| Zoo Name: | Catoctin Wildlife Preserve |
| Date Opened: | 1966 |
| Location: | Thurmont, Maryland, United States |
| Area: | 100acres[1] |
| Coordinates: | 39.5906°N -77.4307°W |
| Num Animals: | 450+ |
The Catoctin Wildlife Preserve is a 100acres zoo and wildlife preserve (are accessible to the public) located on Maryland Route 806 in Thurmont, Maryland, United States.
The preserve features safari truck rides that let visitors touch and feed large herbivores in a wooded setting.
Animals have been exhibited at this location since 1933, when it was known as Jungleland Snake Farm.[2] Owner Gordon Gaver operated the small attraction (approx. 5 acres) until his death in 1964.[3] The facility was then purchased by Richard and Mary Anne Hahn[4] and reopened in 1966. The Hahn family maintained ownership and gradually enlarged the park. In August 2012, the zoo was fined by the United States Department of Agriculture 's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service $12,000 for numerous violations.[5] [6] In 2013, a giraffe died while on exhibit at the zoo. [7] Worker safety and animal care issues at the zoo have been raised for a number of years. [8] [9]