We had a bus trip to visit in the morning during the week so it was not that busy. This was my first time here but I'd heard good things about it. We walked through the gift shop to board a little train ride. The train ride was kinda lame in that you just went in a circle around a pond and didn't see anything other than some llamas. We were then free to roam around the grounds. I especially liked feeding the giraffes the carrots! I felt like the bigger animals should have had bigger spaces to roam around (it seemed cramped and big cats were pacing back and forth in an agitated mood). The bear cubs were very playful and cute rolling around with each other. It was fun to experience this but I think the Syracuse zoo is better with more space for the animals and more variety. read more

See all

I was excited to visit after hearing such wonderful reviews. Our group arrived and we were all given tokens (to get carrots to feed the giraffes) and a cup full of pellets to feed some of the other animals. The exhibits are really clean and well maintained and there is a really nice variety of animals for a small park. There is a safari ride in another area that I'm definitely going to try on my next visit. It's in a different area than the zoo portion with different animals. We saw Hornbills, lemurs, owls, monkeys, capybaras, leopards, giraffe, bears, red d3r and more. They had a section with lots of goats and even an alpaca that we could feed...and we were able to feed the giraffes too! It is very interactive and the staff we met were all very friendly and helpful. There is a cute little gift shop and they sell drinks. I didn't see any food, but maybe it's too early in the season. read more

See all

I went here with my girlfriend this summer. Had an awesome time and I don't have a single negative thing to say about this place. I was so happy to see the animals!!! I will 100% be back (staff was awesome too) read more

See all

The property was really well maintained, the animals were AMAZING! We got to see and interact with so many awesome animals! Truly a great place to spend a day especially with kids! read more

See all

Absolutely love this zoo, they have a drive through safari which I have attached photos of, next door to the zoo as well. All the animals are well cared for and there is so much to explore read more

See all

This is an adorable zoo with so many exotic animals to see. I would love to give this place 5 stars for everything it offers but I do have a few mild complaints :) We have been coming here for years but with small kids be prepared to spend a small fortune... entry fee is pricey (which is okay) but it's really the nickel and diming for every little thing inside that gets me. No outside food or drink allowed, so there's more money spent on food your kid barely touches/decides they no longer want. Add all of this in addition to the very expensive gift shop as you are trying to get out of here and it can be a nightmare with children in tow. Again, the animals are wonderful and I've never had a bad thing to say about visiting here aside from the staggering total amount of money you will spend by the end of the day... For that reason alone, we don't visit here often. read more

Went on a cooler day so animals were fairly active. Pretty cool to feed giraffes. Goats aggressive towards food. Warthogs pretty warty. Lion King tunes a bit over the top. read more

Went on the ride the beast experience it was fantastic seeing all the animals, feeding the animals, and learning about the animals. The staff really care about their animals and the enclosures are proof with making them look as close to their natural habitat as possible. The knowledge out tour guide had was amazing Pierce did and great job and our driver Steve did a great job making the ride as smooth as possible. read more

The Wild Animal Park - Cookies and cream the llama. - Zoos Near Me - Chittenango, New York

See all

There is a very loud speaker in front of the lion exhibit and they play it at level 10 all day. The lion's were clearly stressed front the constant noise. It was a sad sight. Very sad. read more

This animal park puts other local zoo attractions to shame. It's clean, lots of different animals, enclosures are attractive and leave the animals plenty of room to move around. The layout of displays is easy to follow and the paths are easy to walk. Great place for the whole family. Children and adults alike enjoy feeding the goats and the birds. Highly recommend this animal park. read more

See all

Very nice i loved all the animals and the gift shop all in all was a great place to go to

Always such a fun day bringing the little man here. The grounds, staff and fellow patrons are always so nice!! read more

The Wild Animal Park - New Female White Tiger Cub - Zoos Near Me - Chittenango, New York

See all

This zoo is AMAZING!!! If you have children or like to be outside, I highly recommend!!! The activities were extremely affordable and get you face to face with animals. Great variety of animals and food/drink area. read more

This place has some really interesting animals you don't see at a lot of zoos, like a hyena. They also have panthers and warthogs! They also have giraffes you can feed carrots too. Worth a visit! read more

See all

We thought this place was wonderful, perfect for families and strollers/wheelchairs. We absolutely loved it! read more

