Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park — Attraction in Bowne Township

I was trying to enjoy the experience with my son and wanted to believe these animals are living a better life than being in the wild, but I couldn't get past the condition of the enclosures. One of the heat lamps in an enclosure with turtles and smaller gators was broken. The animals in the reptile area were the most inactive I've ever seen.....I seriously was afraid they were not even alive. The grazing species of animals had enclosures with all dirt (take some pointers from Binder Park zoo.- they do things right). Many of the animals also acted very hungry, more so than I've seen at other places. The birds in the aviary were more aggressive towards others (very food territorial) and the staff were putting pieces of lettuce and carrots inside the fencing for the birds - budgies - to eat. Cannot be relied upon as an appropriate diet. The Penguins were all gathering at the back door as if they were waiting to eat. There was a dismal space for them to swim. Zero enrichment in that space. Zero. Many goats were pregnant and in discomfort. I thought one was going to go into labor while I was there. No staff present to tend to the animals or to monitor this.... Overall, the staff members were not friendly or attentive (the exception was the hippo zookeeper presenting). It's just another paycheck for most. There was also a very evident fly problem in the concessions area inside the food preparation space. Also, how can you say you care about conservation when you sell dead baby gator heads in your gift shop??!!! That was literally the point when my blinders were lifted and I saw this place for what it really is. Honestly, that was the moment when I realized these owners value money over...

My exceptionally high expectations were exceeded on our animal encounter yesterday! We signed up for the rhino, tapir, sloth encounter and I cannot express how amazing it was to be up close with these amazing creatures. We were able to rub behind the ears of the rhinos, get some good belly rubs on a tapir who was so comfortable with us that he barely woke up from his nap and were able to feed one of the super-interactive sloths. As a bonus some other animals are housed nearby so we were able to see pygmy hippos, an anteater, and aardvarks! And the baby tapir was just incredible. I appreciated that they limited our interaction with the baby and mama to just feeding some veggies - they are first and foremost about the welfare of their animals! Our guide was able to share so much information with us about each species and it was so apparent that he absolutely loves his job and these animals! And when you book an encounter your party is the only one involved - it was such a personal, phenomenal experience! We never felt rushed and were able to really connect with the animals. What a gem here in Michigan! We will be back to visit the whole park during the summer and definitely more encounters in the off-season. Two...

I wish I could do two reviews. The guest experience was great! The food was good and not outrageously priced, it was clean, staff was friendly, and there are unique experiences feeding the animals and species that other zoos in Michigan don't have. I also particularly loved the forest area walk through where the bobcats and reheas were.

The area near the aviary was very congested at times. It wasn't a super busy day but the sidewalks there I felt were kind of tight and it was a little rough to navigate the crowd with a stroller and two toddlers.

Now the negative, this zoo is not accredited by the AZA. I generally do not go to zoos that are not , but curiosity and the tons of positive reviews got the best of me. I have no doubt the owners and staff care about the animals however some of the exhibits could have been better. The otters and penguins had very minimal swimming areas. And some of the spaces for the other animals, including the giraffes, were very small and I highly doubt they are up to AZA standards. Overall I don't think I will return, I would rather spend my money at accredited zoos that better balance animal welfare and...