Little Ray's Nature Centre — Attraction in Ottawa

Wonderful place to visit and to learn from. Little Ray’s not only has many animals, but many from cruelty cases or some those who didn’t realize how much care went into the animal they had purchased. There is a wide range of animals to see, from turtles to iguanas, bats to macaws.

The private tour is right up my alley. One on one time with a staff member, learning about the care (and sometimes history) of the animals. My group had Alex as our guide, and he was wonderful. He took the time to talk about each animal, answered all questions we had, and entertained my kids info-dumping on him when he reached their favourite animals. He was very engaging and appeared to enjoy providing the tour. He started the tour by asking if anyone in my group has snake or spider phobias so that he could adapt the tour as needed.

The new facility is excellent. It is well laid out, large aisles (so to speak) so social distancing can be maintained. It is wheelchair accessible, but there are one or two areas that might be difficult to reach if the wheelchair is larger than average. I did not notice if there are wheelchair accessible washrooms, however.

I definitely recommend checking Little Ray’s out. It is a great way to spend an afternoon, and a great way to help this learning centre...

The people who run this place are the kindest souls! My friend's 5 year old daughter Eva got badly bitten by a big dog and spent almost two weeks in hospital. Since most of her injuries were on her face and head, she was very conscious of the stitches and bruises, feeling like she was ugly and not wanting to see anyone. Knowing how big of an animal lover she is, I thought an animal show might cheer her up. I called the zoo explaining the situation and asking if it would be possible for them to have the show at the hospital. Not only did they agree to do that, they decided they'd do it pro-bono! We ended up having the show at the family's apartment upon the Eva's release from the hospital and it was AMAZING! Dallas was so engaging and fun, and she picked the perfect animals for the show. Eva was absolutely ecstatic and talked about the show non-stop during the next couple of days. She seemed her usual happy and chatty self, thanks to the kindness of Little Ray's Zoo staff. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts! You, guys, are the best and we will no doubt be seeing much more of...

Great fun, lots of hands-on and consistently friendly and knowledgeable staff.

We have been coming here on and off for over 15 years, I think. The exhibits change fairly frequently, so there's always something to see. Little Ray's has always done a crack job of hiring excellent staff. Everyone there is an enthusiast, and they are all helpful and friendly. There are frequent hands-on demonstrations and feeding demonstrations throughout each day, and the caretakers don't mind spending time with the visitors to make sure everyone is getting something out of their visit. There are also education programs available for kids, and I think the summer camp is still going. My understanding is that close to 90% of the animals on display are rescues, so a lot of what you will see are unwanted exotic pets. This is great because, of course, the animals are given a second chance (and a great home) and also because you never know what...