Popcorn Park Zoo is a small, non-profit animal sanctuary in Forked River, New Jersey, where more than 200 rescued exotic, farm, and wild animals live out their lives after being abandoned, injured, or abused. It’s not a traditional zoo stocked from breeders — every single resident, from lions to llamas, came from a bad situation and ended up here instead.
If you’ve spent any time poking around Ocean County looking for something off the beaten path, you’ve probably heard someone mention it in passing. It’s the kind of place locals grew up visiting on field trips and now drag their own kids to, half out of nostalgia and half because it’s genuinely one of the more interesting stops in the Pine Barrens.
What Exactly Is Popcorn Park Zoo?
Popcorn Park Animal Refuge is a small non-profit 7-acre animal refuge and sanctuary located in Forked River, New Jersey, within Lacey Township. According to the Associated Humane Societies, the refuge is “a sanctuary for abandoned, injured, ill, exploited, abused or elderly wildlife, exotic and farm animals, and birds.” It runs under the umbrella of the Associated Humane Societies, an organization with deep roots in the state — founded in 1906 as the largest animal sheltering system in New Jersey.
Unlike a typical zoo, nothing here was bred or purchased for display. The zoo does not breed or buy animals, and instead relies on donations from the public to care for the animals. Every enclosure has a backstory, and most of them aren’t happy ones — which is exactly what makes a visit here feel different from an afternoon at a standard zoo.
How a Single Raccoon Started It All
The origin story is almost too simple. Popcorn Park began in 1977 when the organization rescued and treated a raccoon caught in a leg-hold trap, giving him a home for life since he could never be released and survive. That one act of taking in an animal nobody else wanted turned into a full-blown sanctuary. Soon Popcorn Park became a permanent home to exotics, wildlife, farm animals, and birds who suffered abandonment, cruelty, injury, illness, handicap, exploitation, old age, inappropriate ownership, or who could not be safely returned to the wild.
Nearly fifty years later, the mission hasn’t changed. The main goal of the zoo is the welfare, care and rehabilitation of abused, abandoned, exploited, sick or elderly animals, which incorporates not only dogs and cats but also farm animals, wild species, exotic species and birds. There’s even a working animal shelter and adoption center on-site for dogs and cats, tucked in alongside the tigers and camels.
Who You’ll Actually Meet There
This is where Popcorn Park earns its “unusual” label. The refuge is home to over 200 animals including Bengal tigers, Siberian tigers, African lions, cougars, American black bears, an Arabian camel from the Rough Point estate of Doris Duke, and numerous species of monkeys (including four baboons), foxes, and white-tailed deer.
That camel deserves its own paragraph. The cunning camel was once the personal pet of heiress Doris Duke, the only child of tobacco and electric energy tycoon James Buchanan Duke, who raised Princess and her sister Babe from youngsters. Princess became something of a local celebrity, correctly predicting Super Bowl winners for years before she died in 2014. Somewhere in New Jersey, a camel that once lounged on the lawn of a Newport mansion spent her retirement charming families in the Pine Barrens — you can’t make that up.
The zoo has also been a landing spot for animals other facilities simply couldn’t keep. Director John Bergmann has explained that what makes Popcorn Park stand out is that its staff takes in animals other facilities can’t care for anymore, including a group of big cats that arrived from Alabama in 2016 — one lion, Simba, was severely underweight and plagued by parasites before being nursed back to health. There was also an elephant at one point: the refuge was once home to a large elephant rescued from a zoo in Mexico, and upon her passing, her enclosure became home to several llamas who now enjoy the open space.
Why It Feels Different From a Regular Zoo Visit
Walking through Popcorn Park doesn’t feel like a typical zoo trip, and that’s intentional. This isn’t just a zoo — it’s a haven for animals who have been abandoned, injured, or abused and cannot return to the wild, and it provides an educational experience for kids to understand the importance of animal care and conservation. Signage throughout the park tells you exactly how each animal ended up there, so instead of just gawking at a tiger, you’re reading about the specific rescue that brought it to Forked River.
It’s also refreshingly low-key. It’s a smaller zoo, easily walkable for all ages — you should be able to see every animal, from American black bears and Bengal tigers to monkeys and wallabies, in about an hour or less. No crowds, no lines, no gift shop pushing plush toys at every turn. Just gravel paths, pine trees, and animals that clearly aren’t going anywhere in a hurry either.
Planning Your Visit
A few practical things worth knowing before you head down Lacey Road. Feeding animals used to be a signature part of the experience — kids bought little bags of popcorn and peanuts and fed geese and goats right through the fence. That changed a few years back. An avian flu outbreak at the refuge caused dozens of birds to be euthanized, and as a result, guests could no longer purchase popcorn and peanuts to feed the animals. The policy has stuck around since, and the official refuge site confirms feeding of animals in the park is not allowed due to the animals requiring specialized diets, and popcorn and peanut feeding has been suspended due to health concerns. Don’t plan your whole trip around feeding the wildlife — bring a camera instead.
There’s no outside food allowed inside the gates, but most visitors bring a lunch and eat at the picnic tables just outside the main entrance, since there aren’t any food establishments within a few miles of the entrance. Parking can get tight, too — the lot at the end of Humane Way fills up quickly, so most people end up parking along Lacey Road instead, which means being careful crossing a fairly busy road.
Because hours and admission pricing have shifted over the years (and can vary seasonally), your best move is checking the Associated Humane Societies’ Popcorn Park page directly before you drive out. Bring cash for the entrance fee, wear shoes that can handle sandy, uneven trails, and give yourself an hour or two to wander.
Is Popcorn Park Zoo Worth the Trip?
If you’re expecting a big, polished zoo experience with sprawling exhibits and a food court, you’ll be disappointed. But that’s not really the point. Popcorn Park is small on purpose, and every animal you meet has a name, a history, and a reason for being there that usually starts with someone else failing it. It’s an easy add-on if you’re already exploring Ocean County or the Jersey Shore’s quieter stretches, and it’s the rare attraction where paying admission genuinely goes toward keeping an animal fed and cared for. That’s a pretty good reason to make the detour.
NOTE TO THE ADVENTURER: This guide is meant to spark curiosity for what lies beyond the horizon — not to serve as a guarantee. Roads fall into disrepair, buildings are torn down and rebuilt, and properties change hands; 'tis your responsibility to do your own research before setting out. Always heed local and regional law, and always respect ground that isn't your own. Take every entry here as a suggestion, not a decree. This guide's contents were gathered with the aid of artificial intelligence, and like any scout, it will from time to time lead you astray. You assume all risk in following its counsel, and neither this blog nor its author is liable for any loss, injury, or misfortune that results.
