A good activity for the family that is indoors! We went on a Saturday and it was a little busy but not so busy that you couldn't enjoy seeing the animals up close. When you arrive you purchase your tickets and decide if you want to any add ons. You can purchase various sizes of feeding cups, experiences with the animals or opportunities to hold some of them. Once inside you can feed or pet any of the animals that are behind a single fence. Those further away or in glass enclosures are for observation. There are kangaroos, goats, lizards, chickens and more. There is a fun pulley system to feed some of the goats. They have an informational show that happens a few times a day where they discuss some of the animals and reptiles they house. It's not a huge space but we spent about an hour there. If you have real animal lovers you could be there longer. It's an interesting experience. read more

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While perhaps this place recycles their cups, "sustainability" does not equate with HUMANE. They came to the elementary school I work at and were parading animals around our gym for an entire day. I was horrified by what I saw and learned. PETA fact sheet linked here - https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/sustainable-safari.pdf Please do your research and think twice about utilizing this organization for educational purposes. Ask yourself whether there are other methods by which to engage the community and raise awareness around wildlife conservation. read more

Walking into Maplewood Mall, the first thing you smell is strong marijuana--and it lingers throughout the entire mall. The bathrooms by the food court were filthy. That should have been our warning. Then we got to Sustainable Safari. Disgusting. Do not go here. Do not bring your kids here. We paid nearly $40 just to get in and were hit with an overpowering urine smell immediately. The place is dirty. The animals are being fed wilted, rotting produce--I watched a monkey dig through a whole bowl just to find something edible. Animals looked stressed and overcrowded: kangaroos in tiny enclosures, goats packed into filthy hay, turkeys missing feathers, lemurs pacing, and an armadillo clearly in distress. They also don't make it clear that you have to pay extra ($10+) just to interact with the animals. This place is not "sustainable"--it's depressing. Go to the Minnesota Zoo or Como Park Zoo and Conservatory instead read more

This was a great place to go on a rainy day! We had a blast feeding animals from kangaroos to capybaras to goats! The kids loved seeing all the animals! read more

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This safari is located inside Maplewood Mall, 2nd floor. My daughter wanted to go see the Capibara and asked me to take her. They offer different animal experiences on top of admission, that will include the food cups to feed them. Lots of goats and birds, the Capibara are actually big animals. Bigger than the pictures, we sat on the bench behind the gate and the keeper instructed us how to interact. I was surprised to see the kangaroos, they were small like babies. One of them came towards us. read more

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Such a fun place that was surprising to find in a mall (and not the Mall of America!) Your admission gets you a small paper cup of treats for the animals, and you can pay extra to spend 1:1 time with other animals. I got the seeded stick to feed the parakeets. So many animals like baby kangaroos, goats, sloth, llamas, etc. We were able to spend plenty of time feeding them and had a great time! There are some times of waiting around for employees as they are helping other guests with their 1:1 experiences. Enjoyed the parakeet feeding, though I did have a lovely surprise of them pooping all over my pants! Note for next time, not to put the stick right above your lap. Fun place for all ages! read more

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What an amazing experience! Great for toddlers and so many fun animals to see and pet and feed. It's in a mall and a small enough space that you can stay as long as you want and make multiple rounds to the favorite animals. For an extra fee you can hold the animals but you do have to be a certain age. That being said, our 2 year old had a great time! Parking is mall parking. read more

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Our grandson loved the animals! Especially the highland cow LOL And the small kangaroos were adorable.

Amazing!!! Staff was so accommodating and kind. So many fun and unique animals you can feed including capybaras, kangaroos, llamas, goats, etc. I got to hold both a fennec fox and a porcupine for a small additional fee. I think I spent 60 dollars for all of that when I've paid that much or more for one animal encounter at other places. The pricing is a la carte so you can include as much or as little as you want. But even with the base price of just feeding the animals available to all, so worth it. I want to drive back up to Minnesota just to go again! read more

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Brought my god son here on a Sunday afternoon and they were quite busy!!! I had a Groupon and they gals at the front desk were very quick in getting me checked, the Groupon only includes entry and a cup of feed per ticket, we added on the other experiences which can be spendy but worth it in my opinion. The animals looked like were well taken care of and the staff were informative and happy to be there, easy to talk to and friendly. I would recommend coming here. read more

