The Wildlife Education and Conservation Center(MUST GET TICKETS THROUGH WEBSITE!) — Attraction in Garfield

I brought my cub scout den to the Wildlife Conservation & Education Center (a.k.a. NJ's 'Batcave") today and we had a fantastic time! From the outside, it doesn't look very big (looks like a small pet shop), but inside it is like a maze of rooms each of which have cool exotic animals, all of which Joe D'Angeli, a chiroptologist (bat specialist) who runs the Center, is highly knowledgeable (so knowledgeable in the field that he was featured on Anderson Cooper's CNN special on TV). Upon entry, you can see Penelope, a wallaby (inside a cage), then your temperature is taken as a Covid precaution going into the room. The place is immaculately clean. In the first room, which had some big tanks with turtles and alligators, our group was asked to be seated and Joe and his assistant started off with showing our small group some cool animals including an armadillo, blue-tongued skink, and boa constrictor. There were also two gigantic tortoises and two sloths. After that, we headed to a second room where the boys got to pet two miniature pigs and also see cool snakes and lizards in tanks lining all the walls. We also got to see an adorable chinchilla and big alligator in a tank on the way to the main room, the finale - the bats!!! So the first thing you notice when you enter the gigantic bat room is a very distinct smell in the air - not really a bad smell but just very distinct and hard to describe. You also hear the bats screech in unison as they get excited when they see visitors. There's a gigantic display in the middle of the room where some of the bats are kept. Joe gave us background on bats then everyone in our group got to feed fruit kabobs to the bats through the cage part of the display. It was an AMAZING experience - really, I don't know of any other place where one can feed bats, and ones from Madagascar nonetheless!!! On the other side of the big display are two HUGE bats in two separate displays. When I say huge, we were told that one of the bats has a wingspan that is four feet long. Other displays in the room include one for sugar gliders (they were asleep when we were there), lizards, glowing scorpions, a bird-eating tarantula (it was GIGANTIC), a kinkajou and other cool animals. It's amazing how many animals they have at this place. In the end, we got to finally meet Penelope, the wallaby (looks like a small kangaroo), who was taken out of her cage to have a snack and roam around.

They take very good care of all of the animals and it shows. All of the cages were very clean, and the animals didn't look cramped. Joe mentioned that he is working on a second level, which I plan on going back to see when complete. I'm surprised that not more people talk about this place. It is a hidden gem in NJ - perfect for kids and adults. Joe was also very patient with answering all our questions (we had many!) and he was funny too. I learned more here than going to a big zoo! You can book a private tour for your group or buy tickets in advance on their website. Tickets are only $10 - a steal for the amount of information you get, plus the experience of feeding the bats. Good place to spend a...

Edit: I wasn’t going to go into detail about how awful the conditions I saw at this facility was, but after the wonderful reply I received I might as well. I went to research animals for a class on welfare, and I left feeling sick. The reptile enclosures had piles of feces and urates. Keep in mind that snakes do not defecate every day. The pigs and tortoises were kept in enclosures way too small with no room to move away from their feces. Pigs are very smart, clean animals that prefer to not defecate where they rest. The sloth was blowing snot bubbles and hiding in the corner of the enclosure, trying to get away from the light of the front door. The kinkajou was also hiding in the corner trying to get away from people. Cats were roaming around the “bat room” and are free to jump on the bat enclosure, which startles the bats and causes them to become stressed. Invertebrate enclosures were also quite small, as well as the snapping turtle enclosure. The guinea pigs were kept in a small enclosure as well that was filthy. The wallaby was the worst part though. Kept in an enclosure (cage) right up front, being feb scraps of food (which ranged from pieces of lettuce to old banana peels). Their nails were way too long as well, looking painful to walk on. Wallabies are also mob animals and should live in groups to avoid stress. The facility itself looks clean, but those enclosures were sad. Improvements should be made. No judgement on character of the staff, as no one was around to even talk to aside from 1 man sitting on a folding chair at the front door selling merch.

Also, maybe don’t be aggressive towards people who paid and had a bad experience by calling them fake, phonies, or snowflakes? Just kind of looks bad for your business. Save your time and money, unless y'all need the money to improve your enclosures and care. I’d be happy to discuss further and open the conversation if interested. No hate,...

I stumbled upon the ‘Bat Cave’ from an Instagram ad and never have the algorithm gods blessed me so much. I am a numb, jaded, overworked, underpaid millennial. I’m stressed and exhausted but dying to feel something inside as I turn 34. The moment I stepped into the Conservation Center and saw a tiny kangaroo (Penelope the wallaby) looking back at me I felt like a child again. This is not a zoo. If you want to be as far away from the animals as possible, actually not even see them and not learn anything at all then this is not the place for you. I watched two sloths eating dinner upside down inches away from me. I fed fruit to a bat. I pet a bengal cat that just roams around. I watched different types of bats climb and bathe and fly and learned everything I could about their cute and weird fuzzy little selves. If you get lucky enough to see Lisa (she’s a human), ask her to tell you the stories about how they got some of the animals or just ask her to impart a tiny fraction of her vast animal knowledge unto you. You won’t regret it. She’s practically a genius. I could go on forever about the experience I had here today. All jokes aside, this place is unlike anywhere I have ever been before and I can’t wait to go back again. Although I didn’t talk to him personally, I did ’overhear’ some of his conversations and the director Joe clearly loves what he does. He and Lisa and the other staff are passionate about these animals and dedicate their lives to educating anyone else to hopefully save one more from a situation they don’t deserve. Oh and tickets cost $10 per person on their website. Pretty affordable way to not feel...