Bailiwick Animal Park and Riding Stables — Attraction in Town of Catskill

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! Today against my better judgment we took our 5 year old grandson to Baliwick Animal Park. This is the worst place I have ever seen. The animals are not taken care of at all. No food or water in any of the animal enclosures, all the water dishes were bone dry and had debris in them like old leaves etc. They looked like they hadn't been filled in quite awhile. I honestly think this place depends on the carrots and food the patrons buy for the animals and that is how they are fed. They have a $7.00 solo cup of carrots and $2.00 cups of feed or corn. We went through a cup of carrots (I would have bought more if the cups were less than $7.00) 6 cups of feed. I know in these kind of places animals always act like they have not been fed, but I honestly think these poor animals are not fed. We saw a woman feeding the ponies they use for rides. I have owned horses and what she feed the whole corral of ponies was not enough for one pony. They also had no water. The owner has been fined for beating a horse over the head with his bridle. The animal enclosures were all filthy, there was so much feces in the enclosures some of the animals had no place to move. There was also feces outside the enclosures so you had to watch where you walked. It is a very sad place but what really bothered me the most was the bears. They have two bears in two separate enclosures with nothing to play with or occupy themselves. Bears need to be occupied. One bear is so stressed he does nothing but pace and shake his head. The price for this place is certainly not worth it. They advertise a picnic area which consisted of a few picnic tables outside of their so called "office." I have written to the ASPCA, a NY Bear Rescue and I am also contacting the Dept. of Conversation and any other agency I can think of. These poor animals need to be rescued from this hell hole. I honestly think the good reviews on this place were written by the people who own it or friends of theirs. They had a macaw that looked like it had mites really really bad. The macaws and the parrots were outside and shivering. I hope I can get help for these poor animals. All this place is is a money grab for these people. The owner told us most of the animals were rescued. I can not imagine these animals being in a worse place than this. Stay away and save your money. If you want to see animals go to the Catskill Animal Sanctuary where they actually do rescue animals. Please do not pay these people to see this place. They are more interested in the money the animals bring in than the animals themselves. I am giving it one star because you have to rate it or can not post your review. It is not even...

Overall! A magical experience with some road bumps along the way. Recommend for everyone to come here and experience the animals . They were all gorgeous with amazing peacocks running around. Chickens that would come up to you and be your local guides. This is a place everyone should stop in atleast once in your travels in the Catskills We were excited to go here today but on our journey we stopped at price chopper in saugerties and were warned not to go by multiple people. We had already bought tickets so we continued and upon arrival there was a dog (in 96 + degree heat) in a cage the exact size of its body so I'm going to guess there was no water.. there were parrots outside picking their feathers. The first cage after officially entering the zoo had parakeets outside and one on the ground having a very hard time with the heat. A girl did rescue and bring him inside but they said it happens a lot which I feel shouldn't be something that's common. The baby kangaroo looked very sad as well as the horses. The rabbit hut had three rabbits all suffering a lot from the heat. They were bleeding and I thought one was dead. When I felt them, they were bone thin and I have raised rabbits for over 25 years. I know a healthy rabbit and they weren't healthy. I think a simple solution would be to offer frozen water bottles for them to cool off. The baboon was very angry and pacing. I heard it crying. The bears were miserable and one was also pacing very angrily and one panting very bad. I didn't see water in the cage. The porcupines were in one of the worst conditions directly in the boiling sun and all packed on top of each other panting horribly. Over all the animals all could use more food. Very skinny. You can tell they don't have a lot of money to work with or the money isn't being used correctly. They should have less animals and larger spaces and give others to other rescue groups with more means to give them a happier and healthier life. This place certainly has a bad reputation so I just hope they take this into consideration and correct it . No being should be left in a hot cage with no means to help themselves. They are vulnerable and rely on these people to take care of them. Yes it's "cool" to see a variety of animals but Please. Please. Only have what you can...

It was a rainy, damp fall day when we arrived at Bailiwick Animal Park. My down state family and I wanted to see the Bengal tigers I've heard so much about. These gorgeous creatures were raised from the age of 10 months old by Garry and his family; many of the animal parks residents were, and several bottle fed and carefully monitored in there delicate infancy. I've read some online reviews and it's disheartening to see some reviewers' ignorance. All these animals needed care, attention, a new home, and a true animal lover to take them in. Whether it was a infant mammal rejected by its mother and left to die, an animal born into captivity and needing a home, or a an injured creature that could no longer survive on its own... the Koschitzki family was there for them, and continues to be there for them. This is no short-term idea, but a true commitment to the best welfare for each animal. Park Review: First and foremost the animals are in good health and inquisitive. Mostly every resident came to welcome us to their gate... including the bears! Perhaps because it was a quite rainy day and we were the only family there, but regardless, it exhibited their friendliness to strangers which translates that these creatures are happy, welcoming, and well cared for by humans. Second, the variety of rescued animals was unexpected! I knew about the tigers, but I had no idea how MASSIVE, beautiful, and MAJESTIC they were! I wasn't expecting to see a brown bear, black bear, bison, baboon, and kangaroo. But the list of residence goes on. Their pens were ample size, with ample space for shelter, and detailed items included for them to interact with. Were the pens immaculate, no. But having been in the bush land of Africa and Australia, the natural habitat of these creatures is not immaculate. Some reviewers are comparing this family-owned and operated home (and the animal park is an extension of the Koschitzki home) to large zoo's or commercially run parks. If you're looking for a western culture 'perfect' animal park, this is not for you. BUT, if you want to be exposed to a beautiful variety of well-loved animals through the selfless care of a human family, than I would highly recommend visiting Bailiwick Animal Park. There's no glitter and flare, just mud and and a whole...