There’s a new pet shop in Mansfield with a walk-thru safari. At 1500 W. Fourth St., the Sigman family rehabilitates and rescues animals they’ve saved from bad situations.
The safari animals on the tour are not for sale,” John Sigman said. “If I feel any of our animals are unhappy, I will relocate them to a better facility,” he said.
He said a bobcat named Weezer wasn’t as happy as she could have been.
“We located a zoo in Europe and we paid to have her shipped out there, and she is happier in this new environment,” he said.
Sigman, a Madison Comprehensive High School graduate, said he got into the business because he loves fish. He was commuting outside Mansfield to find other fish as a hobbyist from other pet stores.
“Instead of traveling, I decided to open my own pet shop,” he said.
The safari has large enclosures and is well-maintained. The birds include a Ross’s turaco from Africa named Kevin.
The safari lets the public learn about animals and birds, including a baby bobcat named Nola, lemurs, foxes, a young kangaroo named Jack Jack and an assortment of talkative birds.
“This guy is actually brokered from another zoo. Zoos are only allowed to have so many in their facility, so we take the babies and we raise them up, and then they go to a sanctuary once they reach about two years old,” he said.
Jack Jack is about a year old.
“He’s our second kangaroo. They go to a sanctuary in South Carolina and they live out the rest of their lives there,” he said.
He said the family plans to open an otter encounter where customers can swim with otters.
Oscar, who is all white, is an umbrella cockatoo.
Sigman and his family members consider their rescues as pets and treat them as such. Sometimes they take them home.
The pet shop has been open about a year.
The walk-thru safari is $5 per person ages 2 and older. The experience is open 12-7 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The pet shop is located behind Shirt Shack on West Fourth Street.
Several pets from on display at Bartram’s Outdoor Vehicles May 29
Bartram’s Outdoor Vehicles at 1210 W. Fourth St. is having an event on May 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with food trucks, exotic animals and outdoor vehicles.
Jacob Bartrum of the outdoor vehicles business said the event is open to everyone to come and see outdoor vehicles and a petting zoo.
Blair’s Burger Planet food truck will be onsite selling food.
Admission is free.
Contact Lou Whitmire at 419-521-7223. Reach her at X at @lwhitmir.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: New Mansfield pet shop has walk-thru safari with rescued animals
Reporting by Lou Whitmire, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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