the papanack zoo

Before going to the Zoo, I read a few reviews and was not sure what to expect. Some reviews were very negative, then more recent ones were better. I have learned that the zoo changed ownership, so decided to give it a chance.I live in Ottawa and this was a nice road trip of one hour to get to the Zoo. As you get closer to the zoo, you realize that the place is in a run down state.The entrance fees are $17.50 per adult and $12.00 for Youth 6-12 and $8.00 kids 2-5.The hours are 11am to 3pm and it is the perfect time to explore all the animals and see all the different feedings and information they provide.As you come in, you get the schedule for the feeding and we followed it and stayed until closing hours.As, I mention before the zoo looks run down, and I do believe needs some money put into renovations - spruce up the place and give new enclosures to the animals.One thing, I have to say, is that the animals are very well treated and loved. One of the zookeepers, she was amazing and you can see how much she cares and loves the animals and how they take to her. I do not remember her name, but has been with the zoo for a few years and the way she talks to them, you know she loves them. She got in the cage with the baby monkey and that monkey was all over her.It was nice to see that people care for the animals and that there still interest in the zoo. This is not your big city zoo, however it is a nice place to visit with the kids and learn a few things about the animals.

Although I am ambivalent about whether or not we should keep animals in captivity, I did enjoy the afternoon spent at The Papanack Zoo. The animals appear to be well treated. Enclosures are clean and dry. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Follow the feeding schedule to get to see the animals close up. The feeding staff will give lots of information about the animals during feeding time.

I have read negative comments, but I decided to try with the Groupon Deal. It was a amazing trip, animals had large areas to live and staffs were very friendly. The most fun part is the kids can feed the some of the animals.

Visited midday on a Wednesday. There were a few buses of kids (day camps) at the park as well as many families. We were given a "feeding" schedule when we arrived and while there saw four feedings : bobcats, lions, gibbons and baboons. These are a real highlight, and notably the baboons and lions. This is not a fancy zoo as far as facilities go, but has many animals to see and definitely worth the drive east of Ottawa to Wendover.We paid $35 for two adults. Stayed a few hours to see the feedings and all the exhibits. Well worth the cost. Note: no rides like roller coasters or that stuff (there are pony rides for children for extra $5). Limited snack bar and small store mostly stuff animals. Not excessively priced. Also available is option to buy food to feed to goats, ponies etc. Would definitely recommend for families and anyone who loves animals!

Please do not go to this zoo. I was SO mad at the tiny cages and I am not one to make a fuss about zoos and animals and such. Literally they have sooooooo much property with empty space. Like I mean you will see a 6x8 cage of 5 foxes smoshed together next to an open field of 30 feet until the next cage. Like REALLY???? Helllooooo common sense- make bigger cages! There was a wolf and a coyote in one tiny cage that was 2 x 3 and only 3 feet high I kid you not-see my pic. Disgusting should be ashamed of themselves. The playground is falling apart-the bathrooms are outhouses that were so disgusting. The chip wagon was gross. Fries were dry as anything and the poutine was tasteless and not even hot!We spent 45$ on entry and there was hardly any animals available they were all no where to be seen the Lions wouldn't even come out at feeding time. The man said they were unresponsive. Gee I wonder why.Save your money. What a waste.

Had a great visit at the zoo today! Staff was super friendly and informative. You could really tell they all cared for the animals. Animals were in great enclosures that had plenty of clean water. The animals all looked happy and well fed! We even got to hold a baby fox!

I visited this zoo with my 8-year-old daughter. We had heard negative comments, but had heard that there were new owners, so decided to see for ourselves if this place was worth it! What a great decision we made! We got the Groupon Deal (although I think it would have been worth it even at regular price). The animals had clean and large areas to play and live in (and they all appeared to have nice shelters to sleep in and toys to play with). The staff that we ran across were very friendly and knowledgeable. There was absolutely no litter around, the portapottys were very clean (with a hand-cleaning station), and even though it was a drizzly day, there was very little mud. The animals were all being fed yummy-looking fruits and veggies (i.e. the monkeys, etc), and the large amounts of raw red meat for the lions seemed very appropriate, also. We also saw workers going around the entire time giving fresh water to the animals. Couldn't have been happier with what we saw here! Much better than commercialized zoos where animals are kept in concrete areas - this place seems very much like the animals' natural habitats. So, those of you reading negative reviews and thinking you may not want to go to this zoo, Please rethink it and go see for yourself!

