Sustainable Safari

About a month ago, Sustainable Safari visited our local library for a kid’s program. My kids loved it and talked about the animals for awhile afterwards. Since the kids loved it so much, I figured we should visit the Sustainable Safari in the Maplewood Mall to see if they loved it as much as the program. To say the family loved it would be a vast understatement. Sustainable Safari was an experience unlike any other place we had visited. Every family member left smiling with unforgettable memories of the day.

Nestled into a corner of the Maplewood Mall, you would have no idea the amount of animals and the opportunities awaiting your family unless you visited. Walking in, we were greeted by a friendly worker in a small gift shop that assisted us with figuring out admission, experience tokens, and rules of the zoo. As part of your admission costs, you are given a small cup of feed for the animals for each paid person. We were assured that we could add on experiences during our visit if we desired. This was good because we ended up adding on a few experiences throughout our time. Our son even brought his own money just in case he wanted to add experiences.

The first animal exhibit walking in was the kangaroos. Such a perfect animal to get the whole family engaged when they hopped right over to us! One thing I loved about Sustainable Safari was that it was a great mix of both animals that my kids were used to seeing, such as bunnies, guinea pigs, and goats and animals that were super unique such as kangaroos, capybaras, and emus. This truly allowed each of my kids, even my one year old, to feel at ease with the animals right away because of the familiarity.

As we continued through the zoo, there was a wide variety of animals to watch, read about, and enjoy. Many of the animals you could pet and feed with the feed cups you were provided with admission. There were so many details in the animals’ environments that you didn’t notice right away that showed the amount of work, care, and love poured into each animal daily. Another thing that we loved was there were chickens just walking around. Our youngest absolutely adored turning a corner just to come face to face with a chicken. She would squeal with delight and giggle each time. Petting different animals also, produced lots of squeals and giggles from our youngest. How often can you say you’ve been able to pet a deer, a kangaroo, an emu, or a llama?

Walking around, we were able to watch other people enjoying feedings, holdings, and experiences. This was helpful for our kids to know what to expect and to determine if we wanted to do a particular activity. One detail that was interesting to watch was the assortment of ways to feed different animals throughout the safari. For the prairie dogs, you put food on a little fishing rod with a circular metal bowl on the end and fished the food down to them. Many of the animals were fed with large scoops that you poured the food onto. My son did an alligator feeding and he got to feed them with a pole with shrimp attached. He loved watching the alligators attempting to snatch up the shrimp and finally biting down on it while he controlled the pole.

After we finished walking by each of the over 100 species, we started our “encounters”. These are special experiences with different types of animals that you pay extra to do and are supported by safari guides. First, we entered the Treehouse with feedsticks for the parakeets to enjoy. What an experience this was! As you entered the Treehouse, tons of birds fluttered all around you as you walked. Once we sat down, the birds landed on us and quickly became comfortable on our shoulders, heads, arms, hands, and legs. They loved the feed sticks and quickly devoured the seeds, but continued sitting and hovering on us. It truly was a unique experience to be surrounded by these beautiful parakeets. A guide was in the tree house with us the whole time helping with the experience. She calmed one of my girls that got scared when one bird landed on her head, showed a bird up close to our other daughter to get her acquainted, and instructed us in how to interact safely with the birds. This was one of my favorite parts and all family members agreed the treehouse was a highlight of the safari.

Next, my son did a guinea pig village experience. An experience is where you get to go into the exhibit with the particular animal(s) and feed them, pet them, and be with them. The guinea pigs loved having someone come into the exhibit and quickly encircled him. He was able to feed them and then, sit with them while petting them. Our daughters loved that they got to watch the experience up close. Again, the safari guide helped my son know exactly what to do and did everything she could to ensure that the encounter was enjoyable for my son. When she noticed he started to get uncomfortable, she even asked him if he wanted to stay in the exhibit or leave.

