Sometimes we hear stories about people who have left their humble upbringing in a small town to pursue their dreams. This is not that story. This is the story of a girl who came back to her hometown to realize her dream of building an immersive zoo experience where animals and wildlife are not only within reach, but where you can interact with tigers, flamingos, armadillos and rare snakes. This dream is called Zoovolution, and the dreamer is 33-year-old Kayla Kolberg from Baroda.
“I wanted something our community could create together. Zoovolution is for anyone who has ever wanted to see a tiger up close and personal and has never gotten to do that. I’ve been up close with lions, tigers, rhinos and giraffes. I cry every time I see them and touch them. I am in awe that we get to be near these amazing animals, and I want everyone to have that experience. That feeling of awe,” says Kayla.
When Kayla was 10-years-old she thought how great it would be to build an ‘epic” facility where people could have a hands-on, immersive experience with animals. She knew it meant the way a zoo was viewed would have to evolve. She thought out a plan to change the rules, to think bigger and better. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to achieve it.
At Zoovolution visitors are close to guaranteed to have a personal experience with the animals. For example, walking with an animal trainer down the path with a herd of flamingoes, holding rare boa constrictors, or being with a tiger keeper in the animal’s enclosure to learn to learn how to train a tiger.
To achieve the knowledge and experience she needed, Kayla went to school at Oregon State to get bachelor’s degree in natural resources with a specialized option in Endangered Species Biology. Then she went and worked at zoos all over the world to work with domestic and exotic animals, so she could learn everything she could about them and their habits.
“A lot of people think elephants can’t tolerate the cold but they love the snow. They get snowfall in areas where they originate and lot of my friends who are zookeepers let their zoo’s elephants out for a few hours, you should see how much they love to play in the snow. They have thick skin and hair that protects them and even when they can’t go out in the snow, zookeepers bring some snow in and the elephants play with the snow and throw it up in the air with their trunks,” she laughs.
Kayla is currently working with a VIP team to create a 10-year-plan for an immersive facility here in Berrien County that includes 150 to 200 individual animals, from the smallest insects to giant elephants, housed locally in a mixture of large bioactive indoor, and natural outdoor habitats. Visitors will be able to move through the habitats even in the winter by going outside and seeing animals and then coming into warm, climate-controlled sound stage size habitats, to interact with the animals.
The project is currently in the process of securing property, finding investors, enlisting corporate sponsors and letting the community come be a part of the Zoovolution.
Their first local awareness event is being held Saturday September 25th at the Baroda American Legion and is free through sponsorship by Honor Credit Union. Attendees will not only learn more about the project but will be able to experience a safe, hands-on animal meet and greet with rare and unusual animals such as a Dumerils Boa Constrictor, some very personable Armadillos, and rare giant Aldabra Tortoises. This family friendly event will also have food, an auction, and a 50/50 raffle. It will be $5 to get in.
“This might be the wildest business conceived in Berrien County; literally,” Says Kayla. “It’s a full-on immersive education in animals from around the world that is above and beyond a petting zoo. Zoovolution will teach people what it is like to interact with animals, what it means to be a zookeeper, and will bring about 200 jobs to our area.”
To learn more about Zoovolution visit their website at http://thezoovolution.com.
