One-Tank Trip: Free Ga. zoo gives animals a second chance - WRDW

ATHENS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Memorial Park in Athens, Ga., isn't your typical county park. It's home to Bear Hollow Zoo.

"It's very accessible because it's free to everyone, you just walk in," said zookeeper Ruby Truscott. "It's also a smaller zoo, so it's a really good thing for smaller kids."

She says they take care of about 70 animals. They can't go back in the wild because many were injured.

"We host a lot of native animals here, they're all non-releasable, and we have a very big variety," she said.

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Some of the animals we saw include bears, turkeys, alligators, turtles, snakes, beavers, otters, an opossum, a skunk and a bald eagle.

If you go at the right time, you may see zoo staff feeding the animals. They may even let you do it.

"All of our animals are really really nice, especially our ambassadors, I've never felt endangered with anyone here," Truscott said.

Monica Maldonado brought her family to the zoo.

"It's very accessible because it's free to everyone, you just walk in," said zookeeper Ruby Truscott.

"I'm looking for great activities to do with the kids that are also pretty cool, and because it's pretty shaded and it's free, it's a great thing for us to do together," she said.

Maldonado thinks it's a great place to take them, and she plans to come back.

"It is really educational for the community," she said. "For us, for the kids, and for the people who get to volunteer here."

At Bear Hollow Zoo, you can learn about animals while the animals get a second chance at life.

The zoo is about an hour and a half away from Augusta.

They suggest coming early in the morning because many animals take cover during the hottest part of the day.

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