Guests are able to hold lemurs at Nature’s Creek. Logan Washburn | Collegian
Hillsdale residents don’t have to leave the county for a day at the zoo anymore.
At Nature’s Creek Zoo, locals can now see exotic animals just 20 minutes from town. The 35-acre zoo, which houses more than 200 animals, opened just north of Frontier Sept. 1.
“It’s big enough for people living close by to enjoy for an hour-and-a-half and then go home,” said Peggy Evola, who runs the zoo with her husband, Richard. “The size is perfect for grandparents to take their grandchildren and for working parents to take their kids on a day off.”
The zoo houses animals from around the world including lemurs, ostriches, and camels — many of which visitors can interact with.
Evola said the zoo functions primarily as an educational facility. Schools can schedule appointments for classes to visit or the zoo can travel to the classroom. Evola teaches students how to handle and feed the animals.
“Guests are able to hold the lemurs, the baby alligator, fennec foxes, and pet the tortoises. They can also feed all the animals,” said Amanda Bender, a zoo employee who has worked for the Evola family since last year.
“We sit down with the kids and read books about the animals,” Evola said. “Then we take them to the cages where they can see the animals and different kids are able to hold the animals at each exhibit.”
The zoo plans to offer special events for each season, according to Evola, and is currently preparing fall hayrides through the pastures so guests can feed the animals. At Christmas, Evola said she hopes to have a live nativity with the camels, and in the spring the zoo will host vendors in a field next to the property.
Most of the animals housed at Nature’s Creek Zoo are rescued, Evola said.
“We take animals, no questions asked,” Evola said. “We want to help people do the right thing if they are moving or evicted and have these animals.”
By the summer of 2024, Evola said she expects the camel dairy program to be running. No camels are currently producing milk, but she said that will change in the spring when calves are born. Hillsdale residents can buy a herd share in the herd to receive milk as it becomes available.
“We sell milk to people with high blood pressure, Crohn’s disease, and other health issues,” Evola said. “People come from as far as Dearborn to get it. In the past, we were selling 200 bottles a week.”
Evola said the zoo is already popular but that the grand opening was hurt by a delay on billboard ads. In addition, both Evola’s personal Facebook account and the zoo’s business account were hacked. Though the Facebook account asks that visitors make a reservation, Evola said that people don’t need to call ahead before visiting.
“We had to do everything the old fashioned way — putting up flyers around town and making our own signs,” Evola said.
Despite the setback, the zoo has already attracted visitors from as far as Toledo.
“It’s very exciting that we have a zoo right in our backyard now, “ sophomore Daniel Doyle said. “I would like to visit sometime.”
The zoo evolved from a pet shop that Evola opened in 1998. Within a few years, Evola and her husband were running a 10-acre zoo in Temperance, Michigan, and later visiting fairs and festivals with a traveling exhibition. In 2015, they bought the current property in Hillsdale County.
Nature’s Creek Zoo is located at 11660 Grass Lake Rd., Hillsdale, Michigan and open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. General admission is $12, cash only, and free for children under two.
