Shalom Wildlife Zoo

About Shalom Wildlife Zoo

Shalom Wildlife Zoo, which its website also calls Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary, is a wildlife park at 1901 Shalom Drive in West Bend, Wisconsin. The website describes it as locally and family-owned and says it provides peace and harmony for wild animals. The park is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The grounds are laid out as a route of roughly four miles, which the park's visitor page describes as gravel roads. Visitors can walk or rent a golf cart. The website says the habitats are designed to resemble environments such as savannah, rainforest and arctic, and that the park also has a petting zoo.

History

The website states that the park has operated since 1979. It describes the site as a four-mile zoo with big natural habitats.

Exhibits and habitats

The website names big cats and lemurs among the animals. The plan-a-visit page says visitors can buy approved animal feed at admission, where they receive a one-minute briefing as a Certified Attendant on which animals can be fed and how. Please Feed Me signs throughout the zoo mark the animals that can be fed. According to the page, horses and donkeys may be fed only carrots and apples, brown bears are fed by tossing apples, oranges and celery over the fence, and the other animals that may be fed eat grain. Visitors are told never to reach through a fence or cross a barrier. The FAQ page asks visitors not to bring their own animal feed so the animals receive proper nutrition, and lists a drop box at the entrance for food donations.

The park says its zookeepers hold degrees in biology or zoology.

Conservation and programs

The website lists group rates for parties of 20 or more with preregistration, a gift store, a donations page and a seasonal event called Christmas at the Zoo. The Christmas page describes a walk-through or drive-through of holiday displays and decorations in the wildlife area, followed by access to the petting zoo and a campfire. The page says the drive-through takes about an hour and that no reservations are needed. The event runs from late November through December 31 in the afternoon and evening and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with exact dates and hours posted on the zoo's website.

Planning your visit

As listed on the zoo's website, regular hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, with last entry an hour and a half before closing, and hours change with the seasons. The hours page lists the zoo as open Friday through Sunday from early January to mid-February. The plan-a-visit page says the zoo is open rain or shine and that there are no refunds or rain checks once visitors enter. Ticket details are on the website.

The plan-a-visit page says the average visit lasts three to four hours, with a minimum walking time of about an hour and a half, while the FAQ page describes a leisurely walk as two to three hours. Good hiking shoes, a hat and sun protection are recommended. Transportation options listed include walking, electric wheelchairs, large wheeled strollers and pull wagons, and golf cart rentals, which are offered seasonally from April into November on a first-come, first-served basis. Push wheelchairs and small-tire strollers are not recommended because of the distance on gravel roads. Each cart carries four adults, and a valid driver's license is required to drive one. In winter months, when a drive-through in visitors' own vehicles is offered, the page suggests planning about one and a half to two hours. More than 100 tables and benches line the route, and there are two playground areas.

Pets and service animals are listed as not allowed. Bicycles and privately owned ATVs, UTVs and golf carts are not permitted. Parking is free. ADA accessible restrooms are at the entrance, with portable toilets along the route. Food is available at Grizzly Grill near the entrance, which the plan-a-visit page lists as open weekends until Memorial Day and daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and at Little Tiger's snack area at the midpoint of the route. Carry-in food and drinks for visitors are allowed. The page lists a gift shop and says paid admission includes a small Cedar Crest ice cream from April 13 through November 1. The zoo's phone number is 262-440-3380.