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Moonridge Animal Park
Rating Details »
43285 Goldmine Drive
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
(909) 584-1171
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
(909) 584-1171
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
8 reviews for Moonridge Animal Park
We went at feeding time, 3 p.m. it was something I highly encourage. The zookeepers are well versed in the animals habitat.
Watching the bald eagle eat the rat was out of this world. So unreal, I could not believe my eyes.
They have black bears and grizzly bears. We got to see the grizzly bear family (mama, son and daughter) bob for apples. The zookeeper threw the apples over the fence into their pool. They playfully pawed, then took swipes at each other. The guide said the son still respects his mother, "that he will always be a mama's boy".
Will the real Snow Leopard please stand up? The tail was so long and slinky. I wanted to wrap it around myself. Just joking, I'm vegetarian, though it did look cuddly.
This place is a must see attraction for people of all ages who love animals.
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I love this zoo. This isn't a place comparable to zoos you will find anywhere else. An earlier reviewer likened this place to refuge and that is a good assessment - animal rescue is a strong part of their history and is still ongoing. This is coming from a local perspective, as I lived in the Big Bear Valley area for over 12 years.
When I was a kid we would come here and have birthday parties. It was fun because the deer would lick our hands, while the mountain lion just ignored us. The zoo is small but has a variety of animals you'd expect to see in a zoo in the mountains, and many of the animals can be seen running around the valley (even the bald eagle, if you know where and when to look). The animals at the zoo are well taken care of and I feel the zoo's survival is a great example of the spirit of the Big Bear community - dedicated and caring.
This is a great place to stop if you want to see some cool animals and get a better sense of what Big Bear is about aside from the resorts. also, it is open year-round unlike many other Big Bear attractions.
The Moonridge Zoo is a sanctuary for native animals that cannot survive on their own in the wilds. They have exhibits featuring wolves, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, bears, birds of prey, including our majestic Bald Eagle, just to name a few. While we suggest visiting and supporting this attraction because of the good work they do (education and animal rehabilitation) and the fact that it provides a chance to see critters we wouldn't normally see otherwise, we do have a few beefs with them too. In their literature, the Moonridge Zoo states that they do a feeding tour daily, except Wednesdays, from May to August, when in actuality it only happens on Saturdays. On the other hand, from September to April, the brochure states that this tour is only on weekends, so the idea that May is vague does not apply here. We would also suggest that the employees get some public relations training, as they were not only unfriendly, they pretty much ignored we were even in their presence. You know - a friendly "hello", "how are you enjoying the exhibits?", "can we answer any questions?" - the gift shop attendant told us that the employees would do this and one attendant only spoke to us to say "have a nice day" on our way out. They are trying to raise about 12 million dollars so that can build a new facility and move the animals there on the other side of the lake. This unfriendly manner of theirs isn't going cut it for this goal. They should be happy to help visitors not ignore them, and a little self promotion goes a long way. We actually learned about their financial and other needs from the helpful ladies at the Discovery Center.
In some of pictures the animals through their chain link fence cages. In the one picture, Grizzly Bear, you can see a wire running across the picture near the bottom. That is the electrified fence wire. I personally find it terrible to cage the animals this way. A sign (which I guess hopes to make it alright) states that an Eagle will live 7-9 years in the wild and up to 17 in a cage. I can not believe that the majestic American Bald Eagle would ever choose to double its life by living in a 10' by 10' by 20' high chain link cage, never to soar the skies again.
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This was the best zoo experience I've had, because the majority of the animals at Moonridge have been injured and need 2 be cared for. A lot of the animals at the Park have been successfully released to the wild. The Eagles were really cool 2 see and the brown bears n' Mountain Lions,,, Way cooler than the San Diego Zoo Park.
Right up the street there is a dirt fire trail we 4x and it takes you up to the top of the mountain with huge rock formations and views of both sides of the mountain. Coming down the trail, the Big Bear lake view and forest were phenomenal. Great place to decompress!!
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I read about this zoo on yelp and decided it was going to be on the top of my list of things to do while in Big Bear. I spread the word to the group I was going up with and got them all hot and bothered about visiting this zoo too!
It just so happened that the cabin we were staying in was literally across the street from this zoo. Instead of having a pine trees or other houses facing our cabin ,we had Deer and Bison! I'm a heavy sleeper, so I didn't hear anything, but the other people in the cabin were complaining that they couldn't sleep because the animals kept howling all night long.
In the morning we hit the zoo! Admission was $9... but I didn't care because we walked over in 2 minutes (didn't have to drive and deal with parking, which looked like it would have been a bit of a pain) and this zoo really could use the revenue. All of the animals at this zoo have either been rescued and rehabed from injuries they had sustained, or they have been turned over by other people or other zoos.
There was a three legged bear which was found by a family when it was 6 months old. It was most probably hit by a car (which caused it's leg to be injured and infected and later amputated) The poor little bear should have weighed about 60 lbs by that age, but it only weighed 16 lbs. The bear is now healthy and happy! There's also a family of 3 other bears who were brought to the zoo from Washington state and saved from being put down up there!
I think instead of calling this place a "zoo" it should be called a refuge. So many of these animals have interesting stories about how they ended up here. I spent a few moments chatting with one of the docents and she was just the cutest senior citizen ever!
There were eagles, owls, foxes, snakes, etc etc... I posted some photos. Check them out and if you're ever in Big Bear GO HERE!!!
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I have and always will have a soft spot for animals. That said this was quite an enjoyable activity in Big Bear, inexpensive, educational and full of interesting wildlife. They have a three legged bear, owls of assorted types and a snow leopard(oh such a fluffy fluffy tail). Definitely worth an hour or two of your time.
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This place is really special. It's not an ordinary zoo; its primary function is a permanent home for animals that could not otherwise survive in the wild. There's some great animals here -- bears, buffaloes, a snow leopard, and bald eagles -- as well as pretty everyday animals like raccoons, skunks, foxes, deer, crows, etc. Many of the animals are injured or old. (The bald eagles, for example, have cataracts.) But like any animal with special needs, they seem more lovable for it.
The neatest thing about this zoo is the tours they give at feeding time. A zookeeper walks the group through the zoo while talking about the animals s/he is feeding and a bit about their diet. It was really interesting and enjoyable to watch the animals interact with their keepers. It's free with admission, and was the highlight for us.
The zoo is moving to a huge new location in the next couple years. It's going to be extra wonderful when they have space to do all the things they want to accomplish.
I can't believe no one has reviewed this place yet.
They have a 3 legged bear here, you gotta come and say hi to him.
The place also has a bunch of crazy old fart locals who frequent this place on a regularly basis like a town drunk would frequent a bar. But instead of drinking they walking around playing music on a acoustic guitar for the animals or seat on a bench and talk about how pretty the monkey is calling them by there pet name, its rather humorous to say the least.
check it out its a pretty cool zoo. I think at one time they actually had a squirrel in a cage here imagine the irony in that haha
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