The Wild Animal Park - Zoos Near Me - Chittenango, New York

Everything is great about this place. We took our 31/2 year old boy there. Had lot of fun feeding animals specially giraffes. Do Not miss going into bird cage- have your camera ready, you will take lots of great pictures. Big variety of wild animals. read more

The Wild Animal Park - I have never seen lion up close like this time. - Zoos Near Me - Chittenango, New York

See all

This zoo has AMAZING ANIMALS. Zebras, lions, giraffes.... But the habitats are not even close to being big enough for them. The majority of the animals pace back and forth, jump on their cages, etc. It's just so sad. I was so excited to see these beautiful animals but I felt so sad leaving them to rot in these cages. You can tell that the animals are unhappy. Its a sad thing to see. The majority of zoos i've been to bring in hurt animals, nurse them back to exceptional health and release them back into the wild where they belong. This zoo is purely for entertainment purposes and you can tell. read more

What an absolute money pit run by a bunch of irresponsible teens! My family of 2 adults and 1 child spent over $70 on admission, plus an additional $10 on feed cups for the goats, $9.75 on train tickets, $3.25 on feeding the giraffes, and $1 on corn for the sheep and rams. We've visited to the world renowned: San Diego Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Omaha Zoo, etc and this is by far and away the biggest example of Upstate New York: self-entitled and absolutely trashy. I hope the family who owns this establishment is absolutely ashamed of how they are knowingly robbing every individual who visits. We visited The Wild on June 17, 2023. You must have cash on hand if you are purchasing anything within the zoo/after the admissions desk. Since the teens who run the front desk are trying to zip through the line, as a first time visitor, we did not know the breadth and scope of how much more we had to pay for after the admissions gate. We saw the 12pm train loading at 11:40pm and we were directed to three different booths to get tickets. We finally stood at the Gem Mining station to purchase tokens for the train to find it completely unmanned. We waited for over 15min until the girl who was supposed to run the booth finally showed up with the 12pm train pulling away-- thanks to her we had missed the 12pm train. It was of no consequence to her that we had to tell our three year old that because she was slacking on her job we now had to wait another full hour for the next train. Like sorry we were trying to give you more of our money. Disappointing, poorly run, and absolutely complacent that people around here have quite literally nothing else to do so they can capitalize on that. Will never patronize this family and business ever again. read more

The Wild Animal Park - Talk about making patrons feel like we serve them. You're "short staffed" because you're lining your pocket instead of hiring. - Zoos Near Me - Chittenango, New York

Tons of whiny, right wing signs about people not wanting to work. Cash and credit card prices are different with a long winded whiny explanation of why you need to pay more to pay them with a card. Cash only concessions so they can collect the ATM fees. Very limited shade. read more

Cool zoo, feeding the giraffes were pretty fun! Train is skippable, not much to see there and it was so slow, you can save some feeding stuff for the drive thru Safari too! Definitely recommend checking this place out if you're in the area! Fun activity for kids and families. read more

See all

After reading some of the poor reviews we were hesitant on going to the wild animal park but decided to bring our 2 year old and really glad we did! The zoo and drive thru safari were both awesome! Super clean and well kept zoo area and the drive thru safari had a lot of animals too! Highly recommend! read more

See all

When I want to entertain three generations with something really special- I can think of no better place. What a wonderful family of animals and people! I come often by myself just for walking. Everyone is always so nice! Yes, it can get expensive. I buy no extras at all so that when I do bring the family I'm ready to shell out the extra dollars for a day they will never forget. Thanks to the owners for giving us this special place. read more

The Wild Animal Park - Zoos Near Me - Chittenango, New York

See all

I love the wild! We always have so much fun and every time we go there is something new. They hold super fun events for kids and families and they do an incredible job! I was really impressed this year during Halloween and Christmas how well they decorate. My daughter loves this place as well. She loves feeding the giraffes! I would highly recommend this place to everyone and we can't wait to go back. read more

See all

20+ dollars for over an hour of entertainment for 2 so worth the time and visit. Great place for kids young and old - The park offers lots of interaction with the animals and most of the animals were active compared to other local zoos where they just lie there. Great assortment of animals as well, very surprised by their variety. Highly recommend and you can spend as much time visiting as you wish especially if you bring the kids. read more

See all

This is nice to check out the wide variety of different animals. It is pretty well maintained here, the prices are a little high but it's nice to go see once in a while especially with children. read more

