Had a wonderful experience at Kisma Preserve. Professional staff and beautiful animals. I learned a lot about the wolves and so glad I visited. read more

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The team managing this operation exhibits exceptional dedication and care. They address all queries thoroughly and dedicate sufficient time to each individual. read more

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You can "camp" here. Don't do it. I wish I had read the negative comments before booking this site. I booked a site, for 1 night, we had two cars (one with a car top tent, the other with our kayaks). We just needed a place to pop up our tent then make breakfast in the morning before packing up to leave. You have to call the day before to arrange meeting someone at the gate, which is a 12 foot high zombie proof chain link fence that encompasses the property. Inside is a parking lot, were showed the rutted muddy spot to tent. The only porta potty for the camp is well used and filthy. There's a hose for water and you can use the sink attached to the back of the house to wash up. We were shown where to park the second car. In the morning we brought the second car over to the site to load up a few things. Heather came out of the house screaming, that we knew better, that I would cause her to loose her camping license for having two cars on that site. We apologized and my friend quickly moved her car back to the parking spot. Heather, in a rage ran up and blocked her from coming back to the site. She then stood in our site, in what seemed like a meth induced rant, not letting us pack and called the police to have us escorted off the property. The State Troopers were lovely and kept Heather away from us as we finished packing, Heather videoed us leaving and posted it on her facebook. If you want an awful ghetto experience, stay here. Look at the yelp reviews. This is not the first time. Seek help Heather. read more

We had an amazing time, they answered all of our questions and more. Of course the wolves are beautiful and clearly taken care of very well read more

Kisma Preserve - Zoos Near Me - Trenton, Maine

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I really don't have much to say other than we went there when it was actually called a zoo, and the people there were not very friendly. We decided on the first visit that it was our last. read more

We really enjoyed coming here Thursday. A little pricey but the tour guide was very nice to my husband and I. read more

Kisma Preserve - Husband and I and Gandolf the wolf - Zoos Near Me - Trenton, Maine

What an amazing experience! Traveled over 2 hours for this and was not disappointed! The guide really took her time and told us great stories about each animal. There are not a ton of animals there, but we were allowed to spend as much time as we wanted with each one. We got to feed a black bear some doughnuts, which she was very pleased about! We met a young wolf who posed for some great pictures with us! The guide even let me hold the lead. They also had a 3 month old wolf pup that we got to go in and socialize with, which was great fun! Absolutely would recommend! read more

Kisma Preserve - Zoos Near Me - Trenton, Maine

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I was very excited for this experience. I had read some great reviews. Instead of hiking or kayaking, I decided to visit the preserve instead. I will start by saying that the animals are kept in great conditions. They all seemed very happy and healthy. They were not very active as it was nearly 90 degrees out but just seeing them was a treat. I greatly enjoyed seeing the wolves and meeting Fluffy. The $35 Basic Tour was well worth it. The only thing that ruined this experience for me was the tour guide. I don't know if it was the heat or the fact that only 1 person signed up for a tour, but she didn't seem too happy. I felt as though I was a nuisance and an inconvenience to her. I consider myself an animal lover, not an expert, so of course my questions or comments may come off as silly. But one is supposed to ask questions on a tour so......maybe B.J, my tour guide, works better in a group setting. Overall, I would recommend a visit to Kisma Preserve but definitely go in a group. read more

Love this place. You learn about the animals they have their. It's not a Zoo. It's a rescue. They take animals that would have otherwise not survived in the wild. We got to meet Fluffy today, a young wolf and had an amazing time. Would come back again. read more

Kisma Preserve - Zoos Near Me - Trenton, Maine

As they very proudly and rudely advertise: this is not a zoo, not for enjoyment, not to make you feel good, not for children to parade around. This is a 'preserve' for exotic animals we keep in our backyard and if we feel like coming to the booth, you can pay to look at them while we wait for you to do something that doesn't adhere to our bizarre policies. Basically a few rednecks own some exotic animals and can't afford the food/upkeep on their own so let people stare at their animals for a fee. Weirdest, rudest, unorganized mess I have seen. The only upside is that they seem to be genuine animal enthusiasts, and so I hope the animals are properly taken care of. read more

If I could do less stars I would. I scheduled an appointment for the wolf encounter as an eighth grade graduation present for my niece. They wanted a credit card to hold the payment for the appointment. I gave her my information and she charged my card instead of holding it. Then we waited for over an hour after our appointment time and never got to go in and see the wolves. My niece is so disappointed and upset. They wouldn't answer the phone and never called me back. read more

If you're passionate and love animals than this is the place for you to visit. I traveled to the kisma preserve and upon entering I was a little nervous because it was not what i had in mind. I paid $60 for a full tour and to play with the wolves which seemed expensive at first, but the longer I stayed, i realized that it couldn't be more worth it. I got to spend quite a bit of time with the people who worked there and they genuinely care about their animals and want to improve the preserve for them. I learned that a majority of their animals were either rescued or were raised in captivity and cannot be released back into the wild. This business is a non profit and because it is not an accredited zoo they cannot get any state or federal funding (although they're probably the best candidates for it) so all of the money you spend to have a tour or to have animal encounters is invested right back into the animals, which actually makes you feel pretty good when you leave. You have to look beyond the exterior when you come here because these animals are very well attended to and coming here is truly supporting an amazing nonprofit business. Thank you for a great day kisma! - Aleena read more

Kisma Preserve - I made Gandalf the wolf fall asleep by petting him - Zoos Near Me - Trenton, Maine

