NATURAL BRIDGE ZOO

NATURAL BRIDGE ZOO Reviews

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Don t give your money to these folks!!! They abuse...

Don t give your money to these folks!!! They abuse and neglect these animals!!! They breed animals and sell them to other zoos!!! The owners are cruel and behind the scenes they are very mean to these animals!!!

Visited this zoo with my family last month and had...

Visited this zoo with my family last month and had a blast. This place is not deserving of the negative reviews from trolls. I ve had several years of experience taking care of animals and from what I could tell these animals were well taken care of and were as contented as animals can be. They all appeared to be interactive and interested. In many zoos the animals will just appear bored, but these animals were curious and engaged. The lynx put his paw to the glass when my son placed his hand on it. The parrots turned their heads to my boys as they talked and sang songs to them. This is more of a farm style rural zoo rather than a city zoo and I think that contributes to the animals sense of wellbeing. For outraged individuals asking why certain animals have no grass,etc. many animals will overeat if allowed free range of local grass especially if they are animals that are indigenous to rugged environments where food is sparse. Allowing them free range on large amounts of local grass/plants could actually be bad for them. Pacing is definitely a behavior you see in animals that are enclosed but many people don t realize that animals behave similarly in the wild, often going by the same exact locations on a routine basis albeit in a usually larger area. Routines are soothing to animals and so they usually create them for themselves. I ve been to a good amount of zoos and aquariums along the east coast and I think these animals have it the best, a peaceful environment far away from city crowds and concrete enclosures. I think they know it too.

Didnt like the way they killed many guinia pigs be...

Didnt like the way they killed many guinia pigs because of overcrowdness go to a real zoo where animals are cared about never support terrible people like the owners poor elehant also needs a companion but is left alone in the heat all day poor animals hopefully this place gets shut down or the place starts caring about these animals

HORRIBLE treatment for that poor elephant!!!! That...

HORRIBLE treatment for that poor elephant!!!! That baby needs to live out his life in a sanctuary. Stop riding those poor elephants. This is not a good place for the animals. Please don t spend money there.

Visited the zoo yesterday with my husband,daughter...

Visited the zoo yesterday with my husband,daughter and 2yr old granddaughter, we had a awesome time,my granddaughter loved and laughed with joy all through the zoo! This was just the right size of zoo to take one of this age and the closest to w.va! All the animals looked well taken care of!we will definitely be returning!

I thought the zoo was wonderful. Every stall was c...

I thought the zoo was wonderful. Every stall was clean and most had fresh fruit out. I saw toys for animals and a care taker playing with one of the animals. She was getting the animal in the cage by playing with a toy. Not at all abusive. The elephant was very healthy and actually looked well fed. Every cage had plenty of hay. I agree that some cages might be a little small, but the animals seem happy. I enjoyed my visit and nobody was rude to me. Actually, they all were very friendly. The lady attending the elephant rides took pics for me on my phone. I did NOT HAVE to pay $10, unless I wanted a more professional pic. The prices are reasonable. I cannot imagine how much it costs to upkeep the zoo, so $12 a person does not seem bad for such a fun time.

This zoo is the worst. I live in Columbus Ohio now...

This zoo is the worst. I live in Columbus Ohio now and I know you cannot compare the two but the enclosures at natural bridge is ridiculously to small for the animals. Jack Hanna funds the zoo here and the animals are in better environments than a lot of humans. Those animals at natural bridge need to be moved. I don't understand how they are allowed to live that way. It's really sad.

We came from Richmond just to see this zoo. I got ...

We came from Richmond just to see this zoo. I got to tell you the experience was amazing! The animals are well kept up, there was tons of space to explore and you get to feed some of the animals! AWESOME!!!! Feeding the birds was our favorite, went back multiple times to do that, that day. Plus we went on father's day so father's were free!!!!! Can't do any better than that!!!!

We enjoy visiting this privately owned zoo. The ow...

We enjoy visiting this privately owned zoo. The owners and workers are very kind. The animals are well provided for. If we are saving animals by visiting zoo's that care for them then I am always down. A zoo does not always mean caged in. It is well known that in captivity animals last much longer than in the wild. Thank you Natural Bridge Zoo for providing a home and a nice visiting place for travellers looking for kid friendly attractions.

We were pleasantly surprised at all the animals we...

We were pleasantly surprised at all the animals we found at the natural Bridge zoo. We spent several hours here and enjoyed walking all over, feeding the animals, and playing with the birds in the bird sanctuary. For a small zoo they did a great job with clean cages, well fed animals and nice music piped in as you walked throughout the zoo. We would definitely visit again

I enjoyed seeing animals I normally wouldn't see. ...

I enjoyed seeing animals I normally wouldn't see. The animals were gorgeous. I wish they had more room for the animals. A lot of them were in cages not much bigger than a standard bathroom. It was also slightly more expensive than I'd have liked it to be, but, all in all, we had a good time.

Also, there were chickens everywhere!

Terrible place - we regret going and wish we had r...

