Safari Zoo Camp is an exciting and unique experiential education program, which specializes in hands-on learning experiences with wildlife. The only residential summer camp of its kind in the world, participants work alongside professional zoo keeping staff to care for a variety of animals, many rare and endangered.

Camp Address

PO Box 370, 3667 Concession 6, Orono, Ontario, L0B 1M0, Canada

Ashley Maika, Camp Director

At Safari Zoo Camp our staff and campers share an experience with nature that is sometimes hard to come by.

I started as a camper in 2001 and I never really left. I was a camper for 10 years, then a volunteer, Photographer, Camp Counsellor, Assistant Director, and became Director in 2018.

As a young camper, I was captured by the experience, the atmosphere and the like-minded people that surrounded me.

My goal as Camp Director is to continue to provide that experience of a lifetime for each camper enrolled. 

It is my hope that through this experience, we can show others how important it is to protect, conserve and adore our environment. I welcome you to join our camp and participate in the activities of a lifetime. Listen to the lions roar, hear the wolves howl and see a snake slither through the grass. This up close and personal interaction reinforces what caring for these species is all about. 

Work alongside animal care staff, learn about the amazing species that inhabit this world, go treetop trekking and handle some fascinating animals. Get ready for some fun, laughter and lifelong memories. 

We would love for you to join our zoo camp family!

Ashley

Sleeping Accommodations

Amenities

Washrooms Facilities

Sports facilities

• Anything is possible!

  Zoo Camp has been a big influence on the person that I am today. Camp has given me once-in-a-lifetime experiences that have made me realize that anything is possible. I've become more aware of environmental issues and been inspired to try and make a difference. Some of the best days of my life were spent at Zoo Camp: cleaning up garbage at Lake Ontario (and swimming), wildlife presentations, hang gliding, building and sleeping in shelters in the forest, the hands on experience with diverse animals, and all the amazing friends I've made over the years! Zoo camp is always the highlight of my summer. -Victoria

• Beautiful animals!

  Zoo Camp is my once-a-year satisfaction, and easily my favourite place in the universe. The moment I arrive home from Zoo Camp, I start counting the days until go back! There's absolutely no way I could chose a specific memory as my favourite, because I've had enough wonderful moments and experiences at that camp to last me a lifetime. I've learned so much about not only the brilliant and beautiful animals at Jungle Cat World, but about what kind of person I want to be, and how it's never too soon to begin. For all of this I give countless thanks to the always magnificent staff! -Paige

• Changed my life

  I have to say that it has actually changed my life. I love the camp, the people there, and the atmosphere. It's opened my eyes to the world around us... I'm more conscious about what I buy, and do... I want to make a beneficial difference in the world, I want to help people change, I want to spread the knowledge I have gained concerning our planet... Zoo camp is like nothing else, it's something really special, and has something unique that other camps don't have. You're part of a family at camp, and that is really something amazing. -Thomas

• Spelunking

  The underground world has been a place of reverence and security since the dawn of time. In many ancient cultures it is believed that our ancestors first appeared from caves. It was the Earth that gave birth to us. For thousands of years humans have made caves their homes and spiritual sanctuaries, leaving traces of their existence through century-old wall paintings, clay pottery and burial remains. As we've moved from caves to cities, the use and importance of the underground world has been lost. Safari Zoo Camp has incorporated spelunking (exploring underground passages) as part of the curriculum to show the importance of this environmentally sensitive subterranean realm. Caves are the home to countless native species, such as bats, skunks, porcupines and a variety of snakes. Many important aquifers either originate or flow through caves, so it?s important that caves remain clean and pollution free so we don?t poison our water. While campers explore the Warsaw Caves and become familiar with them, they also collect any litter left behind by the visiting public. When children leave the Warsaw Caves Conservation Area, they do so dirty and tired, but with a profound respect and admiration for the world beneath our feet.

• Holding giant snakes!

  It's funny, when she went there for the first time two summers ago, she didn't even like to look at a snake, let alone touch one. Look at her now. Holding huge snakes, she can't even hold up by herself becuase they are so heavy. Wow! I think she's become more at ease with a lot of different animals but also gained a new respect for them as well. The variety of people from all over the country and the world that she has met is amazing. She was talking on MSN to one of the girls from Spain on Christmas Eve this year. This is quite an experience for a young person. -Denise (Megan's mom)

• Touching a tiger!

  Safari Zoo Camp is the best camp in the world. I can say this because I have been to a few different ones, and will always come back to Safari Zoo Camp from now on. This was my 3rd year at camp and I stayed for 2 weeks. If you love animals of any shape or size this is the camp to go to. You don't just look at the critters, you actually get to handle and play with them. There are so many cool things that make this camp fun, but this was my best experience. We got to interact with the young tigers! There was only a fence between us and these beautiful creatures but they let us pat them. They seemed to like me, because I got my hand licked by both of them. It was the neatest feeling to have such a large tongue come out through teeth that could rip anyone apart and lick my hand. I will never forget that as long as I live. -Darien