Day Trip: Spend a day at the zoon

BELVIDERE – It’s a fine time to visit Summerfield Zoo as it teems with spring babies and moves into its summer hours.

Among the little ones are goats, wallabies, reindeer, and lemurs.

Summerfield had its work cut out for it after it suffered damage in a tornado last year on April 9.

“That fact that we were able to open at all last year, rebuild and continue on to open this season is a testament to what a wonderful community we have,” Rick Anderson, one of the zoo’s owners, said in a news release – and the zoo’s not done yet; it has expansion plans in its future.

“We have new habitats, habitat expansion and new species arrivals planned for this exciting season,” Anderson said.

The hyena habitat was completed in the fall and a new tamarin monkey habitat just this month.

“We are still working on raising funds to build new and expanded wolf habitats,” Danielle Anderson of the zoo, said. “Our zebra habitat will undergo an expansion this spring-summer. We have a few other plans for habitat and new species expansions that are still under wraps, but keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for updates. It’s going to be an exciting 2016 season for us.”

Although small in size, the zoo offers close-up views of its animals for the whole family. There, guests will find zebra, ring-tailed lemurs, mountain lions, alligators, kinkajous, and arctic wolves among the exhibits.

Pony rides, bottles for baby goats, a petting zoo, Prancer’s Gift Shop, Carmen’s Snack Shop and animal encounter presentations add to the experience.

The encounters begin at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturdays; noon and 2 p.m., Sundays; noon on Wednesdays and Thursdays; and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Fridays.

Summerfield also offers to bring the zoo to its customers, with educational talks at various locations. Among the critters ready to be introduced are parrots,
camels, hedgehogs, servals and bobcats. Also for hire are seasonal favorites – the reindeer.

For the younger set, ages 6 to 12, the zoo has safari day camps. Three weeks are available:

• Zooper Explorer runs June 6-10, dealing with how the zoo makes itself a home for the animals. The kids will be taught about care and feeding.

• World Traveler is June 20-24 and highlights animals and their continents.

• Zoo Crew is July 11-15 and covers how to be a zookeeper.

But guests don’t have to be kids to have a good time at Summerfield, people young and old can enjoy all the creatures big and small.