Reviews of Kisma Preserve (Zoo)

Emily Belanger

The ladies were warm and welcoming despite having had a very busy day. They also took impromptu engagement photos for us!! The animals were beautiful - understood by these dedicated ladies, and well taken care of. We can't wait to try camping for the night next time around!

Samantha Look

Amazing experience. We definitely will be back.

David Aceves

The VIP tour gave us an amazing hands-on experience with the wolves. I would say the opportunity alone to pet a wolf was worth the higher cost of admission. I only wish the tour had been even longer because I was enjoying myself so much. It was obvious the staff truly care about the animals they care for.

DJG

My wife and I went to meet Gandolph the wolf at the preserves "Wolf Fire"...Had a blast.... incredible experience to pet him, and the staff were interesting, and extremely knowledgeable... Great great night!

Katelin (K)

Had a great time on our tour today. We got to spend one on one time with most of their animals, including multiple wolves, a black bear, skunk, etc. We got lots of great pictures, and one of a kind memories! Would highly recommend you pay them a visit.

Alex Jones

Disappointing.

Thomas Massey

Camping at and touring Kisma Preserve was a fantastic, intimate, and very unique experience for me and my 6 and 9-year old son's!! Host Heather was cool as a cucumber explaining facts and stories about the animals in a sincere, honest, and with a no "fluffy" no non-sense approach. We appreciated that, it made us feel safe, and note it is the demeanor one should exude around wild animals. We loved the experience with the Artic, Timber, and Siberian Wolves, catching a few great glimpses of the Siberian Lynx, the variety of birds and feeding Flipper, the ginormous Black Bear!! The animals are well cared for and again host Heather and fellow wolf trainer BJ delivered an amazing experience and we can't wait to come back!! Thank you thank you

Brenda Riethmuller

Absolutely fabulous. My grandchildren had a wonderful learning experience and my youngest daughter wound up with her life long dream job.

Janessa Huckaby

I had a tour scheduled for today. Whoever is answering the phone I have spoken to twice. They say they are the manager and prefer to not answer the phone. The woman was unbelievably rude twice. I don't understand but you shouldn't be working there if you don't like people. They will not refund my money and I can't speak to anyone else. Its very sad that they would allow a manager like that to ruin what should be a special learning experience for kids. Very disappointed I hope they don't treat the animals like they are the people. Requested refund she hung up.

Jillian Carey

A dream of mine came true today ... All thanks to Kisma Preserve. I have been a wolf lover all my life (borderline obsessed really) and I was officially able to cross 'wolf kisses' off my bucket list. Thank You Charles for the incredible experience. I will never forget today as long as I live.

Amy Reed

Such an amazing experience! The women who run this sanctuary are amazing and dedicated! I really wish I had paid to do the skunk, bear and wolf tour! I only did the wolf tour because of cost, however, knowing that the money goes towards taking care of the animals and running the sanctuary, I TOTALLY would have paid more! An AMAZING experience! You should totally do this!!!!!

Tim H

Wonderful tour and kind service.

Brian Dalton

Best time i had on my week long vaction.

Patrick Miles

I haven't actually visited yet but I've seen a few reviews that hadn't either but had bad experiences on the phone. Was curious about the cost to meet some of the animals, so I gave them a call. Gave them a call, went to voicemail (later in day, no problem). Just a few minutes later I got a call back. Friendly interaction, was told that it was $75 to interact with a wolf and feed a bear in May, not a bad deal! Hope to visit soon, most of these bad reviews didn't give the place a fair shot.

kenneth Duarte

They are doing a great job, also you can see wolves and a bear

Michelle Perkins

SCAM. Kisma Preserve is currently under investigation for donation fraud!

Angie Hafford

It is a cute place. Less than a dozen animals, WAY TOO OVER PRICED!! Two adults and four children ages 3, 5, 10 and 11 cost us $60 to get in and see under 12 animals which were house pets and common wildlife. I think lowered prices would be a great way to get ore people supporting a lovely cause.

Darren Cassidy

$35 per person to see 5 animals... my family paid 175 for us to go and it was cool but not worth the money.. Won't be returning

John Doe

Lady what is wrong with you!? I'm on vacation with my family and we were passing this place on our way back to our rental house. My mom wanted to know more so she called and asked a bunch of questions just to be told to "Shut the hell up" and "never call again". You want donations yet you turn away your customers? I'm questioning if these 5 star reviews are legit cause these staff ain't friendly at all. I bet they abuse the wolves too.

