Big Joel's Safari Petting Zoo & Educational Park — Attraction in Missouri

I liked this place, our son loved it. For the most part everything looked clean and well taken care of for having over 500 animals to take care of daily. Hpwever, some of the staff took it upon themselves to follow us around. My husband said to one of them, "I feel like you are following me." The young man said, "I'm just making sure nothing bad happens." Whatever that means... I just felt like there was a better way to approach people and make sure everything was going ok. Another thing was that we went into the "keet shack" with our sticks and our cups of feed, as there is no signs stating that those should be left outside. We did what the instructions said on the door, and no birds got out. A lady came to the doors and informed us that she needed to take our feed cups and set them outside. Which was fine. Then proceeded to tell us that we should have asked for someone to help us in because the birds can get out if not careful, in which she had let out when she came to grab our cups. Then she told us that the sticks can be placed in this black box outside of the cage when we came out. Only point I am getting to is that if you would like us to know any of these things, I felt like we were getting somewhat scolded about, it would be nice if there were signs posted. Then people would know they weren't suppose to take feed cups in and to put the sticks in the box, or to have someone assist us getting into the shack. These are just suggestions, overall we enjoyed this place, our son got a kick out of feeding the animals, and we will...

We just moved less than 10 minutes from here and today was our first time. I was sooo excited to take my 2.5 and 4 yr old (plus 7month old in tow). Literally dreaming of our days filled with exotic animals through the summer... Pros: cool and friendly animals you don’t normally see, educated staff, small cheap gifts to make your kids happy, front desk lady was super nice Cons: outdoor staff doesn’t seem to like things like running (I was told rocks shouldn’t be ran on cuz it will hurt if they fall-didn’t know that 🤷🏼‍♀️), yelling (my kids were asked not to be loud), kids crying and dropping the bird feed sticks (my son freaked out when the birds flew to him and dropped his stick-the lady yelled into the cage within 5 seconds to tell HIM to pick his stick up- that we can’t leave them in there and they will need to be recycled 🙄 MY BAD... Just holding an infant (no strollers) and trying to calm 2 freaked out toddlers... 🤬 Also, DO NOT bring snacks for your infants because they can’t eat in their stroller, or at the picnic table, or anywhere but your car. Also, at least 3 places I was told I can’t bring the stroller. Suppose I’ll save our next trip for when the kids are a bit bigger and don’t need to yell, cry, run or eat 🤦🏼‍♀️ Just really disappointed and frustrated right now.. not how I thought this day...

This is an incredible hidden gem. As much as I love the St. Louis Zoo, this place is every bit as enjoyable. I have been to many zoos all over the world and I’m usually very leery about supporting privately owned zoos who may not adequately maintain their animals. These animals seem to be loved like family pets. Admission charge is minimal, considering the costs that must be involved for the owners. 8$ for adults which is less than a movie these days. This place undoubtedly puts so much work and love into caring for all their happy, friendly and well fed animals. I’ve noticed that so many reviews mention that it’s a great place for kids, but I believe it has an equal amount of value for any adult who has dreamed of recreationally raising any type of livestock. My family and I loved the close encounters, well manicured grounds and educational programs. I was beyond impressed. Many thanks to the proprietors, you’ve done something fantastic for the community! We will both...