bowmanville zoo

It is always a nifty place to go to for a couple of hours. Sad that they got rid of the ride through the animal cages though

We visited the Bowmanville Zoo a few times and it is a great day out. They have a wide variety of animals and the staff are generally friendly and informative. We got to meet one of their baby lion cubs, Aslan. He was precious and made our visit that much more special.

I hated this zoo. It has a good price, but I really don't feel morally okay supporting this establishment. Many of the animals seemed in extremely bad condition that I actually went to front desk to ask about their veterinary care. I was told they were checked often, and that the owner is a veterinarian. I do not believe this ONE bit. Many of the animals were limping, some had open, painful looking sores, and you could see the ribs on some of the animals too. The wolves were fighting each other and it was very violent and scary. I assume there were some dominance issues.I really do not agree with treating animals badly. Aside from this, the enclosures were cheap, flimsy and it looked very "junky". At one point the enclosure for the goats opened and they were all roaming around bothering the guests (i.e.: me) They were begging for my food and many of them even charged at me and were jumping and trying to kick me. It was a horrible experience and I do not recommend it at all. Sure, seeing the animals are cool, but like I said, I don't feel comfortable supporting or endorsing this zoo. If you want to see animals, at least go to the Toronto Zoo. The are better taken care of there.

Bowmanville Zoo is one of the best ! The Toronto Zoo is great but for the young this zoo has it all . my kids grew up going to this zoo every weekend . The staff are great and care deeply about the animals, they are part of our town.

It may have been cloudy and a little muddy, but that did not dampen anyone's spirit. My partner and I were fortunate to meet both Frieda the lion and Uno the tiger. These rambunctious cubs kept us on our toes during our personal encounter. They had grown as big as "medium-sized" dogs at this point, and were quite fond of climbing on us as well as each other. Their handler was right with us the entire time, ready to pull a jacket sleeve or pant leg from their playful jaws. The handler who worked with us was very knowledgeable and happily answered all of our questions from the animal's life at the facility (and beyond) to those about general big cat behavior.This is NOT something you would necessarily do with a child, as they would easily be knocked over, but we as adults, able to stand our ground with these powerful animals, had a great experience.If you decide to do this yourself, wear something sturdy and casual, as you don't know what will end up being chewed, bitten, muddied, or jumped up upon. All in all, this was a great, positive experience. If you are thinking about doing this, DO IT!

This is a exotic animal training centre disguised as a private zoo front. Look behind the scenes and look at the accommidations for the animals. Disgustingly small!Especially for the wild cats.The money made from gate receipts daily from this place is gravy. The real money is in the animals and the trainers being used for TV and Movies. The price of admission is rediculous for what you are getting.Drive 25 minutes west on the 401 and go to the Metro Toronto Zoo if you want to see animals in captivity.Even more east up the 115/35 is Cat World, worse than Bowmanville Zoo, probably linked in some way, I am sure. More disgusting with regards to room for animals and cleanliness.Save your money and go on a hike and see Canada's wild animals in the Wild! Or wait until your on vacation and see wild animals in there own habitat, not locked in a cage!

Zoo is very small and the enclosures seem too small for most of the animals, but I am sure there are regulations on that anyways, and I don't want to speculate on whether or not this plce meets any minimum standard. I would think that is regulated by the government in some way and inspected regardless. If you have very small children ages 2 or 3 they will really enjoy this zoo and feeding the goats. I find zoos to be kind of sad for animals and this zoo is the same. It is not cheap, but good for a few hours entertainment with the little ones. We found it better to get a family pass for the Toronto Zoo and go to a pavilion or two each visit. If you can tolerate the drive into Toronto, much more value for the money. If you want spend 100 bucks and entertain the little ones for a few hours, this place will do the trick. The facilities could use some work, but as i said i find most zoos to be sad for the animals regardless of enclosure size. This place is 100% better than jungle cat world which should be shut down. My wife literally cried when she saw the condition of the animals there.

For two adults and one child it was almost $60 dollars. For a zoo this size, not worth it. Better off to drive to the toronto zoo for the same price. Some enclosures are antiquated while others are modern and up to date. Washrooms were dirty and in some areas were ports potties . The show was okay but not a must see. If the admission was half the price it would be okay, felt ripped off.

I recently found out that the Bowmanville Zoo had planned to amputate all third digits of the lions cubs in their care ! Like others I find this to be equivalent to giving them a life sentence of pain and suffering. As a veterinarian I have seen the devastating effects of digit amputation..on these wonderful cats..Only the protests of the caring public has stopped the zoo from proceeding..Let`s hope that the zoo.will no longer inflict needless pain on their charges.

We went to the zoo as a family because we were given passes. We left thanking our lucky stars we didn't pay to go because we would have asked for our money back! When you go in all but one monkey cage was there. No parrots or other birds, no deer, no tabor, no bear, and so many more. I understand construction but then reduce rates or warn people what their in for! Never again! Even the show was lame according to the kids. we saw everything in an hour.

This is a sorry excuse for a zoo. They rent out animals and breed animals to be in photo ops. Absolutely disgusting. They declaw their big cats although the practice of declawing wild and exotic cats in condemned by the American and Canadian Veterinary Medical associations.

This zoo declaws their big cats, leaving them with lifelong pain and psychological issues. They are planning on declawing their new cubs, which are used for publicity. They are also known for renting their animals to circuses, which tells me they care not for the welfare of the animals they possess, only care about making a buck. Do not support zoos that treat their animals like trinkets.

Very disappointed on how this zoo is run, the abuse is sickeningMany animals have been mutilated for the "safety" of the workers and guests.. Well maybe photos with them shouldn't be allowed in the first place, it's a win win that way.The state of the place for other animals is an atrocity as wellI would never recommend this "zoo"NOT the kind of place you want to take a child to educate them on the nature of wild animals

understood you want your children to experience wildlife but please research where you visit and look at the animals welfare. While wanting to educate your kids on wildlife please also educate your kids on animal welfare. This zoo is declawing all their baby cats. This does not mean clipping the nails it means cutting the animals fingers down to the knuckle off. #pawproject

I had the deeply upsetting experience of visiting this zoo some time ago (although for some reason the listing will only allow dates in the past 12 months) as part of an official animal welfare/zoo check project and was horrified at the evidence of cruelty, inadequate facilities etc etc. Nothing has improved since then and the abuse of these creatures continues on a daily basis. How can removing lion cubs from their mother at just 12 days old and parading them around the country for entertainment shows, photo opportunities etc be either educational or responsible animal welfare? Your role is to protect your animals in as close a natural environment and family groups as possible and also educate the public in responsible tourism, not profit from their misery.