal Park is way under-advertised. Hearing about The Wild Animal Park through some friends, we, of course, had to check it out for ourselves. We are big animal lovers and will drive any distance to see some adorable animals. We have been to almost every Zoo in New York, so I wasn’t expecting much from this place just because it was basically unknown. Therefore, I was unprepared for this amazing attraction.
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The Wild Animal Park is one of the nicest animal-related destinations that I have ever visited. The animals all had nice, clean enclosures, that for the most part were a fairly good size. They had more animals than most zoos I have visited, especially the big exotic animals that people really want to see such as bears (black bears and grizzly bears), and a multitude of big cats (lions, tigers, several varieties of leopards, cheetahs, and Jaguars). Not only those animals but a host of other animals and lots of babies. And who doesn’t want to see baby animals? The animals all looked very happy and were eager to interact with the people, which is a change from most zoos.
The Wild Animal Park is, unfortunately, a “nice day” park. Like most zoos, all the exhibits are outside. The park is nicely laid out and you simply follow the footpath around to view all of the animals. Wild Animal Park has an extensive feeding and petting element to it. Guests can purchase a solo cup full of food to carry around to feed to the various animals.
There is a petting zoo area when you first enter the park. This is not the only “feeding” area in the park. hold on to those cups, because the feeding opportunities are throughout the entire complex. You can also purchase a token at the front gate to feed the giraffe carrots. This is a must-do. There is a feeding platform that puts the giraffes are eye level with visitors. The giraffes were just as friendly as could be and really gave each person their complete and undivided attention, sticking out their enormously long, snake-like tongues for carrots.
There is also a place further into The Wild Animal Park where you can hand-feed camels. Most people are somewhat leery of camels and after seeing a few videos of what they are capable of, I can’t say that I blame them. However, these camels are just as sweet as can be and will very gently take food right out of your hand. My kids got a pretty huge kick out of this. There were all sorts of animals such as a warthog, kangaroos, zebras (with adolescent zebras), silver foxes (with babies- who were pretty much the most adorable things I have ever seen.), African crested porcupines, ring-tail lemurs (also had babies), as well as many others.
We actually had so much fun looking at the animals, we decided to travel around The Wild Animal Park for the second time and I was so happy we did because there was a little something that I didn’t notice on our first trek around. There was a small enclosure next to a small snack bar near the little lake at the back of the park.
I couldn’t imagine my day getting any better than it already was. The small enclosure had a sign that you could hold a baby kangaroo for $10. At first, I couldn’t believe my eyes. UM…YES, PLEASE…I absolutely wanted to hold a baby kangaroo. The lady in charge of this was so nice. She put the baby kangaroo into a carrier so that he wouldn’t kick us and then had each of us, in turn, hold the baby and pet him. We also received a commemorative picture. What a moment! My kids thought Christmas had come early.
Another neat feature of The Wild Animal Park is a giant bounce park. This is a great addition for small children. They can work off a lot of that excitement and tired parents can take a mini-break. My kids were a bit big for this, so we didn’t take advantage, but it looked like the kids were having a great time. This park is just wonderful. I can’t recommend it enough. This is a definite must-see.
Winter Animal Encounters
Sadly the park is closed during the winter months. Have no fear, though; the Wild Animal Park knows how to fulfill your need for animal connection. This winter, they offered 6 different animal encounters: a sloth encounter, an otter encounter, a rhino encounter, a penguin encounter, a capybara encounter, and a giraffe encounter.
Otter Encounter
We booked an otter encounter, and it was just incredible. Each encounter is a private session with the animals and their handler. They are great about walking you through how the session will run, and how you as the visitor should carry out the interaction with the animals. They are wild animals and Wild Animal Park is careful to ensure the safety of both the guests and the animals.
The otters are pretty much the most adorable animals that I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with. As we entered the enclosure, the otters ran up to us like we were the best thing they had ever seen. They proceeded to smell us and play with our pant legs. It was hilarious watching them frolic around us. They even tried climbing up inside our pants. once they calmed down, we sat down on logs, where they proceeded to jump from one of our laps to another. Emily, who was the animal expert in our session, really knew everything you could ever want to know about otters. She was funny and made our encounter that much more memorable.
My kids had the most amazing time interacting with these adorable, curious, and mischievous critters. My son loved it so much that after we finished with our recent Capybara encounter, he said he wanted to do the otter encounter again because it was his favorite animal encounter we have ever had. Not to say he didn’t like the others, but he and the otters had a special connection, they sat on his lap, slept on his feet, and when he went to leave the enclosure, they wrapped themselves around his feet so he couldn’t leave. So, that is pretty hard to top.
Capybara Encounter
We recently returned to enjoy a Capybara Experience, which was absolutely amazing. The Capybaras, who are named Peanut Butter and Jelly, were so adorable, and they were very interactive with us. They walked around to each of us, without any prompting, getting pets and taking food from us. Peanut Butter liked to put his paw up on our laps and peer into our faces. It was so cute. You could tell that they adored getting fawn over, and they loved having their picture taken. It almost seemed like they were posing for us.
I can’t say enough about how incredible this encounter was. Both our kids (who are basically grown) had the time of their lives playing with these unique animals. Capybaras are the largest of the rodent family, and boy, are they big! I think that was the most impressive thing about them; they were hefty and large, but they were exceptionally gentle. My daughter is now completely obsessed with Capybaras.
Honestly, it is really hard to say which experience I enjoyed more: the Capybara or the Otter. They were both very unique experiences that we could only get at the Wild Animal Park. Wild Animal Park is definitely a hidden gem in New York and one of the best family destinations there is. If you get the chance, book one of these special encounters and make sure to visit this fantastic zoological park.
The Wild Winter Wonderland of Lights
Take a winter stroll through the zoo and enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. The light show is walkthrough only and handicapped accessible.
Hours are Thursday through Sunday from 5-9 until New Year’s Day. Animals that can safely handle the cold will be out. The train, parakeet house, petting zoo, and bounce houses will be open, as well as the Snack Shack with a limited menu and lots of delicious treats! Santa will be attending every night through Christmas and they will be offering kangaroo pictures with Santa!
Hours and Admission
Please view the Wild Animal Park’s website for Hours and Admission
Address: 7621 Lakeport Rd., Chittenango, NY 13037