Great zoo that's tucked away from the city which offers an up close and I feel better view of the animals. Who doesn't want a feed a giraffe for example? Plenty of big cats and monkeys. Plenty for everyone to see and it's fun. Friendly staff and there's a great little icecream shop just down the road :) Worth a visit in my book read more

The Wild Animal Park - Great little zoo with plenty to see and expanding Located in chittenango, I recommend feeding and hanging with the giraffe. - Zoos Near Me - Chittenango, New York

After being in quarantine it was great to have something to do with our toddler. They set up a drive through of the wild park and it was very well done. We got there about 10:30am and there was a small line. They had people with masks tell you the instructions before you paid. If you paid by credit card you did not have to touch the machine just put your chip in. They offered food for the animals that you could pay for all at once which was appreciated. Overall I felt very comfortable going here with the safety precautions they took due to the virus. As you drove though there were several animals you could see, emu, turkey, Bull, cows, camels, zebras and donkeys. You could feed the animals from your car which was fun. The entire family had a blast and it was much more entertaining that my bird feeder! read more

The Wild Animal Park - Feeding the animals! - Zoos Near Me - Chittenango, New York

See all

Very sad treatment of animals. The otters are not even swimming because they don't have enough water in their habitat. The alligators have hardly any water. The penguins have water, but not enough. Almost all of the animals were pacing and walking in circles, or not moving at all. There is a drive through safari where I saw someone feeding Zebras and other animals McDonald's french fries and bread. Most habitats are not much more than some dirt. It's so awful. Please do not support this zoo. read more

Y'all! This is such a GOOD zoo! I visited with my toddler and my parents on a sunny Sunday morning and we saw SO. MANY. ANIMALS! Grizzly Bear. Lion. Jaguar! Kangarooooo. Camel. Monkey. Zebra. Giraffe! And at least another dozen more. My son, who was about 16 months at the time had so much fun! The adults did too! Random info below on some of the things you can expect when visiting... + Located in North Chittenango and not far from the Thruway... the Animal Park is super easy to get to. + There's plenty of parking! +/- The building you enter is all log cabin-y and really pretty. As soon as you walk in you're greeted by a big ol' desk and a bunch of staffers. Mayyyybe it was too early for the girls but they were less than friendly when we arrived just before 10am. They just didn't seem interested in providing any hints or tips about what we might encounter in the park. - There's a charge if you need to use a credit card. + First up is a small farm (and petting zoo?) with goats, llamas, and chickens. And for a small charge you can get a cup of feed to give the animals. + There's a good flow to the park. It weaves in and out and around and there's really not a dull moment throughout the entire park. +++ The highlight for us was for sure the Giraffe! Up a staircase puts you eye to eye with Jasper the Giraffe. Jasmine was there too but she kept to herself while we were there. And then we got to feed them! $3 for 5 carrot sticks, $5 for 10. I highly recommend getting the 10. :-) There's also a giant bouncy house amusement park like spot + a food hut with snacks. We didn't spend any time at the bounce house (b/c my son was too young) but I can see how a family with older kids could make a whole day of fun at The Wild Animal Park Back inside the building is a big selection of souvenirs. Tons of plush animals... if my apt. was bigger I would have brought them all home -- so many cute animals! And reasonably priced too. To commemorate his first trip and being so brave feeding the giraffe's my mom purchased a medium sized giraffe for my son and it was only $10. Seriously - such a good morning spent at the Wild Animal Park. Now that my son can identify more and more animals this is definitely on our list of places to go back to next time we're upstate. read more

See all

Not recommended if you have a service dog. I was stopped before I even entered the Wild by a very sweet lady, super informative employee. She made sure I knew all the rules and did warn me that if my dog stressed out any of the animals, I was to promptly move to the next exhibit so all parties involved could remain safe. Totally logical and beautifully stated. I then entered the Wild and immediately, the cashier asked me if my dog was a service dog. I responded yes. She then asked me if the dog provided a service for me in a very rude tone. I said yes and handed her a card with the services that my dog provides for me. I then told her that I already spoke with the manager out front. She said well that doesn't matter and I have to do this again. Then she asked me what what condition I had to require me to need the dog. That is illegal. I was mortified. This is not the way to treat anyone. She wanted me to discuss my medical history with her? I think not. My family then decided it was time to leave and take our money elsewhere. Upon leaving, I was stopped by the owner right at the main doors. He began the conversation with are you the one who are threatening to call the cops on us? Wow. That's great customer service. He then continued in a cocky, demeaning tone, and even stated that he doesn't have to let any service dogs in but he chooses to. I was totally shocked. Never once have Allie and I been treated like this in any public place. read more

