By Hayley Fedor
If you are looking for a fun, stress free, safe activity to kick off your new year, look no further than Jenny’s Zoo. Located in Wimauma, Jenny’s Zoo offers a variety of ways for families to enjoy some time out of the house interacting with animals.
Jenny Walker, the owner of Jenny’s Zoo, and her family come from generations of animal trainers. Prior to the pandemic, the Walker family traveled on tour with their animals, entertaining people across the country. When COVID-19 hit they decided to head home and in July the dream of Jenny’s Zoo became a reality.
The mission of the zoo is to provide the best care possible for the animals and engage the community. “It’s great for my family and my animal family to give back to our community,” said Walker.
With that in mind, Walker wanted to make visiting the park easy and affordable for all. Parking and admission are free and activities within the zoo only cost a small fee to take part in.
From camels to zebras to rabbits, Jenny’s Zoo offers visitors the chance to mingle with the exotic. Yet the star of the show over at Jenny’s Zoo is a real unicorn. Yes, you read that right. The unicorn, as well as other animals at the zoo, are also available to snap pictures with.
There are plenty of activities on property to keep individuals of all ages busy.
“Just a family friendly, fun feel for everybody here,” as Walker described it.
Animal rides are available for the kids, games to incite a bit of friendly competition and concessions with fresh drinks and food, and even a dog show led by Walker herself on Saturday and Sunday between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
In light of the pandemic, Jenny’s Zoo has put sanitary measures in place to make sure every guest feels comfortable and safe. There are hand washing stations as well as sanitizer provided throughout the zoo and plenty of room for social distancing.
In 2021, the zoo is “only going to get bigger and better” and additions are on the way according to Walker.
The family opens the zoo which is on their home property every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at 12611 Andrews Rd. in Wimauma. For more information, visit on Facebook www.facebook.com/jennyspettingzoo/ or call 362-0336.
