LAMBERTVILLE — A wooded area on Consear Road has become home to camels, parrots, primates, and even a giraffe.
The Indian Creek Zoo has operated in its current form since May of 2014.
Owner Joe Garverick originally had just a few animals for his private collection, but has since acquired 60 species.
Currently, 300 animals can be found on the 36-acre property.
“I started out with a few, but then the schools wanted to come,” Mr. Garverick said. “Ever since then, we’ve been adding animals.”
The zoo obtained a U.S. Department of Agriculture license — the same license the Toledo Zoo and other public zoos must have — to allow public entry. Mr. Garverick drove all over the country looking at other private zoos, examining how they do business.
Indian Creek is open every day to the public. It hosts summer camps, birthday parties, and field trips. It also entertains several children with special needs such as autism.
Visitors will find anything from peacocks to porcupines to wallabies and timber wolves. They can also feed the goats, sheep, and alpacas, and even take a ride on the back of a camel.
“If you go into the zoo business, you have to do it right,” Mr. Garverick said. “The little kids love it, but you have to make sure the driver loves it too. It’s Mom and Dad or Grandpa and Grandma bringing the kids.
“If you don’t have a nice, clean zoo, and little Johnny wants to come back, they’re going to say, ‘Oh, they’re not open today.’”
Among the zoo’s 15 employees is full-time veterinarian Tim Reichard, formerly of the Toledo Zoo and San Diego Zoo.
Julie Sartor worked at Jeep for 33 years before working at Indian Creek.
“I went to go buy horse feed one day and about snapped my neck when I saw the sign for a zoo,” Ms. Sartor said. “The very next day, I grabbed my grandkids and we checked it out. I talked to the people up front and said, ‘I found where I want to be when I retire.’”
Ms. Sartor’s responsibilities include taking care of the giraffe, camels, and sheep.
One of her favorite tasks is caring for the timber wolves, which the zoo acquired last winter.
“I would literally sit on a bucket to get them comfortable and used to me,” Ms. Sartor said. “They have taken me in so well. They start pacing at the gate and climb it with their paws because they can’t wait to see me.”
The wolves have been trained to sit, lay down, roll over, and shake.
One resident, Mary Start, said her grandchildren in Atlanta “talk all year long about how they have to come back.”
Indian Creek Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children ages 2 to 17. Children 2 and under are admitted at no charge.
Contact Jay Skebba at: jskebba@theblade.com, 419-376-9414, or on Twitter @JaySkebbaBlade.
First Published August 15, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
