Popcorn Park Animal Refuge
Refuge Hours:
10AM - 4PM
Open Daily
1 Humane Way Forked River, NJ 08731
Popcorn Park Animal Refuge
Refuge Hours:
10AM - 4PM
Open Daily
1 Humane Way Forked River, NJ 08731
- Adults – $12.00
- Seniors – 62+ $7.00
- Children 3 to 11 – $7.00 (children under 3 are free)
- Wildlife Club & Zoological Society Members – FREE!
- Military – $8 for adults, $3 children & seniors (62+)
- Picnic area available outside refuge entrance.
Click here for Group Reservations and Tours
Cold drinks and ice cream available-NO OUTSIDE FOOD IN PARK.
Pets, emotional support and therapy animals are not permitted. Only working service animals are permitted, in accordance with the American with Disabilities Act.
The sandy terrain of Popcorn Park Refuge is not conducive to standard handicap wheelchairs or strollers. Upon request, a beach terrain wheelchair is available.
Feeding of animals in the Park is not allowed due to the animals requiring specialized diets. We have suspended the feeding of popcorn and peanuts due to health concerns.
Holiday hours
Spring & summer
Closes at 3:00pm. Last admission 2:30pm. Enjoy the park a little earlier in the day on these dates.
- Easter
- Memorial day
- 4th of July
- Labor day
Fall & winter
Closed all day. Our animals and staff take these days off too. Regular hours resume the next day.
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas eve
- Christmas day
- New year's eve & day
About The Animals
Exotic Animals
Exotic animals are generally considered to be not native to this part of the world, and Popcorn Park has plenty of these! We are currently home to big cats, plenty of primates, bobcats, and many more species!
Wildlife Animals
Wildlife consists of animals who are native to one’s own country, and Popcorn Park provides spacious arrangements to many animals that would normally live in the wild in North America, but whose ability to survive was somehow compromised. Any wildlife that comes to Popcorn Park and which can be released is returned to its natural habitat.
Farm Animals
Farm animals are often the gentlest of animals, though we have several who have quite a sense of themselves! Quite a few of our residents have been saved from, or escaped from, slaughter; others were once `pets’ or `projects’ that were later unwanted. Still others were rescued from starvation, ran the streets as `strays’, and were brought to us because they were babies that couldn’t stand or had been unwanted gifts to humans. The reason why we have the variety of animals we do is as diverse as the species themselves! Among our farm animals are sheep, horses, donkeys, goats, cows, and pigs.
Learn About Us
A Refuge For Animals In Need
Popcorn Park is a sanctuary for animals who face desperate circumstances and/or death. Popcorn Park began in 1977 when we rescued and treated a raccoon caught in a leg-hold trap. We gave him a home for life as he could never be released and survive.
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.
Popcorn Park Refuge, located in the scenic Pine Barrens of Ocean County, New Jersey, is now home to over 200 animals and birds, all of which are provided spacious living quarters and assured a lifetime of good care. All residents may be sponsored through the Wildlife Club and/or the Popcorn Park Zoological Society.
Become a Wildlife Club Sponsor
Support Popcorn Park residents with a sponsorship. View all the animals in need of support.
Zoological Society
Choose the type of membership you’d like in the Zoological Society.
Purchase A Gift Card
A gift card to Popcorn Park Animal Refuge makes the perfect gift for a friend or loved one.
FAQs
Yes! We are always accepting donations. Monetary donations can be made online or in person by visiting one of our locations. Donations of blankets, towels, sheets, linens, and toys can be made any day of the week between 9am and 5pm.
Yes, you can use strollers on premise. Be mindful that the pathways are unpaved and a bit bumpy in some areas.
Although our grounds are unpaved, we are wheelchair friendly. Due to the sandy soil, we have two beach wheelchairs available.
