Kisma Preserve — Attraction in Trenton

Unlike all the other low reviews, I feel as though the animals are well cared for and loved. The way 2 of the volunteers talk about them and the information I received on their care lead me to believe that the animals are certainly very important to them. So for that, I’ll leave 2 stars.

However, it’s fairly clear to me that this is not the same Kisma I visited years ago. I recommended this place to everyone I spoke to for their reasonable prices, variety of animals and unique experiences. I remember being let into the wolf enclosure and being able to take pictures freely. And I remember the staff being very pleasant, even to us 19 year old kids.

Perhaps it was the pandemic, or shows like Tiger King making animal preserves such as this one a little more jaded… but the magic is for sure gone from this place. We paid more money for less of an experience, and the owner was short with us, rushed us through, and generally seemed distrusting the entire time. The other two volunteers tried to salvage our experience, only to be continually snapped at for doing so by the owner. We paid extra for a wolf experience, which used to entail an amazing time inside the enclosure… but now? Just a few short pets on the back while the wolf is held on a short chain by the owner the entire time, and then you walk away.

For the base price of $35, you’re walked around and shown the wolves (but only from specific angles… if you stop to take photos in the wrong spot, be prepared to be curtly yelled at for it… despite there being no signage.) Some goats, some normal dogs, three macaws, one bear, and a pair of porcupine. No more, no less. Oh, and right upon arrival, be prepared to do all transactions through a locked fence and treated as if you’re troubling them… right off the bat, I knew this person was not going to treat us well.

I believe these people truly care for the animals in their sanctuary. I do not believe these animals are being mistreated in any way by those doing their care. But I do believe, for some reason, that the owner is very jaded by outside visitors, and I get the vibe that if there were other ways to make money, she would not want to host people on the property anymore. I felt like we inconvenienced her with our presence, and it was not a very welcoming experience at all. And for the money we paid, we deserved better. I would save your money, or just donate online vs going there in person if you want to… though I’ve seen “donation fraud” allegations thrown around online as well.

Devastated to see a place I vouched for for years lose its magic quality. I think it’d be best if they stopped hosting public tours, since they clearly don’t want to anyway… taking people’s money and promising unique experiences only to be treated like a total inconvenience to their day isn’t fair or right to do to...

I almost never write bad reviews but I am just mortified by the way I was treated (before I even came at that!) I am currently on quarantine and was trying to reschedule for this weekend. Heather told me to reach out to HipCamp because they control the camping (so I did that) HipCamp told me that they would need to reach out to Heather for her to approve the reschedule. I called Heather twice, once on Wednesday and once today. The first time to ask how to reschedule and the second to see if HipCamp reached out to her (because they told me they did) Heather acted like I had been blowing her phone up for days, she told me I was annoying her and that “if I were me I’d be more worried about my health then my camping reservation” she also told me that now because I’ve “annoyed her” she would not approve the reschedule. She also called me liar and said “if I had truly reached out to HipCamp the way I said I did then she would have already received a message from them” I offered to send her a screen shot of the email they sent me and she responded with “oh great blow my phone up some more” I never once was rude, I was trying to be respectful and 1. Not spread covid 19 to her campground and facility. And 2. My camp site was booked for tonight and I didn’t want to take up the space so someone else could enjoy it. I started the process of trying to reschedule on Wednesday and here it is Saturday with no resolve. I can’t believe that anyone who runs a business could treat a paying customer the way she treated me. I am in the veterinary field and I truly hope she treats her animals better than she does her customers. I ended up donating over $100 to the animals because she would not refund me. She said I could reschedule (although she said she wouldn’t approve it anyway) or I could get a gift certificate or donate. So out of the kindness of my heart I donated it, hopefully it goes to an animal that needs it. Below is the attached photo of HipCamp saying they reached out to her. Edit to add: I have also been informed that she is under investigation for donation fraud, so...

I just paid $90 for the bear and wolf encounter, honestly it wasn’t worth it. This has been on my bucket list for a long time and I left knowing I have to find another place to do it again and I also felt disrespected. You feed the bear 4-6 marshmallows through a fence. As long as you understand that’s what you’re paying $40 for, then fine. Don’t assume it’s something amazing. $50 for the wolf encounter- you’re not allowed to touch the wolves at all. The wolf comes to sniff you first. You then have to stay six feet away from them unless Heather brings them near you and if you get closer than what the other woman likes you to be she’s rude af. (I forgot her name) I was just standing there while everyone was talking pics with Gandalf. I opted to just take pics of him and idk what I did to upset her but she had a really rude tone and told me I needed to back up and rolled her eyes. I did and didn’t respond to her. Then at the end of the tour it had gotten super cold. I asked if it was finished. She shook her head yes. I then said okay, I’m going to head out since I’m really cold. She didn’t respond. When I started walking she says “no you need to wait for everyone else so I can lock the gate” and rolled her eyes again and looked at everyone else as if I had the audacity to choose to leave at the end. To sum this up, for the price you pay compared to what your “encounter” really is; along with the rudeness for no reason. I wouldn’t recommend. Heather was great. The other blonde woman not at all. I should’ve read...