Terrible place - we regret going and wish we had researched it beforehand! We only spent 10 minutes max in there, realizing the sad mistake we had made. The small cages are depressing and it's clear that it's not an ethical zoo. Do not patronize this place by visiting!! I don't understand how this place is open... how is it not illegal??! I thought zoos had to have ethical and conservation standards in order to exist?

This place is disgusting. The animals are in tiny ...

This place is disgusting. The animals are in tiny cages and the look on their face says everything. The quality of life here is just awful. Just imagine how happy you would be if you just sat in a small cage for your ENTIRE life. No way out. No stimulation except for the people hovering over your enclosure. You need to do better.

We had a wonderful and educational visit to the zo...

We had a wonderful and educational visit to the zoo. The staff was informative and knowledgeable, plus cordial. We were able to get some exercise and cool off with some icees. There were many places along the route to rest and take shelter from the sun. The animals seemed well kept and kept it interesting by interacting with the patrons. Some even posed for pictures!

Oh boy, where to start. I wish I would have done ...

Oh boy, where to start. I wish I would have done more research prior to giving this "zoo" my money. Sadly, some of the enclosures are beyond inadequate for the animals (i.e., barren and lacking in stimulation, space, and cleanliness). I was shocked they still offer elephant rides. Not only is this painful for the elephant (i.e., their spine is shaped with spines rather than a horse's spine, which is more like humans), but it is not safe for the public (many captive elephants have TB, which can be transmitted to humans). Overall, I left feeling sad. Following my visit, I did some research and found that this zoo has a number of citations (around 100) all having to do with animal welfare - it was shocking. Save your money!

this place is disgusting. the video i saw is terri...

this place is disgusting. the video i saw is terrible. these people abuse the animals, leave them hungry, kill them. i hope this place shuts down and all of the abusers rot in a hole.

If I could less I would. Zoos in general are a pre...

If I could less I would. Zoos in general are a pretty archaic but this is one of those real seedy places that reminds you how terrible we as humans can be to animals. The animals are not being cared for as they should and the people in charge have no idea what they are doing. The animals need to be given to a sanctuary and this placed needs to be closed down.

I can't believe all of the negative comments. I g...

I can't believe all of the negative comments. I got to the zoo around 9:30 and stayed until 3. There are plenty of animals to see. You can get very close to the cages and pet many of the animals. Animal feed can be purchased for $1-$5. You can feed the goats, a cow, camels, giraffes, deer, lamas, and donkeys. I really enjoyed feeding the giraffes because they were so neat, and the camels because they didn't turn down any food.

There were a lot of chickens running around the zoo. It was really neat. I was told the zoo donates the chickens to 4H

All of the animals were very friendly. For $5 a person you could go for an elephant ride. The staff were so knowledgeable. I was told every night the elephant goes across the street to sleep/play in the zoo's 150K acres of forest. The elephants also spends time with the employees dogs during the day.

I spent $45 for a photo holding a tiger. I fed the tigers a bottle during the photo and pet them. The staff said it was like working with a small child so the photo session went quickly. It was worth it.

I would recommend going early in the morning because all of the animals are active and hungry. In the afternoon it was hot and they all seemed to rest in the shade. All animals had shade, food and water. I saw at least 6 staff members at the park tending to the animals.

There was a staff member who spent a lot of time with one of the cougars. She explained how she had a good bond with the cat and she shared her lunch with it (chicken & rice). She said she spent hundreds of dollars on toys for the cats but they all seemed to prefer trash like water bottles or laundry detergent containers. The zoo does a lot of breeding but the one small tiger cat had been neutered and will live with its mother when it gets older. The staff member explained how the tigers have a social hierarchy, their eating habits, their behaviors and much more. She was so knowledgeable and friendly. She said the tigers have a large house they can go in for protection or relaxation. They have their own washer dryer, radiant floor eating, and bamboo painted walls. She also said sometimes hunters bring in meat for the big cats too.

The zoo may look old but they seem to invest in the important stuff.

There were a lot of picnic shelters and tables. This would be a great place to pack a cooler and have your lunch. You can also leave the park for lunch and return later that day.

This place is disgusting and sad. Most of the anim...

This place is disgusting and sad. Most of the animals are in small dingy enclosures with concrete or gravel floors, poop everywhere. The windows of all the reptile displays were filthy and you could barely even see through them. Many of the fences, including the ones closest to the people were janky and pieced together, rusty and with rusty wire twisted in place to hold them together I was afraid my daughter was going to cut herself on the rusty wires. I believe the place was created in the 70 s and it appeared they haven t done any improvements on it since. I m ashamed I took my daughter there to see animals like that. Go see the Safari Park down the road instead!!! It s a million times better!

"renowned" zoo - for flagrant violations and a pla...

"renowned" zoo - for flagrant violations and a place on the list of 10 worst zoos for 5 years running. Inhumane treatment of animals - whether you see it or not. Find out how elephants are "trained" to let humans ride them and see if you can stomach it

Cool

Disgusting. I will never go to this place again. T...