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Really fun place, will definitely go again. Large variety of animals and feed cups are included with ticket. Found a discount on Groupon as well read more

I went back and forth on if I liked this place and it's a mix. It seems like they started being "sustainable" and wanted to be a more educational rescue type place but got more and more greedy. Some animals had good enclosures and care some didn't. Some were rougher than others. I will say the employees were very friendly and seemed to at least have a bit of knowledge about the animals. I'm a big animal person and have owned many exotics. So places like this are always a bit scary -capybaras were rough some missing patches of fur (maybe ringworm) and had a bad enclosure. -iguana and tegu in the same enclosure - armadillo in a really gross enclosure also just looked sad - some animals were missing food and or water - my main thing was the chinchillas as I run a chin rescue. They had a nice size enclosure but had open ledges and platforms that would be a very bad fall if they fell off. Chins need a solid platform. The wood is also a risking infection and Pneumonia. They also had cardboard in it which is unsafe. They also looked very stressed. Chinchillas are nocturnal so they don't even make good zoo animals. The info sign had many errors the worse being diet. It said "berries and veggies" I believe.... Chinchillas can't have any form of fruits or veggies they can't digest it and way to high in sugar. Comparable to saying give dogs chocolate. They really should look into rehoming or surrendering them. read more

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Went today was so awesome omg the bird experience was by far the most exciting, for some may be much but for some of us not enough wish they talked lol but all the staff is great and I just loved everything along with my 9 yr old we were feeding all animals without no feed signs that we could. I would definitely buy the bigger cup of food next time now located at Burnsville mall read more

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We went to the Burnsville Mall location. Went with 5, 4 and 2 year old. Sooo entertaining! Staff very friendly. Capybara, kangaroos, goats just to name a few. All interactive to pet and feed. 100% worth the trip! read more

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This facility and it's staff are really top notch!! Such a wonderful experience for young and old alike. I recommend you spend a little extra on food or a package to get the full experience. What a fun thing to do, and it's in a mall!! read more

What an absolute gem in the middle of a big mall! We were in the vicinity for a BMX race and done early, looked on Yelp for Zoos and found this! What a great way to experience many different animals, so much fun to pet a kangaroo and other animals that you never get close to. Highly recommend. read more

I can't say enough about John(the owner) and his team! Specifically Julia! We came in from dallas last min and wanted to have the private guided experience! It says it's about hour and a half we weren't rushed at all!! John allowed us to check out animals not usually out during heavily trafficked times! Julia was so incredibly knowledgeable about every animal and really tailored our experiences to what my 8year old wanted. For a business owner to be there and showing animals and interacting with even the basic entries speaks volumes about how the team and business is ran. The care they give to these animals is amazing. Place was cleaner and smelt better then any zoo or wildlife facility I've ever been too. 10 out of 5 stars for sure! Can't wait for new location to open and come back read more

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The staff went above and beyond here and I was able to pet and hold SO many animals. This is seriously the coolest place ever for animal lovers! So unique from other "petting zoos"! I would never expect a place like this to be in a mall! read more

We were in town and decided to visit Sustainable Safari. Location is expensive, dirty, worn down and smelled horrible. The animals and the employees look miserable. I would not recommend this place. read more

This place is so concerning for so many reasons. If you love animals I would recommend not supporting a place that keeps animals in small Cages. There is evidence of stress due to confinement and it's unnatural to keep these species in a mall. Please reconsider visiting. Even worse when you comment negative feedback on their social media they just block you. Seriously question this place, seem extremely unethical. read more

Wow, way exceeded our expectations. So many types of animals I've never even heard of mixed in with the sweetest petting zoo type animals as well. Both our kids said they had one of the best days ever. Our tour leader Jasper could not have been better. She made our kids have the perfect day while teaching them so much too. Can't recommend this place enough! read more

This indoor "safari" is a fun place to view and interact with animals. There's quite a substantial variety that kids and adults can enjoy. read more

