Potter Park Zoo — Attraction in Lansing

Coming to the zoo is supposed to be a fun experience for kids and adults. On Sunday I went to the Zoo with my sisters and their families. My fiance and I are incredibly disappointed and disheartened after leaving. We went in the pre-season so before the Zoo has technically opened for the year and they allow pre admission. Many of the habitats for these animals were extremely barebones and small for the animals. The Rhinos seem to have almost no space or shade. The Tiger has a bare dirt floor with an empty water feature and no visible food, water, or toys. We found ourselves asking quite a bit "where's their food or water" and eventually we may have found to lettuce sporadically throughout the habitat. Many animals just seemed to be on a compact dirt floor. We didn't see any water features like the tigers river flowing. For the most part they just had stagnant water. The indoor building for the lion, tiger, snow leopard, lemurs, and spider monkeys was a terrible excuse for a place to live. The snow leopards enclosure, or for what I could refer to more accurately as a cell, had no indication that it was cold other than some snowy scenery painted on the walls and a bundle of straw on a dirt floor. This was the same for the lion and tiger but the only thing that changed was what was painted on the walls. None of the animals appeared the have to option of going inside of outside but instead were where ever they were put that day. The only animals that appeared to have an appropriate amount of space was the elk cows who had a big field and a whole pond at their disposal. They appeared to have more space than the rhinos, lion, and tiger combined. It was about 70 degrees and very sunny on Sunday. An absolutely beautiful day. However, probably not a very beautiful day for the poor penguins who had to endure that heat. This was the only exhibit other than the otter(s) that appeared to have a large water feature that was actually flowing. There was a sign answering many peoples question of "how do the penguins stay cold". It says they have a mister in the air above their pool (it was not on), the pool is cooled to 55-60, and they have a blue canopy over the whole area to protect them from the shade (this was not there).

I understand it was the "pre-season", but these animals do not know the difference between the on and off season. Their quality of life shouldn't improve once the Zoo opens for the year. If I went back in June or July and saw all of these things corrected, I'd be more upset that they're intentionally keeping them maintained only during the peak times. That probably won't happen because I don't plan on going back. I gave it a second star though because my nephew liked the playground out front and we got a stuffy from the gift shop for a nursery. The first star was because the animals were at least alive. Other than that, I will not credit Potter Park with...

I went on an adventure on my own and had a blast! PPZ is a great local place to visit and just take nature in at! What I really enjoyed was reading all of the informational posts not just about the animals, but the zoo's history itself! The zoo is full of beautiful animals, mostly very commonly known animals, but also the few that are not so common such as King Vultures, and the Camels at the Camel ride kiosk.

One of my favorite things to see at PPZ is how freely the peacocks roam and sound their calls. It's really relaxing and grounding, in my opinion. Another thing I loved seeing at PPZ was how many beautiful plants existed at the zoo. So many gorgeous flowers to see and smell. They also have a cute little sensory garden where you can touch, smell, and even taste different herbs they've planted!

I believe their concession's are perfectly placed! It's right when I was ready to eat that the snack kiosk appeared. They have many great food, drink, and snack choices! From hot dogs and nachos, to chips and ice cream! They serve pepsi products (for those that have specific preferences). But back to the ice cream - they serve flavor burst ice creams and I highly recommend the pineapple or the strawberry!!

There are a ton of little stops for photo ops with little animal backdrops that are super cute! They also have a zoo-venier (see what I did there? 🤭) shop at the end of the Zoo when you finish your trip! It's really nice!

Now for the downside of things, because there is always a downside to almost everything:

One thing I do wish was different at PPZ was the amount of space all of these sweet animals had. It's bad enough they're being bred and raised in captivity, but they barely move where they're positioned at and it is so sad to see. Of course it is understood that on a hot day they don't want to move around but even on cool days they lounge because they have no space. That also brings me back to the camel rides. One ride per customer costs $7; one photo, if you choose to take one, also costs $7. It's not too viciously priced for someone who makes double that per hour at work, until you see how short and mundane the ride is due to the space. The ride is one small loop that's about 100 feet from point A to point B and back to point A. It felt like paying $8 for a 16oz bottle of water at the airport just because it's from the airport, if that makes sense.

All in all, I had a learning experience at Potter Park Zoo even though I was quite sad at times after seeing some of the animals behaving the...

This facility has no business keeping big cats. How they got AZA accreditation is beyond me, and makes me question the AZA. It’s been nearly a year since my visit and what I saw still haunts me.

The reptile house and birds of prey are actually pretty respectable, but when we got to the big cats we encountered a disturbing sight: a tiger pacing her enclosure, which couldn’t have been more than 2,000 square feet, again and again. And again. And again. (For some perspective, tigers in the wild will travel thirty+ miles per day, and their territories can be up to sixty square miles.)

I overheard some concerned soul ask the employee if the pacing was normal, and the reply I heard was a vague and unconvincing platitude about how it’s only a problem if they don’t stop. Incorrect. Pacing is NEVER a sign of a mentally well animal.

We traveled from metro Detroit to visit because my Husband fell in love with Pallas’ cats (thanks, Instagram!) and found out that this facility has a pair. The Pallas’ cat was also pacing. As was the snow leopard. The lion enclosure was no bigger than the tiger’s.

For the sake of everyone who visited this facility and left with a broken heart, for the sake of whatever deity you believe is responsible for the creation of these magnificent creatures, and most importantly, for the sake of the cats themselves, I beg of you to do the right thing and relocate the cats to a sanctuary where they can live out their lives in the comfort they deserve.

There’s no justification for keeping them in such tiny enclosures in year of our lord 2025. Don't insult our intelligence; we know better than this. We ALL know better than this. So do better.

Focus on reptiles. Focus on birds. Focus on farm animals. There’s potential here, to be sure. But not for big cats.

If you’re like me, and you have a tender heart toward animals, (especially if you have a particular soft spot for cats), I urge you to stay far away from this place and spend your money at the many more deserving sanctuaries. Some things...