Claws ‘N’ Paws Animal Park

I can see kids loving this place because you are very close up to the animals. But really, this is the kind of place that gives zoos a bad name. If you have any concern for animal welfare do not go here. The enclosures are far too small for the animals. Many of the animals are displaying anxious behaviors. They look miserable, stressed, and depressed. Lots of pacing and head banging against their enclosures. Their pens are mostly muddy and damp and don’t be surprised to see rats run through the place. I am sorry I supported this place with my $$.

I was in the area camping a few weeks ago and found this place close to our site. It got good reviews so we decided to check it out with our daughter who loves animals. The admission fee about 19 per person was a bit high for what we got but hey we’re from NYC and are used to high prices. Yes you are close to the animals as they advertise but are the animals living spaces are small. Huge, tiger in a space no bigger than my NYC living room. The bear was pacing back and forth in the same spot for the whole 15 minutes we stood there watching him (a sign of stress in animals). He must have been pacing there for a long time because we got there as there was an indented path where he was walking. All the exhibits although close together (making walking thru this place easy with young kids) were very small and didn’t give the animals what seemed like ample space to run and exercise. I saw no toys or means of the animal to entertain themselves with. The camel had missing hair on the neck in the spot where he kept pushing its neck into on the gate. Now I’m no expert but that doesn’t seem like normal behavior. I went here thinking its a small mom and pop type place I’m sure they treat their animals with more care and attention that a bigger zoo would but I was sadly wrong. I’m all for supporting local places but this won’t be a place I’ll be back to. Claws n’ paws please give your animals bigger spaces and make their lives in captivity more pleasant.

This place was honestly the best place I’ve been to, regarding zoos.
They take wonderful care of the animals and the animals are given enough space to be comfortable.
It’s nice when you find out that the animals were rescued/​saved from neglectful places.
The walk path is not paved so you have to be careful but it’s wonderful.
Every animal you can tell are cared for a lot, it was a wonderful experience.
I don’t normally like zoos but after researching the place and going there, they did the best they can.
Everything seems to be clean and in order.

There are large variety of animals here however due to their ads I thought there would be more opportunity for interaction with animals you don’t typically get to pet such as a baby cub, snakes, or some others in the animal kingdom. There is a pet feeding area in which you can go in and feed the goats and the deer that’s pretty cool and that’s standard at any petting zoo I believe. There is a show at 11 AM and 2 PM which is just a lady who holds a chinchilla parakeet salamander and a hedgehog at the end of that you can stay in touch the nasty salamander thing. her show is about 20 minutes long. There’s also a bird area that you can feed the birds it seems like everybody was having a good time in there but we did not go in The trails are bumpy so be sure to wear sneakers.

Someone please close this place down and save the animals!!! i feel sooo bad for this animals please do not go do not support hope some animal rights agency visits and closes them down

I am against zoos and places like them bit I must admit that I liked this place and have been here three times with the kids. I recommend going to Claws N Paws if you are in the area.

My husband and I are from right outside Philadelphia so we have frequented the Philadelphia zoo. We think hands-​down this is a better zoo. You get to get up close and personal with all the animals and everyone that works there is so friendly it was just a fun experience from start to finish best zoo ever!!!

Greatest small zoo I have been to. The animals were very lively and active. It was the first time I have heard Gibbons make such loud noises. Lions were roaring and closes I have see them in person. Was a little sad to hear the Giraffe had passed. Very interesting place and I will be returning again.

Best privately owned zoo we have ever been to! Loved seeing all the different animals up close and also seeing some animals we hadn’t seen that close before. Our favorites were the Lions and the Black Bears! Oh and the Black Leopard! We got to watch the care taker give the leopard a small black small pool filled with water — he had never seen anything like this so it was very cool watching this large cat react to see it and playing with it! He splashed his big paws in the water but ended up tipping it over and then dragging it around in his mouth. I made a few movies of it too :)
They had a large petting area for goats and a few other animals where you could feed them. A large barn that had a cow, donkey, horses and chickens. We love animals so we stayed alot longer than we planned. When we arrived we asked how long to get through the whole park and the girl at the desk said no longer than 1.5 hours. We were there 3 hours and only left then because we needed lunch!

I am always torn when I go to zoos on how I feel about them. When u go to a big budget park like Disney’s Animal Kingdom its easy to forget the animals are in cages. In Claws and Paws however, it is impossible to miss that unfortunately these animals are prisioners.
That being said, for a small zoo, off the beaten path (really off, getting there can be an adventure in of itself) they do a good job. They have animal shpws twice daily where the zoo keepers will brimg out 5 animals and talk about them (king snake, porcupine, small aligator, large macaw, chinchilla were the ones we saw) This is where u really see the passion they have for their animals. They can’t do much about the size of the enclosures but they are clean and the animals are clearly well fed snd healthy. As to whether or not they are happy… well the way I had to look at it was this way. Most of the smaller animals were given to them by pet owners who no longer wanted them. The eagle and owl could no longer fly and thus would die in the wild. The large animals like the big cats (puma, black leopard, lion, tiger) and aligator (the giraffe has died) are all overflows from other zoos that were born in captivity and if they weren’t here then where would all these animals be?
The lori feeding is a true experience that is not to be missed and the petting zoo is some goats and deer that kids enjoy. If you have 5 hours or so to kill, its cool even on hot days as its under the canopy of fairly thick woods and its good to see these animals even if the situation has to be kess than ideal.