Disgusting. I will never go to this place again. These animals need to be placed in a sanctuary where they are safe and can live the rest of their lives freely. The animals cages are so small and so inhumane. I could go on. Don't waste your money. Do not support this zoo.

This Zoo is amazing! It has so many different anim...

This Zoo is amazing! It has so many different animals. The staff and the tour guides are great! They are so nice! We took the close encounters tour and it was incredible! We got to feed the Tigers, the Elephant, and the Ring Tailed Lemurs. We also got to hold a python! Before the tour they had lockers so if you didn t want to carry your belongings you could lock them up. The tour guide, Tim, was awesome he was so friendly and was very experienced. The zoo is also very shaded so that was very good cause we had young kids. There were a lot of places to take pictures, and on the tours there is a photographer so you get all of the pics at the end. Even if you decided to not to do a tour you could still feed the grass fed animals like Giraffe, Pygmy Goats, Fallow Deer, Llamas, etc. There was also a parakeet inclosure we re you could feed and pick up parakeet! Overall this Zoo is one to remember!

The zoo is horrifying. Just look at the animals! a...

The zoo is horrifying. Just look at the animals! a lot of them were swaying back and forth meaning that they are panicking and being abused. Videos were released showing how these animals were treated and it was disgusting. I feel like the workers need to be treated how they treat their animals and see the pain they inflict on the poor animals that need to free. Im 12 years old and this zoo horrified me...

This is a sad place to visit! Animals are not prop...

This is a sad place to visit! Animals are not properly cared for. Just for money making! It's heart breaking. Please let these animals live there lives somewhere else with better living conditions.

Who knew that you could ride an elephant AND hold ...

Who knew that you could ride an elephant AND hold a Wallaby (named Rocko by the way, 90's babies please tell me you are as impressed with this as I am) in the same place? Riding an elephant is a major bucket list item for me and when I found out I could do that 2 hours from home I knew I had to go! The zoo was very interactive, we fed animals, pet baby goats, and my sister looked like a freaking Disney princess in the parakeet atrium. All the animals seemed well fed, and I saw many staff members throughout the day going into exhibits to care for the animals. The staff were all very friendly and had lots of information regarding the animals, it was such a fun experience!

This place was a lot of fun to bring our toddler f...

This place was a lot of fun to bring our toddler for her birthday. It has a lot to offer, and it's far bigger than I expected it to be. I do feel that some of the animals need much bigger spaces than what's allotted.

Let Asha the elephant go! It is deplorable how the...

Let Asha the elephant go! It is deplorable how the zoo is handling this matter! How freakin sad!! Get some humanity. In 2015, a USDA inspection cited Natural Bridge Zoo with 44 violations of the Animal Welfare Act

Very healthy animals. Spaced out nicely. Only have...

Very healthy animals. Spaced out nicely. Only have one small complaint...uneven walking trails make it hard for anyone with walking difficulties to enjoy. But other than that it is a very nice zoo.

Terrible place! There is a petition going for anim...

Terrible place! There is a petition going for animal abuse. If you want your children to learn about wildlife this is not the place to bring them. They will leave learning how cruel this world is. I am just saying people...you have a choice.

Disgusting abuse of animals hidden behind a cheap,...

Disgusting abuse of animals hidden behind a cheap, educational experience for families who are too foolish to realize what is going on. This place is constantly cited for animal abuse and has horrific videos for public viewing of the abuse.

The Humane Society posted a video on YouTube about...

The Humane Society posted a video on YouTube about this location, and I m absolutely disgusted. I don t even understand why it is still open torturing innocent animals, SHUT IT DOWN!

Should be ZERO stars. This place is despicable in ...

Should be ZERO stars. This place is despicable in how it treats its animals. It s a throw back to the 1800 s before we SHOULD have known better. The miserable conditions these poor animals are kept in for the amusement of others is beyond shameful. Shame on this zoo, shame on the workers and shame on ANYONE who supports them with their business.

The elaphants cage was way too small, and the poo...

The elaphants cage was way too small, and the poor thing is all alone. I'm no zoologist, but I know enough about animals to know that elephants specifically need other elaphants to thrive and are one of the few animals to get chronic depression. This elaphant looks depressed, and honestly I don't blame her. This whole place looked sad.

This roadside tourist trap is NOT even advertised ...

This roadside tourist trap is NOT even advertised by the local Chamber of Commerce! They know of it's YEARS of state violations! Please view the YouTube video from 2015 by the Humane Society! Staff hitting in anger---HARD to Watch ! The elephant has no heat or air conditioning and is chained on cement daily. Please CLOSE and surrender your elephant, we will help you accomplish her transport!!
The One star is to represent any compassion from the owner.

It's a nice experience to have animals roam freely...

It's a nice experience to have animals roam freely and we can travel in our car and see them roam freely and we can feed them as well. The store is also good which has nice stuffs for kids to enjoy.

Would NOT spend my money here. The animals have no...

Would NOT spend my money here. The animals have no room to run around and play. The bears are kept on a concrete pad with no grass. Very sad to see all the animals there and how they are being treated. Will NEVER go back.