The new owners of the zoo have certainly cleaned the place up! It still needs a few updates, but the people there are knowledgeable and friendly. It is a bit over priced for such a small place especially the $8 for toddlers. As seniors we paid $12 each and even that was a bit much for what we saw. But after being there years ago and going today and seeing the differences, it was worth it and I would recommend it to others.

There was lots posted negative online about this zoo, but it's definatley great to see what the new owners have done.. My family had a great time and all animals looked happy and healthy and the food was great.. Zoo clean bathrooms clean and had an amazing baby change/ nursing area

We had a great group outing at the Papanack Zoo. (Booking the event was very easy and they were very quick to respond to my email). The staff were very accommodating and friendly. They took the time to explain everything to the children and adults in the group. All of the children really loved seeing all of the baby animals. The petting zoo, play group and picnic area were good for mid day break. All in all and really nice day out! Thank you!

Our group of 8 families had a wonderful time visiting the Zoo. The zoo staff is very welcoming and the zoo has a relaxed atmosphere with lots of up close and hands on activities for the kids. Our kids aged 8 & 10 and said it was one of their happiest days. The kids loved meeting the baby animals and watching the animals get fed. The staff was very knowledgeable and clearly cared for the animals. The picnic area has lots of picnic tables with a play area. We stayed about 3.5 hours and ended the day with a nice cool treat from the snack bar! I would suggest wearing rubber boots for the kids if there has been recent rainfall.

Our trip to the zoo was just so much fun! The new owners changed so much and the employees are all so nice and friendly! The animals are fun, they come close to you and some of them even put on a show for you! They had baby animals for everyone to pet! They have great feeding shows as well as educational shows. I really loved the experience i had :) thank you, definetly coming back!

I haven't been there recently but I liked it the last time. I've been reading some bad press about this "road side zoo" so I'd think twice about going there again. It costed enough to get in I remember. I was told it was orignally a breeding zoo so the animals are in a more relaxed natural setting than some other bigger zoos. I seen lions , a puma I believe and wolves....also some monkey type lemurs. They close up early so you have to plan your trip and look at their website to see the admission and hours, but like I said earlier google the zoo in order to decide about going.

For 2 adults and a 4 year old, it cost us $45 to go see the zoo. They only take cash too, so we were sent to the conveniently located ATM outside the main office doors. What type of business operates as a cash only operation any more? I wonder how much of that actually gets reported to Revenue Canada? The map was really confusing and we had seen all the animals in about an hour. $45 for a family to see something and I don't think we should be bored after an hour.Our 4 year old saw some animals, but from what I could see, they were not well cared for. The poor Przewalski's horses had the tiniest enclosure that is worn so much that it's clear they spend a significant amount of time in it, if not all of their time. The Zebra's hooves were chipped and uneven, not to mention long as if the farrier hadn't been for a visit in a very long time. I also noticed the lack of shade for all of the hooved animals, the hogs, the wolves and the bears. It was a hot day when we visited and we saw many animals who looked like they really needed a cool place to hang out. There were signs saying that animals had fresh water in their enclosures as well as their ponds but I didn't see them. The ponds were a mud soup. Every single enclosure looks like it has seen better days.Make sure everyone goes to the bathroom before you get there because the portopotties are gross. If you have boys, at least there's lots of clean nature to pee in.It was the first and last time I will go and I wish this place would close. It's clear that despite the extremely high admission cost, they are not able to keep up with the expenses of running a zoo. If you're an animal lover, this will be a disappointment to say the least.

We visited with our 18 month old son and loved that we could let him run around and explore without having to stay on top of him. The open fields with animal enclosures all around were wonderful. Although small... if you take your time and really enjoy the animals, watch the feeding and have some fun you can easily spend a few hours there. The staff was polite and friendly. We will definitely visit again.