Ashley Gamache

AMAZING! MUST SEE!

Joel Prins

Great experience. Absolutely had a blast meeting Flipper!!! The guides where extremely informative and knowledgeable. Got to experience a little bit of everything overall had a blast would definitely give 10 stars if I could

josh dickinson

We stopped in on a whim, at the end of a very busy day, and we weren't even sure if they had any availability. Not only did the folks welcome us in, they gave us a truly personal experience - talking about the animals, and sharing stories about their backgrounds. Thank you ladies so much - it was a truly humbling experience.

aude de la chevalerie

does not respect the spirit of the wolf, become domesticated. Expensive for not much interesting . camping no bath no electriciti. .

Luke Baron

Heather was great! She exceeded expectations and gave us a personal wolf meet and greet. Best place to stay if you are hiking Acadia.

Ray Sir

Not so much a nature preserve as a small, chaotic zoo where you get guided tours by a few "live-in volunteers"

Max Metzger

A unique wildlife experience with entertaining and knowledgeable staff.

David Wescott

Worth every penny, especially if Gandalf approves you to walk with him! ❤️???????? Call ahead and set an appointment; they fill up quick since the groups are kept on the smaller side! Happy I went into the preserve after driving by it for 15 years!!

Michelle Perkins

Nice area

lowkey.BFFS.

It was cool to walk the wolf's and feed the bear marshmallows and feed the wolf to it was awesome to be up close to them I got to say it was worth it

Elyse Christian

I called the other morning and Heather was an absolute sweetheart! She was busy when I called but she hurried back so we could meet the wolves within minutes! I strongly recommend going here! She answered all my questions and was very accommodating due to my disability!!

Chrissy Elliott-Vinal

Well informed. Some enclosures too small n no activity for the animals. Overall great camping n experience

Mariel R.

Enter with extreme reverence for the rarity of this opportunity, do what you are instructed to do and prepare to have a once in a lifetime experience. Behaving the way you are told to is crucial to the integrity of the experience. The women who run Kisma are extremely thoughtful, caring, dedicated individuals who are giving their lives to the rehabilitation and care of these magnificent animals. Everything they tell you is for your own protection and the health and well being of the animals. A wolf has to be approached in a specific way that is different than a dog --for dog owners, and animal lovers (myself included), this IS an adjustment in the way you would typically behave, but it is one that you can easily do. It's not a petting zoo. It's not a zoo. It's a one-of-a-kind place. Wear pants or shorts, wear sneakers, be kind, be gentle, trust that you don't know anything about how to approach this situation and you will have a great time. Worth every penny.

Cordana Dingley

DO NOT GIVE THESE SCAMMERS YOUR MONEY. Just to add the the abundance of terrible reviews…:we called and made a reservation for two adults and one 8-year-old child. We were told that we would all be able to meet the wolf and have a photo but that the child may not be able to pet or walk the wolf depending on his size and demeanor. The child was incredibly calm and well behaved the entire tour. But when it came time to meet the wolf the woman said he was not allowed because of his size and demeanor. So obviously we all left because we didn’t want to do it without the kid and we couldn’t exactly just leave him by himself. She could have told us at the beginning that he was too small and given us a refund but it’s blatantly obvious from all the other reviews that all this person cares about is money.

Sandra Lungariello

Staying in Bar Harbor for my Honeymoon, my husband found this place (not even half hour away) and booked the private VIP tour. I was a little skeptical at first....but quickly changed my mind. I got to hang out with wolves! Like really hang out with them. I pet them, walked them, they licked my face, we howled with them....it was the most amazing thing ever. Heather was great. She let us take as much time as we wanted with each animal, even brought us back around to the lynx cage a few times to make sure we got a good view of her. We fed a black bear and llamas, macaws and a vulture. This is very different from a "zoo", there weren't many animals, but we did get to spend a lot of time with each. We got lots of great information on the animals and the personal backstory for each, she talked about their personalities, too, which was nice. The animals are definitely cared for and loved, everything was clean, they had water, things to play with, good shelters, etc. All proceeds go to the animals, definitely worth going and supporting. We want to back next year!