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It's a fun one time experience in my opinion. Fun to see the different animals and feed them. Kind of small inside zoo. Kids really like it. You see adults go there to try the experience. Once you go there once it is not really worth paying to go again. Can see everything in about 15 minutes. read more

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Located inside of Maplewood Mall by the old Sears and JCPenny area. Very well put together. A small cup of food is included with admission. There are so many animals to visit. My favorite is Carl the llama who stole snatched someone's food cup. They also do a presentation where you can learn about the animals. The staff members are very friendly. They will hold animals, like a bunny for you to pet. You can hold animals but there is an extra fee. I also paid $3 extra to buy a feeding stick to go inside the parakeet enclosure. Overall, I had fun as an adult. I know kids will love it too! read more

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This place is so cool! The experience is way better than a zoo as you get to personally interact with all the animals. Plus, the animals here are so unique! It is definitely worth paying for the different experiences they offer. I will definitely be going again to hang out with these cute guys! read more

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So we came from out of town to visit family and my family loved this place, so we came! We got here right at opening and had such an amazing time. All of the employees were so knowledgeable and friendly. It was obvious that they didn't know about the species-but they knew their personalities and had cute stories about them. I am not a huge fan of animals being in cages but I could tell these animals were so well taken care of. We bought a package for my five year old that allowed to experienced with porcupine, capybara, and three other animals. Is it a little expensive? Yes! But my kids had a blast and so did I! A special shout out to Emily that did several of the experiences with my daughter. She was wonderful!!! Answer my daughters million questions and was so patient and friendly with her. She really was a star. And manager named John also amazing. I asked him a bunch of questions and he spoke so lovingly about all the animals-I could tell he loved his job! We will definitely be back!!!! read more

I absolutely love this place. This is the kind of stores that malls need to bring people in and stay relevant. Lovely staff members to interact with and kids will never forget the experience of feeding the animals and holding some of them (extra charge for animal interactions, but very affordable add on). Awesome for adults that love animals too read more

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I happened to be at the Maplewood Mall for a paper lantern coloring event with my little one. (We needed to get out of the house and being the nor I got mom I've been lately, he needed something fun to do.) My brother told me that there was some kind of petting zoo in the mall. So I went to hunt it down. O-M-G!! I was so blown away when I found it!! Standing at the entrance just reading all the options made me giddy! Hold a Fennec Fox?!! Feed birds?! Feed Lemurs?! Cuddle a kangaroo?!!!! (There was more but my brain zeroed in on the Fennec Fox!) The admissions comes with a tiny cup of salad greens with a bit of fruit to feed the friendly animals. You can also upgrade to larger cups for a few more bucks. (Of course I upgraded! There animals to feed! That's the funnest part!) I also purchased a few more bird seed sticks as well. After getting our cup of feed and birdseed sticks, we went in. I had no idea what to expect. I mean, it's inside a Mall of all places- how could it be that good?? So. Freakin. Blown. away!! Yes, they have a lot of spunky goats and a few lamas to pet and feed. But we also fed Capybara! And pet a kangaroo (I had NO idea their fur was so soft!!) The bird room was cool and a little freaky at first if you are squeamish about being in a big room full of a whole lot of birds. You have large popsicle sticks with bird feed on them. If you are still enough and hold your stick out, multiple birds will come sit on the stick and eat all the seeds off of it. But be still my heart...cuddling a Fennec Fox was absolutely the highlight of the experience. I've always wanted one as a pet and never actually thought I'd ever get to see one past the glass at the zoo (seriously- swoon!!). I ran into the owner while waiting in line to hold the Fox and was chatting with him for a few mins. He seemed like a great guy! He made sure his son who was setting people up for holding the Fox knew about my hearing impairment, and they were really accommodating and lowered his mask so I could read lips, as well as being extra patient with all my questions. They rotate the animals every two weeks. We will definitely be going back in May for my little one's birthday. It was such an amazing experience (I think I enjoyed it even more than the kiddo did!). It was SO worth the money! read more