We came to Maine off-season for my son's 28th birthday.in 2018. he really loves wolves and we heard of kisma preserve, B.J. Cunningham and Travis gave us a wonderful tour of the wolves and we got to touch fluffy who is very friendly. This is a non-profit place who puts 100% into their animals and you can tell they care for them. read more

We know some of the local vets here who have done necropsies on their animals. They've told us they've found signs of abuse and severe neglect. I would not support this place financially. read more

Suspiciously defensive and rude when you ask questions about animal behavior. Gossiped about us to others in our group after kicking us out for asking questions they didn't like. read more

I had a wonderful VIP Experience with Heather showing me around and introducing me to the animals. Being able to feed a bear was a real treat, but the wolves were the highlight and my main reason for visiting, and Kisma Preserve totally delivered on that!! First I got to meet Fluffy, the Black Wolf, who is just the most lovable "puppy dog" ever!! And boy does he live up to his name. After petting and loving on Fluffy, I was introduced to Gandalf the Arctic Wolf and Kalani (I'm probably butchering that spelling) the Siberian Wolf. Kalani didn't want anything to do with me, so she stayed in her den the whole time, but Gandalf came over to investigate and let me pet him for a bit before deciding he'd had enough of catering to the humans and went back to guarding their den. Heather was great at giving me each animals history and neat facts about them as we went. I was fascinated by the differences in the fur on the differ breeds/species of wolf. The other animals I saw (before the wolves, since they were saved for last) included Makaws, llamas, a lynx, turtles, a bear, and some stray chickens. I might be forgetting an animal or two. Either way, getting to meet the wolves and pet them and collect on some wolf kisses was THE highlight of my Mount Desert Island vacation! I will totally be doing that again if/when I return some other year. read more

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This was a wonderful experience. We had an encounter with Gandorf. Gandorf is a senior wolf and very laid back. On the preserve were pheasant, black bear, 2 younger wolves, lynx, and Macaws. The owners are very careful with the animals and always aware of safety during the encounters. The owner was very knowledgeable and seemed to have the best interests of the animal, not exploitive. read more

We passed the Preserve randomly last week on our way out of Bar Harbor to head to Salem. Immediately made the next detour after I saw their sign so I could call them to inquire about tours. I honestly didn't expect anything to be available and I didn't even know about them or even what they offered. They offered us to come in a half hour for a tour that we could decide on when we got there. I absolutely love wolves but they have been one of the few I haven't had any close encounters with. So I opted for us to do an extended wolf encounter tour which lasted almost 2 hours with 3 different wolves (and playing directly off-leash with the wolf pup and the 2 Great Pyrnees pups). I have minimal sympathy for those who complain about having to lift their children up to see the animals or how they did not feel as welcome when their children were crying. As a therapist (who also works with animal-assisted therapy), numerous animals go on alert when people are in distress (e.g., crying) and strollers aren't terrain friendly. These are not service, therapy, or emotional support animals and they are not here to tolerate the human spectrum of behaviors. Take your kids to the zoo and bring them back when they're older. Yes, sorry, but even at a zoo your comfort is secondary to the animals. We paid $200 for 2 of us plus tip (optional but appreciated) which is a lot less than we've paid for dolphin and other animal encounters. Yes, there is a much cheaper option to tour the park but I wanted more personalized time with the wolves. As for the staff? Super friendly, answered all of our questions, and we appreciate the last minute accommodations. I would highly recommend touring there as long as you have realistic expectations. Thank you all for the experience and thank you Gandalf, Fluffy, Torvey (spelling?), and the 2 dog pups for tolerating our enthusiasm! read more

What a dive. It appears the animals are at least fed so I will give them 2 stars. All overgrown and just generally ugly. I would avoid this place like the plague. I do not understand how they stay open. read more

This preserve seemed cool at first and the guide was friendly but they focused too much on getting their money up front. They have a good variety of animals but I'm unsure of their treatment behind closed doors as look matted and dirty. The guide mentioned in jest that he kicked a rooster almost to death to get him to respect him. I don't find animal abuse funny. We also asked if they get veterinary care or preventive medicine for the bugs in the summer, but no, they get chewed raw and they haven't been seen by a vet in awhile since she contracted Lyme disease. Seeing flipper the bear was a treat but I wouldn't continue to feed marshmallows to an old, arthritic bear. Overall, it was okay. We got to hang out with the pyranese pups and the young wolf. read more

We stumbled on Kisma Preserve while driving somewhere else & it was excellent! Huge hit with our teens. Heather was an incredibly informative guide & introduced us to an owl, lynx, macaws, a llama, goat, and of course, the wolves & black bear. It's tiny, but well cared for & it's clear from the way that the animals interact with the keepers that they are very loved. We did the basic tour (awesome!), fed the bear, and interacted with Fluffy the wolf, a super friendly wolf pup ' her 2 besties (exuberant Pyrenees puppies). It was safe, respectful to the animals, & a ton of fun. Highly recommend! read more

This place is as advertised. It's not a zoo, it's not made for our enjoyment, but as a wildlife rescue. We had a great time seeing all of the animals and playing with the the wolf pup. We even got to hear him howl! Great tour by a young man who seemed to genuinely care about the animals and provided a lot of information. I would recommend this as a fun little outing. We were only there for about an hour but we really enjoyed it. read more

Had a lovely time seeing and learning about the animals they've taken in. Our guide was very informative and fun. We got a great tour, probably took too much of her time, but didn't feel rushed at all. Getting to meet Fluffy the wolf was a highlight of our trip to Acadia and surrounds. Looks to me like they're doing quite well for the animals with their funds. Definitely recommended. read more

Great interactive experiences available. Otherwise educational tour with close up views of animals. Friendly and knowledgable staff.