Cyndi Jagger

Pristine

Leslie Collagan

Horrible place. Animals appear unhealthy and unhappy. Not clean. Staff is rude and unfriendly. Every animal has a story about being rescued by this hell whole for WILD animals. If you think wolves want to live in captivity at any time in their life you are gravely mistaken about wildlife.

Angela Marie

Visiting the preserve was an unforgettable experience! My fiancé and I found this place while on our vacation in Bar Harbor and I am so glad we went. We got to meet and walk Gandalf the 13 year old wolf. He was such a beautiful animal! The staff was so friendly and showed us around the entire preserve. We even got to hold the skunk they have. I would definitely go back if I am ever in Maine again. This was a very unique experience!

Colin Wynd

Terrible experience. They obviously didnt' want us to be there (myself, my wife and 2 adult daughters). The tour was over after 20 mins. They really didn't want to answer any questions and were pretty rude most of the time - don't waste your money.

Brian Ferguson

Loved spending time with the animals. Well worth the price of admission

Tim M

The Wolves were amazing !! Must see worth every penny

Daniel L

SCAM. Do not waste your money. This place is under investigation by the state for donation fraud.

Trey Weaver

The folks working were great considering the covid. The property was well kept and all the animals were clearly in a good place. We hung out and saw a couple wolves, the bear, and of course the skunk. It was a really enjoyable time!

Casey Dunn

Knowledged and fun friendly staff. A very quaint and welcoming visit. And oh yeah you can play with wolves

D

Didn't actually get to really check out the reserve itself. But they have a few campsites available through Hipcamp

Daniel Bradford

All of the bad reviews are accurate. Don’t waste your money here.

Justin Broman

An a awesome place to visit and learn about these animals! The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, and able to answer any questions we had. It takes a lot of time and energy to care for these animals, and they are extraordinary at it! I would recommend this to any one of my family and friends!

Erin B

I cannot say enough good things about Kisma Preserve. One of the most unique and memorable experiences we’ve ever been lucky enough to partake in. The ladies who care for these animals and operate these tours are so dedicated, and the love they have for their animals is obvious. Kisma is a must see if you’re in the Acadia area. We will be back ASAP!! Thank you Heather and Bj! Give Oreo a snuggle for me ????

Cassie Beswick

Great place to visit, but not a zoo. If that’s what you are expecting you will be underwhelmed. We paid $35 per adult for the Wolf experience. This earned us about an hourish tour and 15-20 minutes up close and personal with Fluffy the Wolf. We were able to pet him and take photos individually with him. You can also feed a bear for a similar price. On the tour we were able to see all of the animals they have residing on the property. Most are rescues or surrendered animals. At the time of our visit they had three wolves, a bear, two parrots, an owl, two tortoise, two llamas and a lynx but as a rescue/preserve this is ever changing. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. Tours are by appointment so make sure to call ahead.

Summer Boudreau

Be careful! We bought tickets for $150 a month ago to go for a tour for my birthday. We arrived 10 minutes early. When we went to the gate, we were told she already left on the tour with people who walked in. We made reservations and paid ahead of time, she left without us. She refused to give us a refund. We drove 8 hours to do that for my birthday and she scammed us for our money. Be careful! I wish we would have read the reviews before giving her our money

Brianna Uherec

I almost never write bad reviews but I am just mortified by the way I was treated (before I even came at that!) I am currently on quarantine and was trying to reschedule for this weekend. Heather told me to reach out to HipCamp because they control the camping (so I did that) HipCamp told me that they would need to reach out to Heather for her to approve the reschedule. I called Heather twice, once on Wednesday and once today. The first time to ask how to reschedule and the second to see if HipCamp reached out to her (because they told me they did) Heather acted like I had been blowing her phone up for days, she told me I was annoying her and that “if I were me I’d be more worried about my health then my camping reservation” she also told me that now because I’ve “annoyed her” she would not approve the reschedule. She also called me liar and said “if I had truly reached out to HipCamp the way I said I did then she would have already received a message from them” I offered to send her a screen shot of the email they sent me and she responded with “oh great blow my phone up some more” I never once was rude, I was trying to be respectful and 1. Not spread covid 19 to her campground and facility. And 2. My camp site was booked for tonight and I didn’t want to take up the space so someone else could enjoy it. I started the process of trying to reschedule on Wednesday and here it is Saturday with no resolve. I can’t believe that anyone who runs a business could treat a paying customer the way she treated me. I am in the veterinary field and I truly hope she treats her animals better than she does her customers. I ended up donating over $100 to the animals because she would not refund me. She said I could reschedule (although she said she wouldn’t approve it anyway) or I could get a gift certificate or donate. So out of the kindness of my heart I donated it, hopefully it goes to an animal that needs it. Below is the attached photo of HipCamp saying they reached out to her. Edit to add: I have also been informed that she is under investigation for donation fraud, so that’s just great.

