Reviews of Browns Oakridge Zoo (Zoo)

Erica Davis

Sooooo fun and probably one of my new fave thing to do and place to come

Suzann Hansen

I think the owners are trying to do the right thing by the animals. Love seeing them close up.

Colby Rivera

Probably my first honest review. It was actually a really good experience, and the tour was pretty fun.

Emma

The young boy zoo worker is really cute

Erica Davis

Sooooo fun and probably one of my new fave thing to do and place to come

Jess S

I am not sure why I went to this place because it was very depressing. Please educate yourself about the tiger cub petting industry. Big cats need to roam and they certainly do not have room to roam being stuck in small cages. There was no grass, shrubs, trees, nothing in or around the cages to even closely resemble a natural habitat. I especially noticed the black panther cage was too small. I felt so sad for the lemur in a cage inside the shack looking place. These poor animals have to be miserable and I will never go back to that place. These folks breed tigers so that they can always profit off of the tiger cub petting biz and its wrong!!!!

Vicki McClintick

BOGDAN HAS DIED and the zoo is being secretive. I first saw Bogdan when he was 4 weeks old and weighed 9 LBS. I have visited many times and fed his twin daughters. Sept 8 would have been his 6th birthday. I had a tiger theme party for him. My friend texted Nancy that morning with a Happy Birthday Bogdan! and a request for a photo of him on his actual birthday, we received 2 photos. That Sunday another friend visited the zoo and asked where Bogdan was. She was told by Tiffany ( great employee ) that Bogdan died two weeks ago. Nancy approached my friend and she asked Nancy to let me know Bogdan was dead. She said NO don't tell her and don't tell anyone! My friend asked Nancy if it was true she said yes but she could not remember what day he died. Isn't a zoo legally required to keep records? I called Nancy to inquire what happened and she didn't return my call. In the 6 years I have been aware of this zoo, 12 exotic cats have died. She has been fined $3,571 by the USDA for "Severe and repeated Animal Welfare Act violations, one of which resulted in the death of an animal. " A kangaroo with a broken leg was not seen by a vet and died as a result. I wonder if Bogdan was seen by a vet. Why the secrecy if it was legitimate? There has been no mention of his death on her Facebook and her website as of today said Bogdan is doing great and growing every day. I saw him last month and he looked fine. How does a tiger in his prime suddenly die? Why does this zoo loose and average of two exotic big cats a year? Why the secrecy and denial of his death, now three weeks ago. She claims to be a non profit business but is not registered as a 501(c) (3) under that name. Just be aware this zoo has a dark side.

David Norman

The last time I was there the lady was so rude and ugly to us that we vowed to never go back and we haven't. They need to have their license revoked the place is a dump and they are trash. Please don't take your kids to this place they will be scarred for life!

Jon Sanders

R…U…D…E!!!! If you’re looking for a friendly customer service experience you’d be better off heading to your local drivers license bureau or IRS office. If, on the other hand, you love a litany of rules barked at you by staff who seem to forget its families like mine who paid them nearly $100 for a 45-minute tour of a dirty farm, then this place is for you! What this place lacks in clean facilities and quality animal care they totally make up for with rude and unfriendly service! My family and I left VERY dissatisfied and unimpressed. The moment we got out of our vehicle and approached the “ticket counter” we were “greeted” by a smile-challenged woman who forgot to say something like, “Hey, welcome to our “zoo”! We’re so glad to have you!,” and instead began reciting the long list of all the things “guests” are NOT allowed to do, the places they’re NOT allowed to walk or stand, the pictures and video they’re NOT allowed to take, and essentially, the fun they’re NOT allowed to have. After listening to the rules we proceeded to pay for our tiger-handling experience. Because we had seven people in our group, we were informed that the cut-off is six people and we either had to make someone sit out (sorry grandma) or pay another $20 fee. After receiving our unfriendly “welcome” and the extra cash had traded hands, we proceeded to our tour of an overall dirty and unsightly “zoo” where we got to view animals that for the most part seemed to be poorly cared for. The tour did not take long (as there’s not much to see) and soon it was time for our first group to enter the tiger petting area. After hearing another session of even more CAN’T DO’s our first group began to enter the tiger-petting area. It was at this point that other rude staff questioned why our group wasn’t coming in together. When we explained that we had been forced to pay for an additional tiger-touching experience because our group was too big, they told us that we were only paying for a 2nd camera to be used and that the whole group could come in at the same time. When my mom asked a simple question about whether or not the tiger’s parents were on site, one of the staff members rudely replied, “Someone wasn’t listening,” instead of simply answering the question (sorry grandma). The entire time we were in the tiger-touching fence, our group was constantly being barked at by the two gals about all that we were doing wrong and the rules we were breaking. The tiger cub we got to touch (with a lot of rude coaching from the staff) was adorable and the ONLY redeeming quality of an otherwise disappointing outing. We will definitely NOT be returning to this place as the local drivers license bureau is much closer and less expensive.

Suzann Hansen

I think the owners are trying to do the right thing by the animals. Love seeing them close up.

Shibby 7634

Very friendly staff, contrary to a lot of reviews on here. Gave adequate time to spend with the baby tiger and zebra. Great price for the experience.

