It’s a ZOO Out There

Zollman Zoo Entrance (Tom Nelson/ southernminn.com)

Zollman Zoo Mountain Lion (Tom Nelson/southernminn.com) Zollman Zoo Otter

By TOM NELSON Guest Contributor

Residents of Southern Minnesota wanting to take a walk on the wild side can do just that by exploring any one of a number of zoos located around the region.

From facilities featuring local wildlife and farm animals, to specialty zoos focusing on reptiles to zoos featuring world class display habitats with animals from around the world, the area zoos have something for everyone. The following is a list of some of the zoos available in the southern Minnesota area along with top locations near the Twin Cities.

Reptile and Amphibian Discovery (RAD) Zoo

Located in the the southeast corner of the Ultra Outlet Mall in Medford, Minn., the Reptile and Amphibian Discovery (RAD) Zoo lists itself as “Minnesota’s premier reptile destination.”

“We exhibit over 150 different kinds of snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs, toads, alligators and crocodiles as well as some beautiful birds and fish,” RAD Zoo Director Jamie Pastika said. “Every guest that visits our zoo will have an opportunity to pet a tortoise and probably a snake or alligator. We try to make it very interactive.”

The roster of animals at the zoo includes reptiles and amphibians from all over the world and one of the RAD Zoo’s newest additions is an eight-year old Aldabra Tortoise, which currently weighs in around 60 pounds and could weigh over 300 pounds when fully grown.

Pastika said the RAD Zoo is also adding more dinosaur statues along with exhibits of dinosaur bones and teeth to the displays at the location in Medford.

The RAD Zoo’s world-wide roster includes animals from every continent that has reptiles and amphibians - including 20 Australian species, 30 species from Asia, 10 from Europe and 40 from South American. Of course, North American animals are well represented at the RAD Zoo along with around 30 species native to Minnesota and the upper Midwest.

“A lot of the time we have feedings going on,” Pastika said about some of the zoo’s highlights. “Our tortoises get their salads on certain days of the week and on Saturdays and Sundays we spread out our snake feedings over the course of the day so you usually get to see one or two of our snakes eat while you are there… and we do have a show on Saturday afternoon in our amphitheater.”

The RAD Zoo has been at its current location for almost three years and prior to that was located just across from the airport in nearby Owatonna for 10 years. Pastika and his wife Melissa opened the zoo after working at other zoos in the south. They met while working at the zoo in Jacksonville, Fla.

“It is a family business with my wife and I,” said Pastika, a native of Virginia, Minn. “We used to take care of animals down at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and a couple other zoos, and then we moved back to Minnesota and started our own thing…and now we exhibit more reptiles than almost any zoo in the world.”

A lifelong interest in nature and wildlife has been a motivating force in Pastika’s desire to create a reptile and amphibian zoo here in

RAD Zoo Snakes Minnesota Zoo Aquatic Display

southern Minnesota.

“Since I was five years old, I was out catching garter snakes, leopard frogs and painted turtles. It has always been my love and we just want to share our enjoyment of the reptiles with the families…so the kids grow up not being afraid of snakes and other animals and have a respect for them,” Pastika said.

Another mission of the zoo is to help protect the animals and make sure people don’t make poor choices when it comes to purchasing reptiles and amphibians as household pets.

“Over half the animals at our zoo are rescues and they were pets of people who could no longer care for. We try to encourage the children to make wise pet choices,” Pastika said. “We have nine alligators at our zoo and eight of them were former pets that we rescued. We try to encourage children (and their parents) not to buy alligators and giant pythons. We want to create a love of reptiles for kids.”

To help drive that interest in reptiles and amphibians, the RAD Zoo is also very active in taking their show on the road to provide educational opportunities throughout the upper Midwest.

“We do several 100 shows for schools, libraries, birthday parties, Scouts, vacation bible schools, county fairs…just about any type of event where people are looking to have animals,” Pastika said. “We travel fairly widely and go all over Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and South Dakota with our shows.”

A great resource for information about reptiles and amphibians located right here in Southern Minnesota, the RAD Zoo is sometimes a popular destination for area residents looking for more details on just what type of critter is living in their garden.

“One of the things that keeps us busy at the zoo, is when people visit they have a pictures of the snake they found in their yard or garage and we identify a lot of animals for people,” Pastika said.

For more information on hours and events at the RAD Zoo, visit theradzoo.com. 6750 W. Frontage Rd. Medford Phone: 507-455-1465

Minnesota Zoo Cowfish

Sibley Farm in Sibley Park

Located at the junction of the Minnesota River and Blue Earth River, Sibley Park in Mankato, Minn. is home to Sibley Farm. A series of sidewalks takes visitors through the Sibley Farm, which houses a collection of farm animals for people to view and feed.

According to Joe Grabianowski, Mankato Public Works Operatons Superintendent, Sibley Farm is typically open seasonally from mid-April to mid-October on a daily basis and admission is free.

“We have farm animals - calves, sheep, donkeys, alpacas, goats, pheasants, ducks, turkeys and a pond with koi fish,” Grabianowski said of the types of animals visitors can expect to see at the Sibley Farm. Of note, the animals are typically rented for the facility each year from area farmers.

