Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch

Reviews 6

AL

Alvin Achterhof

For an adult, I could see this place being underwhelming due to the smaller size and that it isnt a fancy looking zoo. But for children, this place is PERFECT. They are so close to the animals and get to see them out in the open and in most situations get to pet them to which every kid wants to do. (dont worry, there is plenty of hand sanitizer all around the park). It is not very big, but we still spent a good 3 hours there and that was without watching any of the shows that happen all day long. I had a 10 month old with us and it was just big enough to where she wouldnt get tired or antsy. Having the animals at her fingertips kept her engaged enough to where the only time she wanted a break was to eat. Speaking of eating, there appeared to be a nice picnic area right outside the gates to where you could bring a cooler. Also, the pizzeria that is inside the park by the bear exhibit was a nice building (with AC and a better bathroom than the porta-potties up front) and the pizza looked and smelled very good. The highlight was the safari train to where the horses, camels, zebras, etc come running up to you to feed from the buckets attached to the side. It was very cool seeing them in the distance and then come running to you when they see you coming. The train stopped at each exhibit long enough for you to pet and see everything but I dont think the ride in whole was either too long or too short. All the employees were very polite and our train operator had a fun sense of humor. We used the half off Groupon, but now that Ive been there, I dont think I would have minded paying full price. Just remember, this is not a zoo looking to make millions off of you, this is non-profit with a great cause. Take it for what it is NOTE: If you are looking at Google Maps, the exact location of the park is inaccurate. The map places the park at what appears to be a junkyard. But in actuality, the park is half a mile further south of the pin point, on the same side of the road, with a bunch of red roof buildings. The park really should request Google to correct that. I am the type of person to look at satellite views to every new place we go just to get an idea of the area or to confirm location, and when I saw cars and debris all around the property from the satellite view, I got a little nervous on what were getting ourselves into. NOTE: Nevermind, just realized I can suggest an edit to Google myself :)

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Jordan Elder

Forget zoos, this is the way to go if you want an experience! My wife, three young children, and I visited and had a great time from start to finish. There are plenty of opportunities to interact with the animals and pet them, which is way better than a zoo. Most of the animals have big enclosures with quite a bit of space. All the employees we talked to were happy and friendly, which I always look for when I decide if the management is good or not. If the employees are genuinely happy, something is going right! We watched a few of the exhibits and we loved the black bear exhibit. My kids got to pet a snake one of the workers had with her and they were thrilled. GO ON THE TRAM RIDE - If you do nothing else, do this! The tram has buckets along the side of it that the workers toss some food into. As you go through each enclosure, the animals swarm the tram and go for the food. You get to see them up close and you get to pet some of them. For the less tame animals, the workers dumped feed out for them so they would stay a bit farther away. Go here, you wont regret it!

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DA

Daisy Edwards

While standing near the pen, the miniature donkey bit my 2 year old. Because there is no one supervising the animals, I had to struggle with the donkey to let go of my 2 year olds arm. Its a bad bite that broke the skin. I told the manager and she tolde "well, animals bite" I had to ask for antiseptic spray to put on his arm. Later I went back in and told her that my child was now afraid and she said "thats the risk you take coming in here, they are animals." No one went to supervise the donkey after this happened. The owner never called. No one seemed concerned about this animal biting children at a childrens petting zoo. Horrible negligence. Also, in the petting zoo 4 adult goats jumped on me where I had to forcefully throw them off and trampled my 2 year old while staff watched and said "the goats jump". Hope for the best if you go but keep in mind that their policy is that their animals bite and tough luck if they bite and hurt your child.

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AL

Alexander Powlin

Please dont go here. This is by far no wildlife ranch at all, but just animals stuffed into cages. Young kids may like it, but for the animals this is no good place. All animals are in metal cages on concrete floors with kids toys in there and many of them in not such a good condition. The website of Sharkarosa conveniently doesnt show any pictures of caged up animals, but the reality is much different. Very misleading. The proprietors didnt even try to create a natural habitat for the animals. Theres loud cheesy music to which the animals have to listen. The live bears are clearly bored as hell, judging by the path in the grass along their double-fenced cage, next to the pizza place. The entrance fee is high, and they charge you extra for several things, once inside. The upkeep of the park is very low. For the money they charge, youd think they could do a much better job. Please avoid. Dont waste your money on this.

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Brian Flores

Great Fun for everyone. I went this past weekend. I had a great time. There are more animals than I expected, and the workers there are very knowledgeable and friendly. The prices are low in the gift shop, and the shaved ices are $2 for a large. We had a great time, make sure you get the schedule of events and go to all the presentations. Also buy a bag of animal food for $4 or 3 bags for $10. Bring it with you on the Wagon ride and the animal will come eat straight from your bucket. Its an amazing experience. Sure its hot, but thats normal Texas weather. So make sure you bring sunglasses, sunscreen, and keep hydrated. I would definitely recommend it. Below is a recap of just some of the animals we saw. Horses, zebras, camels, kangaroos, sloths, lemurs, snakes, bears, scarlet macaws, pigs, goats, deer, lizards, and some more I cant remember/

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Barbie Jean

Wow this place was HORRIBLE!! Its far different from the website it promotes. It shows lemurs & tigers & bears like you can be near them or clearly see them upon arrival & during the safari ride, but NOPE. You cant even see the bear, its caged behind two metal cages all the way around so 8 total & at a far distance so you cant see it at all. The lemurs are also kept behind double metal cages so you cant see them clearly (no point in advertising animals we cant see). There were NO tigers. Your basically only paying to see horses & camels the ENTIRE time. It was a complete waste of time and money. It didnt even look like a safari, thats an understatement..it looked like a grandparents farm house & was extremely tiny. Animals seemed sad and starved. Im really surprised they are still open

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