Wilderness Walk Zoo — Attraction in Town of Bass Lake

As someone who currently works at Wilderness Walk Zoo, I can say with complete confidence that these animals are very much loved and cared for. Each and every amazing animal in this zoo has a name, they have birthdays which are celebrated, and they all have incredible personalities. I grew up on a dairy farm and was apart of the local 4-H and MASC committees. I know animals very well, I have been around them my whole life. So with certainty I can say these animals are healthy, happy, cared for, and loved. It’s probably easy to say these animals look unhealthy, but if you aren’t familiar with animals or how to even care for them then please stop tearing down a small town family-owned business. The money that the zoo makes goes right back into the feed and supplies that these animals need. If you take that away, then you are purposely making sure these animals are not getting the proper nutrition they need. If you say the enclosures are too small, then go talk with the owners and make suggestions and help instead of making comments and doing nothing. I love each and every animal at this zoo, and working here has only increased my love and appreciation for this place. I also find that it is a 100% educational place for everyone. I have talked, personally, with so many children who ask questions about the animals they have never seen before. Or the sheer excitement for seeing a real life camel and actually getting to feed it. Just the other day as I was feeding the pigs, a few young children came running over to tell me all about the goats and just how awesome they are. Where else can you get all of these beautiful animals and see them in real time? There is no place better than Wilderness Walk Zoo. And I say that as someone who personally cares and tends to the animals. I have visited so many other huge zoo's, this is the only zoo that I have ever known to care and love the...

I also thought the bears (there were two in the same, small cage when I was there) were not in a large enough enclosure. It bothered me, and I am not an animal welfare activist, even though I do care how animals are treated. Anyway, there were other animals that seemed to be in large enough enclosures, and if it weren't for the bears, I'd probably feel better about the place. Bears are used to miles and miles of territory. Seeing them in a cage that is smaller than my driveway wasn't a pleasant sight, and when I took my daughter to see them, the bear just kind of blankly looked out into space. I know that you can't put human emotions on animals, but I really believe that these bears are not happy, and might be insane by this point. As reported by a previous reviewer, one of the bears just paced and paced, and you could see the trail of water from the paws where he walked - never going off this same route he was pacing and pacing on. I think this is sad. My daughter was scared a few times, but that could just be her, since she's around two, but she has never feared of animals before and is exposed to them not infrequently, since my mother lives on a hobby farm. Overall, I thought the place was mildly depressing and was glad when we left. One note: you have to go through a gift shop in order to exit the place. I didn't mind, and I was happy to get something for my daughter, but just be prepared to probably spend more money on some stuff you might not need, or disappoint your child, which isn't always a bad thing, but just be prepared. One positive thing I can say is that the person who took our money at the gate was very...

My 4 Year Old Daughter contracted E.Coli from the petting the babies in the Nursery on 7/7/2025. I called and spoke with a woman who presented herself as in charge of the park. As apologetic as she was, I don’t know why she didn’t notify health inspectors for vets to come out to attend to these animals that clearly have E.Coli. We now have to see a Pediatric Urologist in Minneapolis which is 2 1/2 hours away from where we live and she has to take an antibiotic for 7 days. This park should have been closed in the mean time while these animals are being treated.

Response to your response: you have failed to show me a report of any kind from your veterinarian. You cannot say your animals are healthy without showing the proof. It’s been almost a week now and if you apparently had a vet come out, I’d assume youde think to have a copy of this report on hand immediately from the day I called you to report this if your vet tech supposedly came out a week ago. My daughter had a follow up visit today with a second doctor because her antibiotics are not working and again it was said that 100% it was possible that she could have contracted this from your animals. The animals in the nursery as well as the animals you can hand feed all need to be tested whether they have symptoms or not. You also waited a week to call to report this to the health department if you even did because you said they would contact me, and they didn’t. Seems fishy to me especially because a lot of the nursery animals she had contact with were removed as of yesterday as a friend of mine took her children there...