Explore: GarLyn Zoo in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 4, 2023)
Naubinway, MI- Just 40 minutes west of St. Ignace is a family-owned zoo with animals to delight, amaze, and educate guests. Surrounded by a majestic pine forest just off the northern shore of Lake Michigan, the cozy GarLyn Zoo fills about 12 acres of a 30 acre property and is home to native Michigan animals, as well as exotic animals from around the world.
The big cats on the block include two Siberian Tigers and a pair of African Lions. The grizzly was also an impressive sight, especially as visitors sent apple slices down chutes for the creature to snack on through the day. Families also enjoyed checking out camels, reindeer, hyena, snow monkeys, sloths, wolves, river otters, and even a gigantic cougar using timber as a scratching post.
A petting farm area gave human kids a chance to feed and pet goat kids, while free-range peacocks, ducks, and chickens were an amazing site to young visitors. There are a number of reptiles and amphibians, plus famously beautiful birds like the brightly colored toucan, the golden pheasant, and the metallic-sheened Himalayan monal.
The zoo was started in 1994 by Gary and Linda Moore. “We have the zoo because we have had animals all our lives and love the animals and enjoy sharing them with others. It is our hopes that by having an opportunity to view and enjoy the animals close up, both on-line and in person, that you will come away with a greater feeling for the need to protect and preserve our wild places,” wrote Gary on the attraction’s website.
The site explains that most visitors spend an hour to an hour and a half visiting the zoo.
The GarLyn Zoo is located at W9104 US2 Naubinway, MI 49762. Lean more at https://www.garlynzoo.com
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