Conveniently located between Louisville and Lexington is one of the state’s most surprising attractions — an exotic private animal zoo that started with nothing more than a few goats and sheep, and a wild idea.
“I bought this place 22 years ago,” owner Eric Swisher said. “I moved from Louisville with the idea that maybe I’d raise some sheep and goats. What I really wanted was my own private zoo,” he admitted with a laugh. “I started building fences, enclosures, habitats and then I started acquiring more animals rarely found in Kentucky. It was really all just for me at first. I’ve always loved animals.”
Things changed for Eric after his farm was included in a Shelby County event, when more than 700 people showed up in a single day.
“I guess I realized there was something here people wanted to see,” he said.
Up close and personal
Part of the safari experience is traveling to the farm tucked away on the border of Anderson and Shelby counties. The drive is classic Central Kentucky, taking visitors on a twisty-turny road with a canopy of trees above, and glimpses of the creek beside. Once there, guests are in for a treat.
Eric has transformed the acreage into Little Crooked Creek Safari, a family-run exotic animal farm. He lives on the property with his wife, Amy, and 10-year-old son, Will. Their goal is to educate young and old about different types of animals by providing visitors a hands-on experience.
Some of the animals guests will see are zebras, camels, anteaters, tortoises, sloths, kangaroos, capybaras, porcupines, a wildebeest, guinea pigs, hens and rabbits among others. The farm has grown into an amazing, eclectic collection of more than 200 animals.
The farm opened to the public last year and has quickly become a destination of choice for families, school groups and curious animal lovers. Visitors seem to enjoy seeing animals from around the world and being able to interact with the hand-reared animals.
For an additional fee, visitors can hang out with the resident sloths, Odel and Josie, in their climate-controlled habitat where they might feed them sweet potatoes and watch them hang upside down up close. There’s a capybara experience, as well, where Coco and Pepper enjoy belly rubs and lettuce snacks.
Brody and Poppy are two new babies at Little Crooked Creek Safari who win visitors’ hearts. Brody is the farm’s baby zebra, who Eric actually delivered, and sleeps with his safety blanket.
“We’d like to take him off the farm for events at some point,” Eric said.
Poppy is a playful baby camel who will nuzzle you for a treat.
“Some animals are named but it kinda depends on their personalities,” Eric said.
The anteater is named Larry and likes to unplug his warming light.
“You know, not all of them want to be cuddled, and that’s fine. But for the ones that do, we try to give them that interaction,” he said.
That personal touch defines the entire experience for visitors. From Polish hens with poofy crests to wildebeests to kangaroos and antelopes, visitors have the opportunity to view an array of animals. The half-mile walking loop of the zoo winds through a variety of enclosures, containing animal species from Africa, South America, Asia and Australia.
Always on call
Behind the charm of the Little Crooked Creek Safari experience is a lot of work.
“People say I’m living my dream,” Eric commented, “but I’m basically working eight days a week, 27 hours a day. You’re always on call. You have to live here.” Still, he smiled when he said it. “I really do enjoy it.”
That attitude extends to everything from fencing to habitat design to bottle-feeding animals at all hours.
The winter months bring extra challenges. Animals that can’t tolerate the cold are housed indoors. The sloths’ enclosure, for example, has its own temperature settings. “They’re sensitive,” he said. “But guests love them.”
Some buildings on the property also serve as warm shelters, others as habitat showcases.
Eric’s background isn’t in zoology or biology, but in insurance. For many years, he has had an agency in Shelbyville. He still owns it, though someone else now handles its day-to-day operations.
“This just kind of took over,” he admitted. “I’ve done a lot of research and I have a network of people who I can reach out to with questions if I need to. A lot of it is common sense and I have learned along the way.”
“I don’t want to get any bigger,” he remarked. “But I do want to keep improving what we’ve got. I’d love to build a giraffe area in the next five years. We’ll see if that works out or not, though.”
At the end of the day, this isn’t just a business — it’s a dream come true for Eric. He explained, “As a kid I always said I wanted to have a zoo.”
Plan your visit
The USDA-licensed zoo is open to the public 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 2-5 p.m. Sunday, and for field trips and special events during the week. Admission is $20 per person, with kids 2 and under free. Sloth and capybara encounters are $100 for a group of four.
Little Crooked Creek Safari is located at 1430 Little Crooked Creek Road, Lawrenceburg. For more information, contact Eric at 502-445-6501 or at www.littlecrookedcreeksafari.com.
