To see roaring tigers, hopping kangaroos and chattering parrots people usually have to travel to an exotic location, but all this can be seen in a 25-minute drive from Ball State.
Me's Zoo in Parker City is home to a variety of animals including monkeys, tigers, emu, peacocks, bears and llamas.
The zoo covers 55 acres including a playground, picnic areas and a gift shop. The animals live outdoors, and their habitats are connected by a series of paths.
Owners Max and Eileen Oren opened Me's Zoo in May, 1988. The concept was born after Max suffered from aplastic anemia, a serious blood disorder. Max was given only a few weeks to live, but through experimental treatments Max survived the disease.
Beating the odds made Max want to give back to the community, and that is when his dream of a zoo began. The Orens kept deer and donkeys but decided to acquire more animals and build the zoo.
The zoo opened with roughly 45 animals, and its population increases annually. Every year the zoo tries to acquire a new animal. Breeding within the animals at the zoo also contributes to the growing numbers.
After a four-year battle with leukemia, Max lost his life in 1993. Eileen and daughter Kim continue to maintain the zoo and see it as a way to encourage families to spend quality time together.
The name Me's Zoo comes from the first letters of Max and Eileen's names.
Eileen Oren considers Me's Zoo to be different from the Indianapolis Zoo because the atmosphere allows guests to have contact with the animals. Oren also says they "concentrate on the animals" instead of working on the buildings and landscaping.
Brandi Pace was visiting the zoo for the first time with her daughter Kayleigh's preschool class.
"I think it's great," Pace said. "My daughter really enjoys it."
Pace is planning another trip to the zoo.
"They can get a lot closer to the animals," Pace said.
As for Kayleigh, she liked the goats the best.
"You get to feed them," she said. "You get to pet animals."
Oren agrees the goats are the favorite among the younger children. Children can pet the goats and be close to the animals. She believes the zoo is a good way to see white tigers, bears, lions and other exotic animals for the first time in an up-close environment.
Oren sees the animals as her children.
"You get to see them grow up like a parent would," Oren said.
Oren said she enjoys her work.
"Everyone who comes through the door most certainly has a smile on their face," she said.
Zoo animal curator, Paul Cross, has been working at the zoo since its opening. Cross works one-on-one daily with the animals.
"The two that I am most close with are Omar the camel and Zeus the African lion," Cross said. Cross gives educational presentations with Zeus to provide visitors more information about the lion. Omar the camel has been at the zoo since it opened. The camel has become the mascot for the zoo.
Me's Zoo offers camel and pony rides from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the weekends. All ages can ride the camel, but pony rides are limited to children.
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