Childhood love of animals leads to local zoo that draws people from around the region

Indian Creek is one of several hundred private zoos around the country. The Monroe County attraction brings in people from all over the region. You can see everything from giraffes and zebras to sloths, baboons and kangaroos.

It's all right in the backyard of a Lambertville couple. The zoo first opened in 2014 with some camels and a few other animals. In the years since then, the zoo has expanded significantly and it is now home to hundreds of animals from dozens of species.

A trip down a quiet country driveway in Lambertville, opens up a whole new world for a lot of visitors. Indian Creek Zoo grew out of a life-long love of animals for Joe Garverick, "Ten years ago there were 147,000 giraffes in the wild. Today that number if down to 97,000."

Indian Creek is home to two giraffes. Visitors are now able to see more than 300 animals, "I like the kids coming in and watching their faces when they see the animals. This place is all about them. We've created something here that allows you to get up close and personal."

Joe says he had an unusual collection of pets growing up, but he took that to a whole other level with the zoo that is literally in his backyard, "The giraffe is the tallest land mammal. Their tongues are about 18 inches long. They are dark to protect them from getting sunburned. They have the highest blood pressure of any animal, so their systems can pump blood up to the top of their heads It's a long way up. Our three-year-old giraffe Puzzles is about 14-feet tall."

The zoo has gone through major growth in the last few years, and Joe says more expansion could be on the way, "Where it's going I am not sure, but we're sitting on about 41 acres here. We've got room to expand."

Julie Angell is the manger. Like Joe, she also grew up all different kinds of animals. But none like the ones she now spends her days with,"I've never worked with giraffes, bison and wolves before, and now I do." And yes she does have a favorite, "I love the wolves. They trust me. Seeing that one-on-one bond is what makes it so special."

Julie's job here at the zoo was a real shift from her original career.

After more than 30 yeas on the job at the Jeep plant, Julie drove by the zoo one day. She took her grandchildren there one day, and she was hooked,"I was working six days a week at Fiat Chrysler, and Sunday was my only day off. I was here every Sunday, so I had no days off. When I retired, I didn't miss a beat, I started here full time."

And she loves every minute of her new life, "It's never a boring day because there is always something different every day. I am so lucky to spend my days with all these wonderful animals!"

Indian Creek Zoo is open seven days a week from April through the end of December. In addition to just coming for a visit, there are all kinds of family-friendly activities here every month and that includes Princess and Super Hero Days October 13th and 14th

If you'd like to learn more, we've posted links.