The Destination:
The GuZoo Animal experience in Three Hills Alberta is a small zoo for a variety of animals. Included are animal rescues, baby animals, and much more. I typically stop in here while exploring Drumheller or Dinosaur Park in Alberta.
Map:
Three Hills Alberta is a bit of a distance from Edmonton Alberta (just short of three hours of driving), but if you’re passing through the area and love animals, you’ll want to stop in here.
The Zoo:
The zoo was founded with a mandate of public education about wild animals, and quickly grew from there. The owner of the zoo, understands the importance of learning about animals and the importance of touch when doing so. Learn more about GuZoo from the official website here.
Above, a baby cougar that I’ve named “Cougie” sits looking to gently teeth on my finder again.
You’ll find a few domestic animals on the property too…. this is pretty much what they do all day:
The Controversy:
After my first experience at GuZoo, I decided to look up more about them. It seems they’ve gone through some controversial periods during the time they have existed, and unfortunately, I’m guessing this is something that all small zoo owners go through at one point or another. It doesn’t take much for someone to think a cage is too small or that an animal is being starved without knowing the full back story.
Knowing the stories of the animals is part of the adventure here though, and I suggest you engage in conversation with the staff, and even the owner here. You’ll come to know that some animals are just recent rescues and may be in the process of recovery, others were orphaned, others possibly injured in the wild, and brought here for final recovery before going off to bigger zoo. Don’t be quick to judge, have a conversation and learn what’s going on.
Walking the Zoo:
GuZoo owners have a variety of feed stations setup, encouraging you to interact with the animals, and anything you get to hand feed is quite eager and friendly.
I didn’t take much for photos as I really don’t like cages and other man-made devices in my wild life photos, but there is a good selection of animals here where you can easily spend a couple of hours of your day. Perfect for a day trip or ‘#microadventure‘.
While here, ask about the red barn. It may not be open, but with a bit of luck it will be – and inside you may be treated to some baby animals. In my featured photo above, pictured is yours truly with a 4 month old cougar (Cougie) knawing on my chin. Don’t worry, he was quite gentle and not getting ready to take my down by the jugular. A few gentle chews and he’d then lick the spot all better. Cougars also have control of their claws and can keep them retracted when necessary – all the time this big cat was in my arms and jumping on my back, he didn’t deploy his claws once.
A very young curious (but still skittish) Arctic Fox checks out the camera:
A skunk nestles in my arms:
Summary:
If you enjoy animals, get out and visit GuZoo. The experience here is well worth the modest admission price. I’ve been a few times now and thoroughly enjoy it each time. Of course, it’s because of the big cats (baby big cats), but most people will find something of interest here and you get a more personal experience than a large city zoo.
Things to know about #guzoo
Owner illegally traffics wildlife and has been convicted.
Owner Denies inspectors access
Owner has a massive corpse pile which alberta agriculture struggles to ensure is properly kept.
Owner is a former fur farmer.
Owner was shut down 2012 and will be again soon.
Any links to proof of these allegations?
My visits to GuZoo didn’t have me alarmed to anything wrong. Yes, there was a couple of sick animals and the owner had indicated these were rescues from a private owner elsewhere in the country and they were going to be put down unless someone would take them and bring them back to health.