Oaklawn Farm Zoo

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Coordinates: 45°00′16″N 64°50′40″W / 45.0044382°N 64.8445768°W / 45.0044382; -64.8445768
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Oaklawn Farm Zoo
Deer at Oaklawn Farm Zoo
Map
45°00′16″N 64°50′40″W / 45.0044382°N 64.8445768°W / 45.0044382; -64.8445768
Date opened1984
Date closed2023
LocationAylesford, Nova Scotia, Canada
Land area50 acres (20 ha)[1]
Major exhibitslions, monkeys, Siberian tigers
Websiteoaklawnfarmzoo.ca

The Oaklawn Farm Zoo was a zoo located in Millville, Nova Scotia, Canada, just south of the village of Aylesford. It was opened in 1984, and is family-owned and operated by Ron and Gail Rogerson. The zoo boasted the largest display of Big Cats and Primates in Eastern Canada. The 50-acre (20 ha) zoo is in a rural setting in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, and includes a wide diversity of mammals, birds and reptiles.

Before closing it was Nova Scotia's largest zoo, Oaklawn has a large variety of endangered and threatened species of exotic, native and domestic breeds of animals. Children can feed corn to some of the animals (notably the deer and goats) and the zoo has a restaurant and gift shop. Feeding time for the big cats and bears is a popular zoo attraction. Owner Gail Rogerson enters the cages of these animals and will hand feed them meat that is collected from local farms and surrounding areas.

The zoo announced in December 2023 that it would not reopen next season after 40 seasons. [1]

Origin[edit]

Ron and Gail Rogerson started a farm in the 1970s with conventional animals and some exotic animals. Schools went on field trips to the farm to learn about the animals by 1975. A program known as “Learning to Live” started in 1980 which allowed children to get experience with how to take care of animals. In 1984 the farm decided to open as a zoo and incorporated many new animals into the facility.[2]

Animals[edit]

An African lion named Rutledge was born at the zoo in 1991 and hand raised. At 4 years, he set the world record for world's heaviest lion in captivity at 807 pounds (366 kg). He was euthanized in February 2009 just short of his 18th birthday, and buried at the zoo.[3] Another male African lion, Obi, was diagnosed with kidney failure in October 2017 and was euthanized on 6 August 2019. [4]

Animals include

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Oaklawn Farm Zoo". oaklawnfarmzoo.ca. Oaklawn Farm Zoo. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
  2. ^ "Oaklawn Farm Zoo - About Us". www.oaklawnfarmzoo.ca. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
  3. ^ "Record-setting Canadian zoo lion dies". upi.com. United Press International, Inc. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
  4. ^ "Saltwire | Halifax".

External links[edit]

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