Wildwood Zoo

About Wildwood Park & Zoo

Wildwood Park & Zoo, also called Wildwood Zoo, is in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Visit Marshfield places it on West 17th Street near South Adams Avenue, with parking areas on the north and south sides off West 17th Street and South Roddis Avenue. A State Trunk Tour page gives the address as 608 W. 17th Street. The City of Marshfield, which operates the zoo, says it now covers over 60 acres. The zoo is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Wisconsin Public Radio reported in November 2024 that the zoo houses approximately 60 animals, all North American, and that it is free to visit. According to that report, it operates primarily on donations, city support and creative budgeting, unlike larger zoos funded by private zoological societies. The city's zoo page says the zoo is free and open to the public, with donations accepted.

Zoo Director Kyle Kirk is quoted by WPR as saying that the welfare of the animals is always the zoo's top priority. WPR reports that the zoo's focus is educating visitors about North American wildlife.

History

According to the City of Marshfield, the zoo is believed to have been established unofficially sometime after 1904, when several utility workers began caring for two black bears. In 1910, before a zookeeper was hired, caring for the animals became the mayor's job. Wildwood Park got its name in 1923, and the zoo was officially dedicated on July 27, 1930. The city says the zoo once displayed animals from around the world, including zebras and gibbons, before the city decided to display only species native to North America.

Visit Marshfield describes two major additions in recent years: a Kodiak bear exhibit added in 2015, with 15-foot-wide glass viewing windows, pools and an acre of grounds, and an expanded cougar exhibit, completed in fall 2019, that it describes as 10 times larger than the previous one.

The zoo's Kodiak bears, Munsey and Boda, were born in February 2015, according to the city. The city says they were rescued after their mother, a sow with three cubs, was shot by a hunter in Alaska on May 4, 2015, and that the two cubs were cared for at the Alaska Zoo before coming to Marshfield. They were named by community vote after Mike Munsey, the hunting guide who found them, and Nate Svoboda, the Kodiak wildlife biologist who approved their adoption by Wildwood Zoo. They live in the JP Adler Family Kodiak Bear Exhibit. WPR reported in 2024 that skunks and porcupines had recently been added in a shared enclosure.

Exhibits and habitats

Visit Marshfield describes nearly 20 exhibits. The city's Meet Our Zoo Animals list names American bison, American elk, aoudads, bald eagle, black-tailed prairie dog, common chuckwalla, eastern tiger salamander, gray wolf, great horned owl, Kodiak bear, North American porcupine, ornate box turtle, peregrine falcon, red fox, red-tailed hawk, sandhill crane, screech owl, stick insects, striped skunk, western hognose snake and white-tailed deer. The city's history page also lists cougars and wild turkeys among the zoo's exhibits, and the Welcome Center includes a behind-the-scenes view of the cougar. WPR's November 2024 report also names lynx.

The large animal drive lets visitors view bison, elk, deer, wolves and turkeys from their cars, according to Visit Marshfield, with walking paths leading to other exhibits. As listed on the city's website, the Welcome Center, opened in fall 2019, includes an interactive water table and electricity model, newer exhibits of snakes, lizards, turtles and salamanders, a honeybee exhibit and ADA-accessible restrooms. The city also describes the Sensory Gardens, planted to engage the senses of sight, sound, smell and touch. The State Trunk Tour page notes that geese, ducks, swans, muskrats, rabbits and squirrels also make themselves at home on the grounds.

Visit Marshfield says a visit can last 15 minutes or up to half a day.

Conservation and programs

WPR says the zoo prioritizes educating visitors about North American wildlife, and describes challenges that include competition from wildlife documentaries and podcasts, harsh Wisconsin winters that affect species selection, tight budgets and ethical concerns about animal captivity.

The city lists free Ed-Zoo-Cation Talks every weekday from June through August. The schedule on the city's website includes a wildcat presentation on Mondays, a Kodiak bear presentation on Tuesdays, a mystery animal program on Wednesdays, a porcupine and skunk presentation on Thursdays and a raptors presentation on Fridays, with animal encounters featuring ambassadors such as turtles, chuckwallas and hognose snakes near the Welcome Center on some days. The city says visitors may see the bears get a snack or watch a training session with the foxes.

Wild Wednesdays are free summer programs of about 45 minutes, held at Wildwood Station at 1800 S. Roddis Avenue, according to the city. Presenters on the city's schedule include River Valley Raptors, the Wildlife in Need Center and the North Lakeland Discovery Center.

WPR notes that the zoo is a tourist draw alongside the Central Wisconsin State Fair and the Round Barn in the Marshfield area.

Planning your visit

Admission is free, according to the city, with donations accepted. As listed on the city's website, the zoo is open year-round from 7:30 a.m., closing at 6 p.m. in spring and fall, 7:30 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day and 2:30 p.m. from November through March. The large animal drive and Wildwood Park are listed as open from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. year-round. The city lists closures on New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Parking areas are on the north and south sides of the park, off West 17th Street and South Roddis Avenue, according to Visit Marshfield.