I am an avid animal lover and I typically go to any zoo where ever im vacationing. We had a blast at this one! The animals looked really well cared for and happy. The only thing I would have changed is that I would have worn sneakers as opposed to sandals as the paths that you walk on are all dirt and rocks. It took us about 2 hours to get through the whole thing at a relaxed pace. The staff was very nice and always smiling and the way that they interact with the animals is just amazing! We even saw a staff member petting the white tigers through the fence and you could see the love they had for her! Very nice place to go!

I love the zoo, but it is extremely out dated. I feel bad for the animals because the cages are not well kept. Most of the animals are a little older also, meaning I am in my 30 ’ s and the animals from when I was a child are still there. They should really update some of their exhibits being that you pay almost as much as you would going to the Philadelphia zoo. My son enjoyed himself so that was a positive of the trip!

Great family fun. Kids and adults. Interesting and lively animals. Our favorite were the monkeys. Actually all of them looked healthy and well cared for. We were able to feed parrots (loreys). All the exibits where scatered along well shaded trails in the woods. Really beautiful setting. Need to support local places like this to keep them around. Nice little gift shop too with animal photos on wood… Again worth the price and trip here.

This review HAS to be put in perspective.
The zoo has a lot of high points for my family, but will probable have quite a few low points for families with stroller bound children and people confined to wheelchair.
If you’re capable of walking, this zoo is great. The whole thing is in a forest with some paved trails and some wild ones, so strollers and wheelchairs are out.
Inexpensive.
Well stocked gift shop.
Best and cleanest bathroom facilities I’ve ever seen in ANY zoo!
Cages and enclosures are well set up to give visitors a good view, while providing the animal sufficient «flight distance».
My kids are aged 6, 12 and 15, and all three enjoyed themselves a great deal.
We were there on a Sunday in July and there was plenty of parking.

This was actually a lot better than we expected based on the reviews. It’s a bit off the beaten path but worth the drive. They have a lot of animals and quite a variety of types. The Giraffe feeding is pretty awesome because there aren’t many times when you can get that close to a giraffe.
The way the exhibit is setup is nice because it’s a nice easy hike through the woods with pens setup. It has a very natural feel to it. You can pretty easily spend a couple of hours here.
I really have no complaints. My only constructive criticism is that it’s slightly expensive so if there was a way to get that price down a bit I think it would be perfect. Keep up the good work.

My kids are 1 and 3 so they had no notion that these animals were in captivity but I couldn’t shake the fact because I don’t think the habitats are near large enough for the animals they house. The giraffe in particular had one small house and a few paces to walk and that was it! It seems to me that this place complies with the minimal code needed for each animal and sacrifices quantity for quality. There is an impressive quantity of animals, meaning variety from all over the world. But their quality of living… well I don’t know enough about it but it does not seem to me to be a happy life for several of them.
The staff is friendly and I saw several employees feeding the animals but not necessarily caring for them in any kind of personal way. The «petting zoo» is not really a petting zoo. You can only feed the animals through a cage.
Also, beware if you don’t have an all-​terrain stroller. I saw a lot of families with travel systems and umbrella strollers struggling with the muddy and rocky path. It is ALL like that. Nothing paved.
I think I would rather take my kids to a zoo that focuses on quality of life for the animals and education but for the 2 hours we were there before nap time, the children enjoyed it very much.

My boyfriend and I pleasantly fell upon this zoo when driving up to the Pocono’s for a few days. I absolutely loved this zoo! There were so many different animals and I thought it was unique that the zoo was present in the woods. The woods0 give the zoo a more natural feeling, plus the trees help shade from the hot sun (both good for the animals and people)! I really enjoyed the giraffe, he was so friendly! Yeah the pathways are not paved, but it’s a zoo in the woods… Why put more unnatural concrete in a wooded area anyway? It would take away the feel of the atmosphere. So just get over it and push your screaming child in the stroller a little harder to get over some of the tree roots and rocks. Not everything is going to be made easy for you just because you decided to bring a stroller to a zoo.
Anyway, I had an awesome time here. There’s also a little snack hut present which had very reasonable prices. Very reasonable, especially for families that don’t want to spend a ton on food. I might make another take trip out here again just to go back!

A surprising amount of exotic animals to find in middle-​of-​nowhere, PA. My 2-​year-​old really enjoyed it. I was troubled by how small and un-​customized the enclosures were. Definitely not up to modern zoo standards. Some of the animals seemed unhappy or aggressive, notably the tiger. There were also zero employees in the grounds beyond the people that sold tickets and supervised the turtle area, so when we needed to report some jerks harassing the tiger we ended up calling the main phone number (and were greeted with indifference). In short, there’s a lot of animals and kids will love it, but I feel kind of dirty for having given them my money when they seem to care so little for the animals.

Went there last year… never again. This is the poorest excuse for a zoo I’ve ever seen. At least half the animals suffer from sever zoo-​chosis. The paths are very unsafe and non passable with a stroller or wheelchair. We will not be back.

I was pleasantly surprised by Claws n Paws. It had more animals than I was expecting, and almost all were in full view — as opposed to hiding in their dens. We missed the lorry feeding but were able to feed the giraffe which was neat — my 3 year old daughter thought it was amazing and talked about it for the rest of the day. The gift shop was cute and not over priced. We only got a small snack at the (I believe) only snack shop, and it was fine. Nothing exciting but not bad.
My only complaint is the walk ways — the whole zoo is set up in a forest like setting, so the walkways aren’t paved, and it had rained the day before, so everything was still pretty muddy. I get it, rain + dirt = mud, but I do wish the walkways were paved or at least gravel. Another thing that surprised me was that there was no one manning the exhibit where you feed the goats — what would happen if someone immature or just careless left the gate open?
Overall, I’d go back again, and either check the weather for the days before, or wear shoes I didn’t care about.