For most people out there, walking into a massive barn filled with giraffes isn’t your everyday experience. But for Jordan Patch, it’s just another day on the job, and it’s been that way for close to seven years now.

“When the park added giraffes in 2015, that was huge because it was the first time in 50 years our area had giraffes in exhibit, and by April’s pregnancy going viral on 2017, it truly put Animal Adventure on the worldwide stage,” said Patch, Animal Adventure Park owner.

If you’ve never been to Animal Adventure, chances are you know April the Giraffe, and while she unfortunately passed last year, her memory continues to live on at the park. And as Patch made his way through that park, a park he created from scratch back in 2012, it was hard to not think back to a simpler time.

“As a child, I dreamed of working with animals and with sketch farms and zoos with hopes and dreams of someday working in that capacity,” said Patch.

Not only did that dream come true, but Animal Adventure just received the accreditation of the Zoological Association of America. It’s the first facility in New York to earn that accreditation.

“Accreditation is a gesture to our guests, our supporters, that we take our responsibility seriously. Our responsibility to maintain safe and practical standards for our animals, to maintain safe and practical standards for our guests and visitation, but also to embrace the responsibility of the role we’re playing in the zoological community," said Patch.

While Patch and the park have had a lot of success over the years, there have difficult times, especially during the pandemic.

“Our expenses don’t disappear with a closure. Our expenses are there whether people are walking through the door or not, so that was terrifying. Losing May, 2020 was catastrophic to the revenue side of the organization,” said Patch.

While the zoo is closed for the season, Patch said there’s going to be a lot to look forward to in just a couple of months. The park will open its doors for its tenth season on Wednesday, April 27.