Services and Programs

Bear Path Acres
Animal Educational Center is open to the general public for the whole family to have a chance to enjoy a quiet country setting that is truly an educational and fun experience. Bear Path Acres is committed to providing schools, libraries, and others with wildlife conservation interest with opportunities to educate young and old on basic animal husbandry, ecosystems, and wildlife from around the world. Bear Path Acres is also available for school groups from Southampton County, City of Franklin, Hertford County, and other surrounding communities come for guided educational tours. This is perfect for church groups, day care centers, and senior centers. All the animals will bring smiles to all who meet them.

During the months of December, January and February, Bear Path Acres is closed to the general public. This time is set aside to bring animal presentations to the local schools. Our goal is for every child in the area to personally experience the wonderful world of animals. There are several different species of animals for school presentations. These include but are not limited to: A kinkajou, blue and gold macaw, African Spur thigh tortoises, Eastern box turtles, various water turtles, African bull frog, Columbian Tegus, skinks, chinchillas, and guinea pigs.

The Center also offers personal tours, educational shows and special rates for large groups.
Call for details and to arrange scheduling!
757-516-8774

Volunteers

Bear Path Acres could not function without our dedicated team of volunteers, who help us do everything from care for the animals, guide tour groups, fund raising, designing, building and maintain the animal habitats and much more. We are always looking for more volunteers! If you love animals, love people, or love the idea of working at the Zoo, we have a place for you! Volunteering at the Zoo offers a tremendous opportunity to become involved with the Zoo animals, educational programs and conservation efforts. Zoo volunteers and docents (trained guides) act as members of the Zoo team and are an integral part of everything we do. Volunteering is a wonderfully rewarding experience that directly benefits the Zoo and helps us advance our mission and goals.

The Future

Bear Path Acres has had a remarkable year in 2008. We had a fantastic opening celebration, we have had Boy Scout Troops, Senior Citizens Groups, home school groups and lots of the general public visit our facility. We also had Martha Walker, with The Virginia Cooperative Extension, and Sandra Tanner, with The Virginia Tourism Corporation toured our facility and gave us some wonderful suggestions! Alex Stace with The Virginia Department of Forestry has been extremely resourceful in supplying us with his valuable time and some wonderful educational materials. 2009 is going to be even a more remarkable year! These are hard economic times. Believe us when we say we feel it too! Our feed bill has almost doubled in the past year. With that in mind, it has been brought to our attention that families have not been able to come out and enjoy our facility. Therefore the decision was made: Bear Path Acres Animal Educational Center is going to have economically priced admission in 2009. This will enable everyone the opportunity to come out laugh, learn and enjoy our wonderful animals! We will rely solely on donations, animal adoptions and sponsorships. Some of the groups we are currently working with to improve our facility are; Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation, Virginia Cooperative Extension; which also includes Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, Virginia Department of Tourism, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and Virginia Department of Forestry. We are currently researching Project Learning Tree, a program of the American Forest Foundation, to possibly implement some of their teaching modules into the program. We are also connecting with the Virginia Soybean Association for their wide knowledge and educational materials that are available through their organization. The list continues to grow almost daily. With these Departments guiding us and helping us, the future is very bright.

757-516-8774

email: info@bearpathacres.com

USDA Class C Licensed Zoo Exhibitor & Licensed State Wildlife Educator