After he finished this experience, I got to do an encounter of holding a baby kangaroo. Seriously, this was such an amazing opportunity! When the guide placed the baby into my arms, my heart might have melted. It was very much like holding a baby, but when you looked down, there were these beautiful big black eyes staring up at you and a kangaroo! Again, the guide helped the kangaroo get situated in my arms, but then allowed my kids to pet the kangaroo and come up close to see him. They loved it! There just aren’t chances to hold baby kangaroos, so this truly was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Guides set a timer for these experiences to ensure that everyone has the same amount of time and they always explain directions before you begin the encounter, so you feel safe at all times.

When these encounters were all done, my son was hooked. He really wanted to do more, so we tried a few others. An alligator hold was next on his list and his smile when he finally held the alligator definitely was a highlight for me. As we continued to do encounters, all the kids began to get more and more comfortable. For this hold, the questions started coming. Patiently and calmly, the guide answered each one and went out of her way to explain answers in kid-friendly terms that all three kids and adults could understand. Next, our son did a snake holding. Snakes are not my favorite and my son bravely held it no problem…for the entire time! I can’t say I would be able to do the same. Yet, as the guide continued to inform us about the snake, he confidently sat holding the snake slithering around his hands.

Last, he did a tortoise hold. Again, he loved this experience and calmly sat holding the tortoise while learning more about him. Each of the holdings also, gave us all the chance to pet the animals and see them up close. One last thing that we decided to do was to get a treat egg for our middle daughter to give to an animal. Treat eggs have a worm in them and are slid down a chute into certain animal’s exhibits. Once they exit the chute, the animal opens up the egg and eats the treat. This was so fun to watch and was a special experience that kids under the age requirements of encounters could do. Later, when we all shared our favorite parts of the day, the treat egg was one of my mom’s favorite parts. It was fun to see how excited the animals got for the treats and to see them wrestling the egg to get it open and enjoy.

One major factor besides the unique experiences, the sweet animals, and the fun atmosphere that made Sustainable Safari stand out was definitely their staff. From the beginning of our visit all the way to over two hours later at the end, each staff member went out of their way to make sure that every member of my family was enjoying their visit. Not only did they make it enjoyable, but they also went the extra mile to teach us. When I asked about how big an alligator had to get to hurt you, the guide not only told us, but she asked if we wanted to see the largest alligator they had there. She confidently pulled out the alligator and held him for us, teaching us and letting us pet him. Later, my son told one of the guides that he thought he had seen a bearded dragon at the library program put on by Sustainable Safari. Without hesitation, she told him that he probably had and offered to bring the bearded dragon, who was in the back, out for him to see. We all got to learn about him and pet him gently, which made my son so happy. Not only was each guide kind, but they were all so knowledgeable and quick to answer any question. It was very clear that the animals enjoyed being picked up and loved on by the guides. How wonderful to visit a place where the animals are truly adored by the employees!

A few things to know before you visit:

• Hours are: Sunday: 12-6 pm and Monday through Saturday: 11 am-7 pm.
• Admission prices are $15.50 for adults, $15.50 for kids 5 and up, and kids 4 and under are free. There is a $2 discount for seniors, military, first responders, and educators with proper identification.
• For all feedings and experiences, you must wear close-toed shoes to be allowed to participate.
• There are age requirements for most of the encounters. However, the bird feed sticks and treat eggs are a great way to get those younger than five with a unique experience.
• Your admission pays for an all-day pass. So, you can leave and come back as needed throughout the day.
• Sustainable Safari was accessible for those with limited mobility.
• There are normally several shows put on by the guides throughout the day. We did not experience a show in our time there though.
• We were at the safari for two and a half hours. Our two older kids (7 and 4) were engaged the entire time and probably could have handled an even longer trip. The 1 year old did start to get tired by the end, but lasted close to 2 hours and 15 minutes before getting overtired and losing interest.

Overall, Sustainable Safari was an amazing experience that I would definitely recommend for all age groups from babies to grandparents. Walking in from the mall, you are immediately drawn into an oasis of animals and nature. It’s the perfect escape to enjoy on a rainy, snowy, or humid day or an opportunity for a special adventure. Your time at Sustainable Safari will be an unforgettable memory for all family members to cherish. Once you visit, you will want to come back to experience the magic again.