Catoctin Wildlife Preserve & Zoo, Thurmont

Family had a great time. Kids thought it was a blast. Staff was friendly. One more weekend I think. Check it out if you can. Well worth the reasonable charge.

Wikipedia: The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia, and is classified as Critically Endangered since 1996 by IUCN. Only 14–20 adults and 5–6 cubs were counted in a census in 2007 which leaves with a total of between 19 to 26 amur leopards left. Catoctin Wildlife PRESERVE and Zoo somehow got one of these very rare and endangered leopards this past year. It is such a shame it will spend this winter, calling for a very hard winter, in a "dog house" sized box. Go see for yourself. And when asked, we were told, "The exhibit meets minimum standards set by USDA." It is a shame that a road side business that has "Preserve" in it's name only cares to meet "minimum standards" for such a majestic animal.

I just visited the zoo and was asking what had happened to or where did the male mountain lion go? The one that walked funny, like it had sore feet. Was given many odd looks and different answers? Then I heard that the wolves dug through the fence, pulled his leg through, chewed it off and that there were pictures somewhere?? I am guessing he died or was put down?

I personally thought that the offering they had for a rural area was great. Most cannot afford the travel to go to a large zoo- so with that in mind, (it's a good deal.) If you apply for membership, continued visits are free- (3) visits MAX. If more had memberships maybe cost could go down for periodic visitors, Catoctin is not supported by Goverment dollars- This is a family whom wanted to bring the experiance closer to home. My family thouroughly enjoyed the day there. And by the way the facilities are maintained. Look at pictures

It cost $45 for me,my wife and 3 year old to get into the zoo. We saw everything in under 2 hours then went to eat at the over priced Cafe to find out that the menu is only for looks because they don't offer anything on the menu other than hotdogs. My daughter wanted to see the zebras but, you have to pay an extra $10 or so for that and they wern't offering the safari ride, so we couldn't see the larger animals at all. It is not nearly worth the money and I will never go back. I will continue to go to the National Zoo in Washington DC where it is FREE to get in and much more offered(including food)

I'm planning a day trip to see the Preserve and in reading these reviews, I am very confused. Are the animals taken care of and is the park a good place for kids to see the animals, or are the animals mis-treated through neglect and lack of cleniness and will my children be upset seeing the animals in small confined and filthy cages? I'm an animal lover as are my children, and visiting a zoo is always problematic, since we prefer to view animals in the wild. But, that is not always possible, so can someone let me know what the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve & Zoo is really doing with it's animals? It also seems to be expensive, unless the money is used to really care for the animals - then I wouldn't mind paying. Thanks.

This is a great Zoo. I read many reviews from sites and some were disapointing and I was aprehensive of going. I am so glad that we did. The conditions are good. There were staff mainting the grounds while we were there. It is evident the place is kept up. Many bridge walkways, several water sources for the animals and the pond/lake is very nice. They have alot too see, make sure you follow the map or you will miss something. The animals are treating well. If you know anything about animals, you can tell when something is wrong. These animals were very content. The geese walk right beside you. There is no odor in any of the cages throughout. The alligator setting and walkway is nice. We did not get to do the Safari ride because our son is too young, However people were really having fun doing that. Many picnic areas throughout the park. A petting zoo area. A Food stand that you can buy drinks and snacks. Throughout the park are hand santitizing stations. The restrooms are good. Alot to see and do here. We were very pleased. Oh, by the way....it is very accomodating for a stroller.

We took the family on a visit to this "Wildlife Preserve" on Father's Day. We found the conditions appalling. The enclosed areas are much too small and unkempt. There was very little water for the animals and what water they had was filthy. Some animals (who naturally run in packs) were alone. There were wolves who just continually ran back in forth frantically in a very confined area. We saw animal keepers who were just sitting around talking with each other but not tending to any of the needs of the animals. My children (who love animals) were very upset and wanted to leave. As supportors of the Humane Society of the United States and the ASPCA, we are extremely disheartened by what we saw at the facility.

We went to the Catoctin Zoo in June 2009. We had a pleasant day. The price was about 16.00 a person, but we thought that was reasonable. Our younger children were free. The entire park was shaded, there were plenty of picnic tables and you could take your own food. There was a large variety of animals, from deer to birds to jaguars. It took us about 3 hours to walk through the zoo leisurely and we watched a free show where our children could pet the animals (lizards, alligators, snakes, etc.). Overall, it was a very nice famkily day.

To begin with, admission was very expensive. The pathways were run down, and eroded away. The stench was stomach turning. Most of the animals that were there could be easily seen at the nearby park (in their natural habitat) or on one of the local farms. I mean turtles, deer, goats? Come on! Other animals were not in their exhibits. All of the animals looked depressed, though I can't blame them. I would be pretty depressed too, confined in a tiny cage, lying in my own filth! And of course you can pet them. All those poor animals are probably counting the days until they can escape by death. I simply can't get over how depressing the whole experience was. Even the children were saddened by the whole experience.