Sustainable Safari - Burnsville, Minnesota

Brandon

Hidden gem! We had no idea what to expect when we arrived. As we walked through the door after paying our admission, we were met with an open layout with animals everywhere. My hesitations immediately disappeared and now were replaced with excitement. It was at that moment I knew that we would spend hours here. That's exactly what happened, too. Within that time, we were able to see tons of animals up close and personal, talk with the friendliest and the most passionate staff, and experience things that most "zoo's" can't even provide. The owner and the general manager were walking around and genuinely excited to share anything and everything with their guests. If I had to boil down what our experience was like, it would be something like; you know how they say, if you do what you love, you won't work a single day in your life? Every single staff member is doing the very thing they love and are passionate about with these animals. That very much was evident in talking with them. They aren't working, they are living their dream and it's felt in a very tangible way. At least it was for us. If you're in the area and love animals, I would highly recommend this place to anyone.

Make sure you ask for the scavenger hunt packet at the front desk that the GM put together for kids. It was fun to learn about all the animals.

Brittaney M.

Sustainable Safari Review - Burnsville location:

My husband and I absolutely loved our visit to Sustainable Safari! The hands-on experience with the animals far exceeded our expectations. Everywhere we turned, there was a new animal to admire, making the visit exciting. It wasn't too busy, which was nice because it gave us plenty of space to interact with the animals. Felt that the pricing was very fair and affordable.

I opted for the Kangaroo Encounter for an extra $10, and it was worth it in my option. The staff provided a small cup of food, allowing me to feed and pet several kangaroos at my own pace. The team was knowledgeable and made the experience truly memorable.

Advice for guests; Bring some extra quarters for the $0.25 feed & wear closed toe shoes.

The location is in Burnsville Center Mall near the food court.

An unexpected delight was the friendly chocolate lab who roams the space – she added such a warm, welcoming touch to the visit.

We're also excited about the upcoming aquarium and can't wait to return to see it!

Suggestions for improvement:
* Add more signage to clearly identify all the animals. There were times when we couldn’t find a sign for a particular animal.
* Provide small, pocket-sized maps for guests to ensure they don’t miss any animals.

Overall, we highly recommend Sustainable Safari for an interactive and enjoyable experience! Will definitely be going again!

Calinn G.

So much fun for all ages ! The kids loved how interactive it was. Amazing photo opportunities! The staff is incredible. Highly recommend the experience. I wish we would have purchased the bird experience and some of the interactive packages.

Heidi D.

My son Ben and I have been at the Burnsville and Maplewood location and both are WONDERFUL! The animals are so sweet and the staff is AMAZING especially Dante! My son absolutely loves Alligators and he just gravitated to Dante and he has shown Ben so much incredible things about alligators he would’ve never been able to do especially living in MN. Thank you so so much Dante!😊

Kaela A.

Overall we had a great time at Sustainable Safari this past weekend. I do agree with some of the other reviews that some of the enclosures are a bit small, particularly that or the kangaroos, which is why I cannot give a full five stars. That being said, I felt the place was very clean and I was impressed to see the owner on the ground and cleaning as well! That is true leadership and you can tell she cared greatly about their work. I felt that the pricing was reasonable as well, and really appreciate the option to have a membership.

Amanda H.

Definitely recommend this place. The animals look happy & healthy, it’s clean, and super fun! My boys had a blast!

Skylar

This place is honestly saddening. When I heard “sustainable safari” it sounded like a nice place for animals, but in reality they are overcrowded and not put in good conditions. The animals were begging for food and some animals were trapped in tiny square tunnels. The prairie dogs were scratching to try to escape and the kangaroos were being aggressively wrangled just so people could hold them. Overall it’s not a good place for animals and I would not recommend supporting them.

Tacoland 1.

When I came here with my girlfriend, I was expecting a nice outdoor sanctuary for the animals. Instead they’re inside a mall, in small cages begging for food. Had a prairie dog scratching at its little cage to be let out, saw the otters whining by the door, they looked distressed. Then the poor goats, capybara, and alpacas were begging for food, the capybara biting its fence, and the alpacas ripping cups out of our hands and downing down the food. Then the kangaroos were cute, but they wrangled the joeys just to show them off. If you’re an animal lover I would not support this place, even if you are not an animal lover still don’t support it. The condition these animals are in is horrific and they should be moved to a safe place outside and with proper care. Or visit the local zoo as they take much better care of their animals and get more bang for your buck, major let down and I would rate it 0 stars if I could.