From Warrenton High School to the University of Missouri, followed by a stint in the Arena Football League, one thing always remained true for Joel Clinger of Big Joel’s Safari Petting Zoo and Educational Park, his love of animals.
Clinger got his love of animals from an early age as he said he always wanted to be a zookeeper.
“My mom and dad would take me to the zoo in St. Louis,” Clinger said, adding that on family vacations the one place he always wanted to visit was a nearby zoo.
After graduating from Warrenton High School he went to the University of Missouri, where he studied animal science and was a starter for the Tigers on the offensive line.
“I was the only football player in the animal science program,” he said.
Due to the rigors of the college football schedule and practice he said he didn’t have the opportunity to participate in internships or externships but he did other things to stay connected to the animals he loves. He said he would constantly check the job board for the St. Louis Zoo and other similar locations for opportunities.
Ultimately after college he said he began collecting animals with the original goal of running a mobile petting zoo part-time, but eventually on the current 14-acres that was his parents farm he began raising animals, starting at first with miniature horses and then expanding into other animals as he made contact with others in the industry.
Now his zoo, which officially opened to the public in 2012, has over 70 species of animals, he said. Clinger runs the zoo with his wife Melissa “Mimi” Clinger, who is also an integral part of the facility’s success since its inception.
The current facility is located on 14 acres at 13187 Highway M, but Clinger also owns 45 acres just north of the current facility that he has big plans for. He said in the future he would like to provide tram rides, to give patrons a true safari-like experience. He already has a mile and a half road built for the tram tours. The new trams come courtesy of the Milwaukee Zoo, which had an auction for some of their parking lot trams, which Clinger snatched up. Being that the trams come from another zoo, they are already perfectly marked, with zebra stripes.
Clinger explained that “everyone likes multi-species exhibits,” but one of the issues is that in the animal kingdom there is a hierarchy and often some of the more interesting animals are somewhat hidden by the more dominant animals. The tram would give patrons a chance to see them all.
And at Big Joel’s Safari there is a lot to see. During a tour of the facility one can see a wide variety of wildlife: camels, zebras, kangaroos, bison, antelope, wildebeests, primates, alligators, wildebeests, goats, sloths, llamas, anteaters, various birds and feline species and a large number of other animals.
Clinger said that the facility has around 12 employees, but Clinger and Mimi handle a lot of the true zookeeper duties at the facility. The job is so taxing that the couple lives on the property to ensure the continued safety and security of their animals.
In deciding which animals to select for his zoo, Clinger said that he focuses significantly on what he believes patrons will find interesting. His goal is to continue to expand into more exotic species as he moves forward.
During a tour of the facility there were several families and student groups touring the zoo. Clinger said that kids seem to really enjoy the goats, and the newly designed guinea pig, tortoise and rabbit encounter are one of the zoo's favorite attractions. Other new attractions include a butterfly habitat, which happens to be right next to the kangaroo exhibit. Clinger said he doesn’t quite have butterflies yet, but is hoping in building the framework he can attract an entirely new type of creature to his park.
One of the encounters that is popular at the zoo is the sloth feeding encounter. During the recent visit, Clinger fed a few of the four sloths sweet potato sticks (apparently one of their favorite items).
The whole zoo though really is one big encounter. Upon entering the zoo, patrons can buy a number of feed items that can then be fed to a variety of different animals throughout the facility. In fact that is one of the major draws of the zoo, that participants get up close and personal with a wide variety of animals.
“We like to get animals that are comfortable with people,” he said. “All of our animals are very used to people.”
The zoo is open from April to December seven days a week. According to their website, the zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information you can contact the zoo at 636-745-3031 or at bigjoelsafari@bigjoelsafari.com.
