Roer's Zoofari facts for kids

Roer's Zoofari is a fun family zoo located in Reston, Virginia, USA. It covers 30 acres and has lots of animals to see. You can visit a petting barn and even go on exciting safari wagon rides around the park! The zoo is home to many animals like lambs, camels, monkeys, zebras, bisons, ducks, goats, horses, buffalos, and a tall giraffe. There's also a special reptile house where you can see alligators and other cool creatures.

A Look Back at Roer's Zoofari

The story of Roer's Zoofari began in 1975. A local person named Mack Slye "Jack" Crippen Jr. opened a place called Pet-A-Pet Farm. He owned a large piece of land near Lake Fairfax Park. Jack Crippen loved collecting exotic animals. He got many animals from a wildlife park that was closing down.

After a few years, Pet-A-Pet Farm closed in 1978. Most of the 500 animals found new homes. One of the last animals to leave was a 17-year-old Asian elephant named Topsy. She found a new place to live after the farm closed.

However, an employee named Mark Smith decided to try and reopen the park. He found help from a businessman named Robert D. Johnson. The zoo reopened in the spring of 1980 with a new name: Pet Farm Park.

In 1993, the park changed its name again to Reston Animal Park.

A few years later, in 1999, the Johnsons moved Reston Animal Park to a new location in Loudoun County. They later changed its name to the Leesburg Animal Park in 2001.

Since the land in Reston had to be used as a zoo or open space, a couple named Eric and Janet Mogensen leased it. They brought in new animals and opened the Reston Zoo in the spring of 2000. In 2009, the Mogensens bought the property.

Then, in March 2016, Vanessa Stoffel and Jacob Roer bought the Reston Zoo. They gave it its current name, Roer's Zoofari!

Meet the Animals!

Roer's Zoofari is home to a wide variety of animals from all over the world. You can see many different types of creatures during your visit.