Colby Rivera

Probably my first honest review. It was actually a really good experience, and the tour was pretty fun.

Brendan Heise

Very cool place. Staff is very friendly. Animals did not seem stressed whatsoever. And the are obviously loved by the staff.

Meagan Seals

The tiger petting is just amazing! And low prices

F I

Don't understand how this place has not been shut down, horrible enclosures and conditions for the animals. Might have been started with good intentions but not anymore.

Xzaxeous X

Great experience! Must do, love the baby tiger

Jeffrey Edmiston

This isn't a huge place with lots of animals, but the ones they do have are really cool. We were able to hold and pet a tiger cub!!! So it was def worth it!

Lynn Marie

Amazing family experience!

Shane Wheatley

Fun place to go with the kids. Where else can you go and pet tiger and lion cubs!? Really caring staff who are there to help and answer any questions as well.

Ashley Howerter

The man there kept flirting with my sister

Brenda Foster

Good little zoo

Natalee Dorethy

Very nice place

Brendan Heise

Very cool place. Staff is very friendly. Animals did not seem stressed whatsoever. And the are obviously loved by the staff.

Westyn Shaw

To the haters out there brown zoo is the kanye west of our generation I love it there

Meagan Seals

The tiger petting is just amazing! And low prices

Jennifer Litherland

Tiger experience was great.

Lois richards

Rural Illinois Sunday drive

Marcus Sondag

Love going here with the family. The guide was so good, and helps you learn so much about the animals.

F I

Don't understand how this place has not been shut down, horrible enclosures and conditions for the animals. Might have been started with good intentions but not anymore.

Courtney Dutton

Great place very friendly

Xzaxeous X

Great experience! Must do, love the baby tiger

Patrick Marzolino

Animals looked unhealthy and it took 4 hours to see the cubs for 5 minutes. No restrooms or trash cans

Nick Vasquez

An amazing experience to hold the animals and then see them grow up as majestic beings.

Cliff Justice

I felt that it was over priced and that my family was rushed through the experience.

Patricia Walton

I don't need words. Look at the pictures posted in October 2016 by other users. These animals are in pens the size that I would feel bad keeping my dog in. Even if these people mean well, if they cannot afford to treat animals right, they should not have them at all. If I adopted 20 kids but then could barely keep them clothed and fed, would people be saying "Oh she's doing such a great job she cares so much?" No. They would call me a disgrace and take the kids away. Same here. And people say "Oh but you get to play with baby animals you can't do that anywhere else!" Exactly - why do you think that is? Because qualified experts who care about the animals consider it bad and dangerous for the animals and the people to let wild baby animals and humans interact. If you think your selfie is worth harming an animal, that is your choice, but I hope you will consider what you're supporting here when there are real places protecting animals that could use your admission fees.

Courtney Kavanagh

Terrible...animals were miserable and there was a dog that was crying because his leg was broken with no medical attention.. don't waste your time

Kyle Cooke

Great people, Great animals. Here the animals are members of the family and it shows in their personalities.

Joel Zuniga

A small zoo (more of an animal sanctuary) but an amazing experience! I got to pet a baby tiger!

Jack Stieghorst

Great experience for my grandchildren. Nice relaxed atmosphere with very courteous tour guides. The animals looked healthy and happy. Got to hold two tiger cubs great experience. very close up experiences with the animals.

James Kellerstrass

A great experience with cubs

Ryder Church

Our family had a great time here. Spent a couple of hours looking good at the animals. Would have been 5 stars but the only restroom was a port a potty although it was a very clean one. A great price for a family getaway.

Amy Pherigo

Neat experience in rural area. Zoo seems to be a bit run down from visit 2 years ago. Some of the animals looked bad in need of cleaning & grooming.

Tess Farinacci

Terrible service, no one answers the phone. Drove from another state just to find out they didn't have the animals they say they would.

bassmaster197227 The fisherman

Loved this place. My girlfriend has been wanting to pet a baby tiger for ever. Thank you for that opportunity.

Srinivas Sama

Definitely worth a visit if the cubs are available. Do check that by calling them.

Sara Dunbar

I went recently and was open to the experience. I thought this could be like the book/film "we bought a zoo" - it's not. I'm not sure if they mean well but they don't have the capacity or capability to care for the animals - overall the experience made me very sad. The place is dirty and the animal enclosures are very small and though they say they meet the requirements it's not what the animals deserve. I don't recommend going.

Andy Mitchell

We will be back.

Amy Pherigo

Neat experience in rural area. Zoo seems to be a bit run down from visit 2 years ago. Some of the animals looked bad in need of cleaning & grooming.

Melinda Mangrich

Absolutely fantastic. Better than the zoo and safari at the Dells!!!

Navi S

Great experience when you feed a cub on ur lap. We enjoyed very much. You can call to the number provided on their website if you have any questions. For quick answers chat with them using Facebook messenger. They are updating the open date in Facebook than on website. For adults charging $6 and $3 for kids. For cub encounter (feeding cub and taking picture) $25 charged for maximum of 6 people.

James smith

Love holding baby animals great place to go

Ashley Harper

Great experience and very friendly people!!!