This is a wonderful family run zoo. The animals are, from all appearances, well treated. The exhibits are entertaining and the animals are usually quite active and visible. The Wild Animal Park is always a must for our family when we are visiting the area. read more

Absolutely amazing and fun!!! So many cool animals, although be careful when you're feeding the goats because they took my cup from me and ran ha! They're all adorable though!!!! read more

See all

This is a great zoo. It's a drive, but the trek is worth it. Definitely one of the most interactive animal parks I've visited. There's opportunities to feed the birds, the giraffe (who will gladly gobble up carrot sticks), and tons of goats and other farm animals. Coolest of all, when we visited (a couple of years ago,) I got to hold a baby kangaroo, thus checking off a bucket list entry I never even knew I had. If you're seeking an adventure, make the trip and discover your wild side. read more

The Wild Animal Park - Zoos Near Me - Chittenango, New York

Tonight was the end of the school year bash. I normally come to The Wild once per year because the cost is so high. $13 for an adult ticket and $9 for a child, plus extra I'd you want to purchase animal feed, feed the giraffes, or use the bounce houses. It can add up pretty quickly and really hit the budget. The variety of animals is good. There are many animals that are not at the other zoo in the area. The annals are also a lot more active. You can feed goats, camels, lamas, deer, and a couple others by hand. There are hand wash stations and porta potties in the park for customer usage. read more

See all

I'll start by saying it's a fun place and we enjoyed the animals and experiences. It was definitely clean appearing. However, this place leaves a sour taste in my mouth after going there. The owner has up signs saying not to support PETA or the Humane Society (because I'm assuming they don't like the type of place he is running, a for-profit entertainment zoo that is not focused on conservation, etc.). There are also signs blaming "the political climate" for him not having a lot of staff. Babes, if you're having trouble finding employees it's because you a) don't pay a living wage, b) don't offer your staff any incentives to work for you, c) you are a shtty boss and person to work for, or d) all of the above. (We can do a quick search for testimonies of former employees. I've seen a few, and it's not good, man.) It's not a good look when your employees are largely teenagers making minimum wage and you drive off in a fancy car to your new mansion. Another issue would be that he has, and continues to, receive citations to the zoo from the USDA for failures in many areas, including animal welfare, safety, and food safety. (Google has this information as well). Many of the large animals were pacing and seemed stressed in their small enclosures. Google also seems to indicate a connection to Tiger King's Joe Exotic Also the train ride sucked and there was nothing to see there. read more

I loved it! It was so much fun and when we went there at 6:00 all the animals were out and active! I would definitely recommend! read more

The Wild Animal Park - Giraffe - Zoos Near Me - Chittenango, New York

I found this place incredibly sad. The enclosures are way too small and most of them offered no shade for the animals. It was a very hot day in July when we visited, over 80, and many of the animals were huddled in tiny areas to get out of the sun. It is very clear this place is all about the money. They nickel and dime you the whole way through the park. The admission is double any other zoo in the area and then every thing is extra. Some of the animals, like the zebras, are only visible if you do the 1 hour safari which is another $8-10 per person. If you want to experience everything this place has to offer prepare to spend close to $40 per person. At those prices you would think they would at least have real bathrooms. If I could give zero stars I would. read more

See all

It is one of the more popular outdoor wild parks in the area and always a hit with families!

The enclosures are so small that when we visited many of the animals looked depressed or were pacing back and forth. The zoo is clearly profit-oriented and not focused on the well-being of the animals. Would not recommend supporting this establishment. read more

This was very sad to see. I went to their winter wonderland event. It said online that they were only showing animals that could tolerate cold but this was not true at all. Big cats outside in 35 degrees pacing, clearly distressed. The parakeet area was not fully enclosed so it was clearly too cold for them also. Overall, I would not recommend. It is apparent that they focus on profit over the well-being of the animals. You don't even have to be an animal expert to know that African cats, for example, would not do well in cold temperatures. read more