Another popular feature of Sibley Farm are the machines where people can purchase food to feed the farm animals on site during their visit. In the area by the Sibley Farm animal exhibits, a fun zone features farm-themed playground equipment - including a real farm

tractor. A rental barn at Sibley Farm is also available for groups and individuals to rent for events and activities in the complex. Sibley Farm is part of the much larger Sibley Park, which is part of the city of Minnesota Zoo Bear. (Nat LeDonne) Mankato’s parks system. In addition to the farm, Sibley Park features softball fields, pavilions and shelters and a grand lawn area. Sibley Farm is closed during the winter months but the area around the zoo and the grand lawn area is used during December for the Kiwanis Holiday Lights, which is a popular drive-thru holiday lights display that runs from Nov. 25 to Dec. 31 this year. For more information about the zoo and when it will re-open for the season in 2023, please visit: www.mankatomn.gov/aboutmankato/parks-trails-and-recreation/sibley-farm For more information on the upcoming Kiwanis Holiday Lights at Sibley Park, visit kiwanisholidaylights.com 1080 Mound Ave. Mankato Phone: 507-387-8600

Dr. Paul Zollman Zoo at Oxbow Park

One of the zoos that provide residents of southern Minnesota with a chance to learn more about many of the animals that call Minnesota home is the Dr. Paul E. Zollman Zoo at Oxbow Park in Byron, Minn.

The Zollman Zoo and nature center is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free but donations are encouraged to help with operating costs. Of note, the zoo is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

“We have about 75 animals and 35 different species and they are all Minnesota native animals, so all animals that you can find right here in Minnesota,” Zollman Zoo naturalist Jaide Ryks said.

The zoo opened in 1969 and it was started by a game warden who would bring in hurt animals. They would care for them there and also have them on exhibit for visitors to see. Over the years, the facility has turned into a zoo but still has a connection to some of its roots as a rehab facility for wildlife.

“We don’t do any rehabbing here but we do take in a lot of animals that have been rehabbed and can’t go back into the wild,” Ryks said. “For example, all of our raptors have come from rehabs and some of the other animals are rehabbed and we also work with other zoos to get animals.”

The different species represented at the Zollman zoo include mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and fish. The types range from small fish and reptiles up to bison.

“The guests usually say the otters are their favorites. They’ve got a big tank with a glass front for the kids to see them and then there is a water slide going down to a big pond and a bunch of land area as well. So it is a pretty big exhibit and we have two otters - a male and a female,” Ryks said.

The 23-acre facility is named in honor of Dr. Paul E. Zollman, who was the zoo’s veterinarian for many years before he passed away in 2008. The zoo includes a nature center along with large pasture areas for Zollman’s population of deer, elk and bison.

“Our mission is lifelong lessons and natural places,” Ryks said.

To help meet this mission statement, the Zollman Zoo is a popular destination for school field trips and other groups - all wanting to learn more about wildlife and nature in the state.

“We have tons of school groups out almost every day. We teach to groups most days out of the year - some type of school group, day care or home school group...even senior citizens and then we do free public programs every weekend.”

One of the upcoming features for the zoo will help enhance educational opportunities for visitors along with making a visit to the Zollman Zoo more memorable. “We are building a new nature center that will be three times larger than our current one and hopefully that will be completed by early 2023,” Ryks said. “Our nature center now has a couple owls, snakes, turtles, fish and frogs - all of their new exhibits are going to be above and beyond with really cool habitats for them.” She added, “There will be more classroom space and a play area for kids. We are kind of a zoo and nature center, so we have both of that going on for our visitors.”

The zoo has six-full time employees (three naturalists, a manager, park tech and foreman) along with a full contingent of volunteers, seasonal employees and interns. Zollman Zoo has been a popular destination for over 50 years and is an attraction for the area and beyond. “We have a large mix of visitors. Mayo Clinic brings in people from all over and those people often come out to visit as something to do,” Ryks said. “The majority of visitors are from southeast Minnesota but we get visitors from all over the world sometimes.” For more information on the Zollman Zoo, please call 507-328-7340 or visit olmstedcounty. gov/residents/parksrecreation/parks/oxbowpark-zollman-zoo 5731 County Rd. 105 NW Byron Phone: 507-328-7340 Como Park Zoo Monkeys

RAD Zoo Tortise

Como Park

Zoo and Conservatory

One of the oldest zoos in the state, the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory had its beginnings in 1897, when the city of St. Paul fenced in a pasture at Como Park to hold three deer that were donated to the city.

The zoo quickly grew to include elk, foxes, “Cebu” cattle and bison and one of the first cages at the Como Zoo was built to house a black bear in 1926. In the 1930s, the first major construction project at the zoo was funded through the Work Progress Administration (WPA) and it helped build the bear grotto, Monkey Island, a barn and the main zoo building.

Como Zoo has since grown into a facility with many world-class habitats including the Polar Bear Odyssey, Gorilla Forest and popular Como Harbor. The zoo features a wide variety of species, including favorites such as lions, tigers, polar bears, seals, gorillas, orangutans, puffins, giraffes, zebras and flamingoes.

Como Park also includes many gardens, including the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory that has two acres under glass with areas dedicated to a variety of plant life.

Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is open everyday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. everyday during October to March. Admission is free but

Sibley Farm Alpacas

donations are encouraged to help with operating costs. At present, visitors are required to make reservations to visit the zoo and conservatory and you can do that online by visiting comozooconservatory.org 1225 Estabrook Dr. St. Paul Phone: 651-487-8200

Minnesota Zoo

In the southern Twin Cities metro area, the Minnesota Zoo is home to more than 4,500 animals and 500 species. The zoo features award-winning exhibits, which include miles of outdoor and indoor trails at the facility that is located at 13000 Zoo Boulevard in Apple Valley, Minn.

The Minnesota Zoo is open year-round and is a resource to connect people, animals and the natural world to help save wildlife. The Minnesota Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and an institutional member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The zoo is open daily, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day and December 25. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and tickets must be purchased online at mnzoo.org 13000 Zoo Blvd. Apple Valley Phone: 952-431-9200 

Sibley Farm Koi Ponds

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