Carl Gottlieb

AMAZING! Very friendly staff. Let us give medication to one of the wolves. Felt like part of the pack! Wolves were well behaved and very kind.

Zachary Jellison

If you are one of the MANY people who have been ripped off by this place, I encourage you to do what I did: File Form 13909 with the IRS. This Form is a Tax Exempt Organization Complaint form, and it identifies 501(c)(3) organizations that engage in illegal and unethical behaviors. On that form, I encourage you to check the box that says, "Organization engaged in deceptive or improper fundraising practices." I already filed this form. I encourage the rest of you to do it as well, so that Kisma Preserve, and especially the lunatic director Heather, can be held legally accountable for stealing money from people.

Stephanie Brown

I did a private tour and it was 100% worth it. I was able to see all the animals, and it’s not just wolves. They are all well cared for, I learned the history of each of them, and was able to interact with and feed several of them. It makes my heart happy that there are places like this in the world.

Jillian Bleakney

I never write reviews but this was hands down a 5 star experience. Yes it can be expensive depending on which package you buy but this is how they take care of the animals! You can also do a cheaper package to play the nicest wolf in the world instead of a full experience, tell me who else is offering that?! This was such an up close and personal tour, the woman running the Preserve was extremely knowledgeable and lives to care for the animals. All of the animals are happy and healthy and I would definitely come here again to see fluffy! We loved this and it made our trip. Thank you kisma preserve!

bernard cough

Kisma preserve is fantastic! I've been going for years and love to visit the animals here. You can pay a little extra and have unique and memorable experiences with some of the animals, which is DEFINITELY worth it. Recently they've even started offering on site camping with nice private campsites. Much better than the over crowded campgrounds in nearby bar harbor.

Lara Tuck

Awesome place to visit.. had some great experiences with the different animals. Where else can you hold a skunk, walk w wolves or feed a black bear

Sherri Bright

I've read most of these reviews and decided to leave one of my own, because I think I had a unique experience that was a combination of a one star experience and a five star experience (which is why I went with three stars). I arrived at 4:45 for my 5:00 reservation and was told they were not expecting anyone at 5:00. I said that the person I spoke to on the phone told me she was really busy at the time and I hoped she didn't forget to put us down. Apparently that offended the owner, because she started yelling at me. She was very rude! She went in to check her reservations, came back and said that they did have me down for 5:00 but that I hadn't paid like I thought. I remember transferring the money into my checking account and giving my card number to the woman on the phone when I made my reservation, so I'm not sure why it did not get run, but it had not come out of my bank account, so I paid. At this point, it was 5:10. They told me we could rush the tour or wait till 6:00. It stunk having to wait another hour, but I do think it was worth it. It is expensive, but I guess it can be, because you cant do this kind of thing anywhere else (that I know of). I do think the animals are well loved and cared for, and when we were on our tour, the owner and helper were much nicer.

Ruth Grierson

Do not go! TWO EMPLOYEES INCLUDING THE DIRECTOR HAVE COVID!

Steven Campbell

Owner appears to be under investigation for elder abuse in her personal life AND donation fraud in her professional life. Please avoid if you actually care about animal welfare

Sam Parkker

I've spent 22 years of my life up and around this area every summer and never knew what the kisma preserve was until earlier today. It's somewhere I've always been interested in seeing and I'm glad we went. Small non profit that takes in rehabilitated animals as well as abandoned pets and animals that can't be re released. More places like this are needed. Staff if incredibly knowledgeable and animals are well cared for. This place deserves a grant to expand and continue its phenomenal work. I will not hesistate to return and spread the word.

christopher j Smith

This was a huge waste of money! This claims to be a preserve when the lady giving the tour admitted she bought a wolf from her friend, that is a breeder!!! She travels to Florida, bringing animals back and forth. She said this all during the tour. I paid $70, and mostly got to see some llamas, parrots, an owl and tortois. Maybe 5 minutes with the wolf. Don't get sucked into this tourist trap!!!!