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What a freaking cool idea! Who would of thought that you would go on a hike with your bride at a nearby county park, have lunch at a pretty good hot pot location, and then find out that there's a mall in the area you've never heard about and that in that mall was a zoo! What?! Yes, a zoo - or safari -whatever - animals that are on exhibit. Some may wonder about the price, but it was worth it for us. The animals are adorable. They are certainly well fed! With your admission, you get a little cup full of food to feed the animals. And when they tell you to be careful with your cup because some of the animals will take it from you, they mean it! Yeah, Chubby Wubby the goat (I gave him that name) took me for a sucker as I was feeding Patient Parcy (I gave him that name) who was up on a perch - well, as I had one hand with food feeding that patient little goat above, the sneaky little sucker Chubby Wubby with the skill of a silent assassin had my cup out of my hand and in his mouth before I could even think about what was going on! But let's not let his greediness ruin the rest of the visit. It's such a cool place! Cute little animals from kangaroos to lemurs. And then yes, the spawn of Satan in a variety of snakes. Plenty of "in app" purchases that give you opportunity to be hands on with many of the animals as well as bigger amounts of food to feed them. Speaking of feeding, boy oh boy, those prairie dogs! Man, do they eat! Well, who am I kidding, all of the animals eat well. If you are in the area and can get over paying the price of admission, it's worth it. read more

This is the most depressing thing I have seen in a long time. This is Tiger King but with baby kangaroos. As first you're like "OMG cute, look at the little goats and is that a deer? How sweet!" Then you notice the heartbreaking look in the adult kangaroos eyes, the overcrowding in the goat pens, how the alligators have literally nowhere to swim, the lack of sunlight and fresh air for these beautiful creatures. I asked an employee if the kangaroos ever get fresh air, and she made mention of a "farm." This farm has no online images and is only vaguely mentioned with no specifics on when animals get to go there. It brings to mind the "farm" your parents told you that your childhood pet went to when it actually died. I did some research online, and the website says a vet checks them daily to ensure health and proper enrichment, but there is no attestation by animal welfare experts, no information of the clinic they use, not even a picture of the vet. The website reads like a bunch of marketing b.s. where "sustainable" is only in name. If it was just a couple bunnies, chicks and ducks, I would have still paid the same amount to bring my niece here. It was clean and the employees clearly loved the animals and what they did. They were well-staffed. But they have animals that belong in the sun and fields wasting away under fluorescent lights and faux greenery hanging from square ceiling tiles. There is nothing to be done beyond telling everyone not to give this business your money. The government doesn't care, there are barely any laws protecting these creatures, and they just approved another one in the Burnsville Mall. Absolutely awful. read more

We booked Safari Bob came to our house for my daughter's 9th bday party today and it was AWESOME. We weren't sure how it would go or what animals he would bring, but she was so excited to have the animals in our house that she saw at the zoo in Maplewood. He definitely did not disappoint!! She had (what she calls) "the best birthday ever!" We were able to hold or pet every one of the cool critters he brought along, and he was so patient and kind with all the kids. We loved learning new facts about each critter and being able to interact with all the animals was so cool. Would recommend 10000%, it was totally worth it and Bob was just the best. He really made it a birthday to remember and let us take as many photos as we wanted with each of the girls. read more

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Its a great place to bring your kids or actually anyone its a fun experience ,there very clean I recommend you go to this place

This place is amazing especially considering that it's inside of a mall! They have sooo many animals and you can feed all of them. You also have the chance to hold their baby animals including a kangaroo! The staff is super friendly, you can tell they love their animals and their job. The best part is that it's affordable ! read more

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Easy activity for kids when days are not optimal to be outside. The mall were is located is not too busy, so its easy to find parking spaces. Its not a big space, but has plenty of animals and things to do. Staff is really friendly and helpful. Not a bug fan of places with animals that charge for feeding them, but it seems that they take care of them and certainly kids love it and had a great time there. read more

We really enjoyed our time but was a little bummed that we couldn't hold some of the other animals offered on the sign on yelp. read more

