Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo

About Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo

Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo, also known as the West Virginia Zoo, sits at 291 Wagner Lane in Kingwood, West Virginia, roughly 18 miles southeast of Morgantown. It is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The zoo's own site describes it as a local business dating to 1991, while its season count — its "34th consecutive season" as of 2026 — points to a 1993 opening.

Unlike a year-round facility, Hovatter's operates seasonally, opening in April and running through October, with weekend-only hours in November; exact opening and closing dates vary from year to year. The zoo describes itself as one of West Virginia's largest collections of exotic and native animals, set in a wooded property that gives the animals shade in the summer. A defining feature of a visit is direct contact: guests can feed over half the animals in the zoo, an experience the zoo markets as central to what it offers.

History

The zoo grew from a small starting collection of deer, black bears, cougars, and tigers into a much larger menagerie that today includes chimpanzees, grizzly bears, several types of tiger and leopard, and baboons. Its site states it has operated as a Kingwood business since 1991, though its own season-numbering places the zoo's first season in 1993.

In 2015, the zoo came under scrutiny after taking tiger cubs from their mother at birth and displaying them behind a gift shop counter for photo opportunities at two to three weeks old, before the cubs had been vaccinated. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service cited the zoo for exposing the cubs to the public before their immune systems had sufficiently developed, finding it noncompliant with the Animal Welfare Act.

Exhibits and habitats

Hovatter's does not organize its animals into named, themed exhibit areas the way many larger zoos do; its site instead describes a single wooded property where visitors move among enclosures for its various species. It highlights its chimpanzees and its pride of African lions in particular, noting that it is the only zoo in the tri-state area to keep chimpanzees on exhibit. A petting-zoo area sells animal feed for species such as giraffe and goat, and two on-site pavilions are available to rent for private gatherings.

Animal highlights

The zoo's own species list names African lions, Bengal tigers in both orange and white coloring, spotted and black leopards, bobcats, chimpanzees, olive baboons, grivet monkeys, and both black-and-white and Patas monkeys, along with ring-tailed lemurs. Hoofed and grazing species include reticulated giraffes, Watusi and Chapman's zebra, llamas, camels, Aoudad, greater kudu, sitatunga, nilgai, scimitar-horned oryx, wildebeest, eland, elk, fallow deer, and muntjac. Carnivores beyond the big cats include a spotted hyena, servals, wolves, coyotes, and both grizzly and Syrian brown bears.

Smaller and more unusual residents named on the site include fennec foxes, African crested porcupines, red kangaroos, wallabies, gibbons, a Eurasian eagle-owl, kookaburras, and Prevost's squirrels, plus domestic species such as miniature donkeys, pot-bellied pigs, turkeys, peacocks, and rabbits. Reptiles include American alligators and diamondback rattlesnakes. The zoo notes that some animals once on exhibit, including whitetail deer, wild boar, capybara, bison, a cougar, an Asian black bear, a spider monkey, and Asian elephants, are no longer part of its collection.

Planning your visit

As listed on the zoo's website, Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with the last customer admitted at 5:00 p.m., during its April-through-October season; rates and hours are subject to change. The zoo's website lists season pass prices of $70 plus tax for adults ages 13–64, $65 plus tax for military members and seniors 65 and up, and $60 plus tax for children ages 3–12, valid from date of purchase through October 31; a separate $1 discount off regular admission is available for military ID holders. A 3% surcharge applies to credit card payments, though debit and cash purchases are not surcharged. The zoo accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard, and most traveler's checks, but not personal checks, Discover, American Express, or foreign currency.

The Hungry Bear Cafe serves food on-site during zoo hours, and animal feed for the petting area is sold in the gift shop; outside animal feed is not permitted, for the animals' safety. Two pavilions are available to rent for $75 for a half day or $150 for a full day. Because rates, hours, and seasonal opening dates can change year to year, confirm current details on the zoo's official website before visiting.