Johnny Ringo

SCAM. Kisma Preserve is currently under investigation for donation fraud!

Kris Lawson

Great place to take the kids

Ike Ingle

One of the best experiences of my life. Great staff beautiful animals

Niel Belmont

Great place to visit.

Cynthia Abbott

Absolutely wonderful experience! Private tour for my husband, 11 year old daughter and myself as a suprise Christmas family outing. Made my daughter's dream of spending time with her favorite animal come true - complete with wolf kisses- priceless!

Matthew Geib

I would not trust these 1 star reviews. If I had to guess they were people who couldn’t follow directions and are salty. My girlfriend and I just did the VIP tour and it was an incredible experience. Heather and the other woman at the preserve were so nice and really took the time to educate us and answer all of our questions. They were very explicit with their directions which is something my girlfriend and I appreciated so much because these are animals that can be very dangerous! It is all for the safety of us, them and the animals. If you follow directions you will have a VERY wonderful time and get to do things you never thought you ever would like feed a bear, walk a wolf, hold a skunk, see a Lynx…… truly an amazing experience!!!!

Piotr Pietruczuk

Fantastic time! Got to feed marshmallows to Flipper the bear and see wolves, lynx, and goats up close. Did I mentioned I also got to feed marshmallows to a 700 pound black bear? Amazing.

Lacy Labow

We went for a visit late last summer with my family, and have been meaning to write a review ever since. All I can say is give this place a miss if you are truly an animal lover, do not enable this place to operate any longer by making a donation or purchasing tickets. They operate under the pretense of a non profit, but actually it is nothing but a small, dirty & overpriced roadside attraction using innocent animals to make money for the director "Heather" who runs this place. Very sad & heartbreaking situation. Hope this place gets closed down and the remaining animals get placed at a facility that actually cares about their wellbeing.

Sarah

Great place to get close to some wild animals. We stopped after a hike at Acadia, and took a short tour of the preserve. $20 for the two of us, was well worth the price! They charge extra if you want to play with the pup wolf. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave great insight into the personalities of these animals. Very enjoyable experience :) They have a huge black bear, a bunch of wolves, and a lot more...

April Smith

I MADE A RESERVATION SUNDAY MORNING FOR 6 PM, HAD TO CANCEL IT SUNDAY AFTERNOON. $180 WAS TAKEN FROM MY BANK ACCOUNT. I CALLED TO DISCUSS THE MISTAKE AND THEY SAID ITS NON REFUNDABLE- I WAS NOT TOLD THIS WHEN I MADE RESERVATION, IN FACT, I WAS NOT TOLD AN AMOUNT EITHER! THEY REFUSE TO REFUND MY MONEY!! DO NOT DO BUSINESS HERE!!

John Grierson

Don’t believe the fake five star reviews that Heather leaves for herself. Heather is a terrible person who abuses her own elderly mother.

Margret Smith

This place is not worth the money or effort to go see. Small, dirty, unkempt. In other words not well run...If you truly value & love wild animals then do not go here and pay your hard earned money to the unscrupulous owner who is the female version of Joe Exotic. Sad sad sad place.

Ryan Walsh

ZERO STARS. I would give zero stars if possible. Booked a tour for my girlfriends bday a month in advance. Showed up, was greeted by one, then another tiger king style “volunteer” (vagrant). Told that the tour I had booke d was full and that the owner/proprietor was with the animals now and couldn’t be bothered. Was stolen from, and told refunds were not something they offer. Once we were standing near the actual place, it was clear to see how poorly it is run, and how little care is put into the establishment. I can’t imagine what’s going on inside. Finally received a call back from the owner who spoke to me in a very condescending tone while lying through her teeth and telling me that I will not be refunded. Avoid at all costs. Also please read the other reviews. I wish I had done so before booking.