Sustainable Safari - Petting Zoos Near Me - Maplewood, Minnesota

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I was so looking forward to learning more about Sustainable Safari! I entered the space at 6:45 pm on Saturday (they close at 7) simply to learn as a first time visitor in hopes that I could return in the future with more time. Upon entry, I was rudely greeted by an employee at the desk informing me that the safari was closed and how they shut down X amount of time before locking the doors and taking the last tour. I questioned since I still had 15-minutes to educate myself according to the hours posted on the front door. The employee went on to tell me that because the doors were shut, the safari was closed. Again - this doesn't make any sense (the doors were unlocked - but shut) and therefore I have a few recommendations to improve the customer experience: 1. Update your signage and physically lock your doors. If the store closes at 6:45 pm - you might want to update the front door and lock it. 2. Don't assume that guests understand your closing processes - we don't. Help educate vs. force policies on an outsider. 3. Work on making connections vs. scurrying guests away especially if there are still 15-minutes to closure. Needless to say, I will not be returning due to the rude service and misleading hours. Complete bummer!! read more

What a great experience! We would have loved more posted information regarding the animals care, and health, and where they were when they weren't at the mall? We were here on Mother's Day and spent most of the time with Miranda while we took turns with different critters that my mom wanted to hold or feed. Miranda was very knowledgeable of each animal and was a very personable staff member. Her confidence and eagerness makes her an asset to the Sustainable Safari team! read more

Soooo, this place is awesome, if that's all you need to know, then go go go! Here's why it's awesome in my experience. Firstly, the animals were great, they all seem happy if a little demanding on the food end (specifically the goats and its hilarious). They all seem pretty happy and cared for. I didn't notice anything unhealthy aside from some being a little over weight but none ridiculously so. Now for personal experience. My mum has stage 4 lung cancer which means it's metastasized to the rest of her body, she also has diabetes and is unstable. She has had a pretty rough week but decided last night she wanted to do this safari thing. I opted to surprise her with a private tour experience, the whole enchilada. 400+ dollars. Normally I would never spend that much but my doing mum wanted to see the animals and I wanted a top experience. Having never been here, I was not sure if was going to be worth the money with her limitations and it being an indoor safari. That being said, the team got us our food cups and got everything together while we were distracted by the kangaroos and goats and the young man was attentive to helping us, taking his time not running ahead of us at all. Told us some cool stories and when my mum started not feeling good, he got a bottle of water for her. It helped at first. Even another guy came to check on my mum when I was not next to her. It made me feel so good bc I know that guy had been busy as well, and for him to take a few minutes to come check on her meant the world to me and her as well, she was impressed and a little embarrassed haha. She then took a sudden turn for the worse and we practically had to run out of there...chemo does that to you. She had not slept well and refused to eat before bc of how the chemo effects eating and she wanted to get through the safari. He didn't even hesitate, and actually got us tokens to return so we can finish our experience another day when she is feeling up to it. I was surprised bc I expected to be out that part and they understood and went the extra mile. Bc they wrapped it up quickly for us, we made it home in time for her to not be embarrassed having a full episode in public. Thank you to the amazing team! It's a great memory I have with my mum now and y'all were a part of it! read more

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Totally recommend taking your family here to pet all the different animals that you are able to pet like kangaroo, turtles, lamas, lizards, goats, bunnies, etc. So much more to see like porcupine, leanmer, skunk, alligators, hedgehog, badgers, miniature deers, baby white tailed deer, etc. Husband said the variety is endless and it's worth the money. He totally recommends it which coming from him you know its good. Staff was super friendly. Clean environment. Location was a plus since its inside the mall. Its nents to the Crepes and Waffle place. My girls and husband enjoyed visiting while my boys and I shopped. One of the worker stated they depend on word of mouth advertisement. Plus, they need all the support they can during COV19 to continue there business. Please head out to show them with your support. Please go support them. It will be worth your money and time. We will definitely be back. read more

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Felt yucky immediately walking in. Animals are NOT in sustainable habitats like the name would suggest. Nocturnal animals were used for day time holding and they will charge you for those services. Animals habitats are a joke. It felt like a glorified vet store with exotic safari animals. Kangaroos in pens with straw and wood chips; no type of enrichment for the animals. Most animals in cages made for rabbits, Guinea pigs, etc. Bizarre and inhumane are the only words I would sum this experience up with. read more