Where can I hug a medium-sized exotic furry creature in or around NYC?

March 2, 2015 8:13 AM

I'm a grown-ass man who would like to spend some time with second-tier charismatic megafauna -- e.g. koalas, red pandas, capybaras. Is there anywhere in New York where I can do this? If not New York, where in the US?
posted by modernserf to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (9 answers total)

The Bronx Zoo (in the Bronx) is I think one of the largest zoos in the world and according to this list, has rhinos, okapis, zebras, giraffes, Asian elephants, lions, A RED PANDA, and more, with its own Madagascarland, Bison range (which I think was initially started as a place to re-boot the American bison population), baboon reserve, and Congo Forest exhibit. I even remember there being a binturong when I was young, but perhaps no longer. Plus, I think they're free on Wednesdays.

Other (more disappointing zoos) include the Prospect Park Zoo (has a kinkajou, slow loris, and A RED PANDA) the Queens Zoo (lynx and a giant rabbit), the Central Park Zoo (red panda AGAIN), and the Staten Island Zoo, plus the Buffalo Zoo, in Buffalo, New York.

The Camden Aquarium in New Jersey has hippos and a cape porcupine.
posted by mrmanvir at 8:27 AM on March 2, 2015

If you can get yourself down to North Carolina there's the Duke Lemur Center.
posted by MsMolly at 8:32 AM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]

Do you mean, like, hugging them?
posted by missrachael at 8:47 AM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]

Never mind - your title line says you want to hug them. I was misled by the other answer.
posted by missrachael at 8:54 AM on March 2, 2015

Do you have money to spare? Most zoos and wildlife centers have special programs and events specifically for big donors, including one-on-one time with animals. A few years ago I was able to accompany a donor on a private visit to one of the best zoos in the country, where we hand-fed apples to a rhino (meaning, standing right up there next to him), fruits to the hippos (from more of a distance), and were able to go into several usually off-limits areas, talk with the keepers. etc. On another visit to a well-regarded medium-sized zoo, we went behind the scenes with the penguins and giraffes (yes, touching), elephants and gorillas (no touching). So, how much you got?
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:13 AM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

The one time I got to do something like this was at a fundraiser where Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom sent Jim Fowler and some big furry friends for guests to meet. I'd give that angle a try and see if they still do that kind of thing.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:46 AM on March 2, 2015

Response by poster: Do any of the NY Zoos have a program where you can actually interact with the critters? I wasn't able to find any information about that.

I'm willing to sink hundreds -- but not thousands -- of dollars into this; I have a comfortable income but not capybara sanctuary endowment money.
posted by modernserf at 9:55 AM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

This might be more like what you're looking for - a few years ago, my husband and I visited T.I.G.E.R.S. (The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I kid you not, we held baby tigers and hung out with a bunch of other animals. It was a little surreal but a great experience.

There are two ways to visit T.I.G.E.R.S. - visit at Barefoot Landing where you can see the animals and have your picture taken with them for a fee or take the tour. We took the tour and paid extra for the DVD with all of the pictures. It was totally worth it. You can read some of the reviews on TripAdvisor to get a better idea of what you're getting into. We were coming from D.C. and there isn't a lot to do in Myrtle Beach but it was a nice beach and a cheap getaway for us. We went in early September and hotels were really reasonable.

Part of me worries about the ethical implications of paying to get my picture taken with rare, cute animals but the thing at T.I.G.E.R.S. is that they're hoping that if they show more people the animals, they will be more inclined to donate to support endangered species and that is true for me.
posted by kat518 at 10:25 AM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]

Not quite the same as hugging, and not quite cute, but you can ride a camel for $6 (for about two minutes) at the Bronx Zoo. You can also watch penguins and sea lions being fed.

Do you like dolphins at all? If you are ever in the Florida Keys, you can swim with a dolphin for a few hundred dollars. They have two dolphins swim up to you, on either side, you grab their dorsal fins, and they drag you around in the water! It's pretty cool! Looks like they also have a program that lets you be on the research team for a day, which is megacool. You can also hug a sealion!
posted by tickingclock at 11:46 AM on March 2, 2015