Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo

Reviews 3

20

20902tricia

I felt compelled to write a review on this zoo after our trip today since there seem to be so many negative reviews here which mention the mistreatment of the animals, which is not at all what my son and I witnessed during our visit today. We had a great time, enjoyed the mix of part petting zoo/part exotic animal zoo, and overall found what appeared to be well-treated animals. I didnt find the cost to be exorbitant, even though we are spoiled by our "local" zoo, The National Zoo, being free (except for parking costs) to enter. You can bring your own water, drinks and food without a hassle and there are many shady places to sit and relax and enjoy an outdoor "picnic", which really helps keep the cost down. Parking is free, too. Perhaps this zoo is now under new management and thats why we didnt witness the neglect as reported in the reviews from about 3/4 years ago. My favorite part was the Australia area, realizing Ive never actually seen a dingo, nor a kangaroo or a cassowary - which is, hands down, one of the most fascinating-looking birds Ive ever seen. My son, who is 12, was really interested in the sun bears, and we were lucky enough to happen upon them during snack time, when the caretaker was nice enough to answer all our questions. This encounter encouraged my son to research more about the bears, their habitat, what they like to eat, etc. as his summer science project for middle school. We also had a surprising incident with an wily alpaca who waited until my son was distracted by feeding a goat for the alpaca to steal his cup, and all the food in it, right out of my sons hand! It would have been a great photo op if Id not been so surprised at the alpacas resourcefulness in obtaining all the feed pellets in one shot, instead of taking my shot! Probably the only suggestion Id make to the zoo would be to increase the size of the pen for the wolves; they did seem a bit stressed in their enclosure. Granted, I felt the same when I saw the wolf exhibit at the National Zoo, and actually their wolf enclosure was even smaller. A couple of things we did not do - the parakeet feeding and the safari - I cant comment on. We didnt want to stay for the safari ride as we needed to head back home to DC before rush hour began, and those who were doing the parakeet feeding seemed to be having a good time, we just didnt want to risk getting pooped on! Well definitely be back. It was a great way to spend a few hours this summer and being directly across from the entrance to Cunningham Falls State Park, we might make a camping trip up there (about an hour away from the DC Maryland suburbs) in the fall and add a visit to the zoo to our plans.

ST

Stephen Boyhont

I felt terrible for the animals. Granted, most of my experience with exotic animal care comes from self-teaching, some classes, and no actual hands-on experience, but you didnt need that training to tell that these animals were not in the right conditions. Staff was uneducated and unenthusiastic about the animals. We went to a keeper talk and the staff member looked very bored and showed us about three animals. The facts she gave were bland, useless or wrong. We were shown an Amazonian Parrot and she said and I quote, "This is how it perches in the wild." How does it perch any other way? She also brought out an alligator to which she explained had three "eyelashes" Im very sure she meant to say "eyelids" and it was an honest mistake, but combined with her lack of energy and no-brainer info it was embarrassing. The safari ride was through a rocky desolate dirt area. The poor bison dont really have the grassy plains they are used to. The staff has what they call "gate monkeys" which are staff members that run through the enclosure to open gates to the next section of the safari area. Not the safest or smartest idea. Also, the animals were fed buttered popcorn and processed bagels. They are probably also fed other things, but these human foods do not help the dietary needs of these animals. The one staff member on the safari ride also talked disparagingly about the National DC Zoo saying that the animals have too big enclosures so guests can never see them. At least the animals there have their needs met and have more room to roam around. Also, it felt very weird to here a keeper say that about another zoo. Yes, they are competition, but they also share the same goal of promoting safe environments for animals and public education about animals. Though, clearly, Catoctin Wildlife Preserve does not have the goals in mind. I then did more research and saw that they have been fined and in the video interview the staff members interviewed became very defensive and aggressive about the charges. I was also disheartened at the gibbon enclosure. Gibbons are one of the few creatures that mate for life and that poor soul had no friends or potential mates. Primates are social creatures. Overall a disheartening experience and I will not return.

PA

Parker Rock

I had a great time and found the zoo not just a fun experience for the family but a unique one as well. The Smithsonian Zoo is closer to where we live than the Catoctin, but we choose the long drive because its worth it. You see animals that you can see nowhere else. I mean, pandas are great, but we like seeing animals that are less known about. I didnt find the zoo particularly pricey, as some other reviews have said. I guess they must have changed it, because we have only come in 2015. We did note that some of the cages seemed too small, but we intend to donate to the zoo to help them expand this. More on the animals: that is why you COME to a zoo, to see the animals. There are adorable monkeys that are fascinating to watch, and the Catoctin is the only zoo outside of Indonesia that has these. Furthermore, they are helping the wild with their preservation of endangered animals such as the Amur leopard--which they have--of which there are only 57 left in the wild and an estimated 200 in captivity, as of 2015. The safari adventure was superb, captivating, funny/fun, and informative. The whole family loved it, as they loved the camel rides, which were completely one-of-a-kind to any zoo we dont have to fly to. I apologize if anyone didnt have a great time there, but my family mustve come at a completely different time because we had the opposite. No, I do not work there. All of these comments I really mean. Its truly an exceptionally amazing experience and zoo. While Im disappointed its about to be closed for the winter, we purchased a seasonal ticket or something-or-other, so Im excited to spend a lot of time the 2016 year. I hope if you are considering this Wildlife Preserve and Zoo, you do end up going, because it is just mind-blowing. Furthermore, I encourage you to blatantly ignore most of the bad reviews, because of the 10 dissatisfied reviews, only 2 were less than a year ago in 2015, and therefore completely outdated. And lets look at some statistics about these reviews (in 2015): of the 31, 10 are dissatisfied, which is around 32%, making LESS THAN ⅓ of customers unhappy, and (as said above), 80% of those are grossly outdated. Im pretty sure youll have a good time.

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