Wildlife viewing abundant at Maine Wildlife Park

By Ed Pierce

The Maine Wildlife Park has been around since the 1990s, but for the 2026 season, visitors to the park will discover some distinct changes.

The newest animal at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray is a
1-year-old bobcat named Moxie who joined 30 different
Maine wildlife species there this spring after sustaining
an injury that didn't allow her to be returned to her
natural habitats.  COURTESY PHOTO 

Located at 56 Game Park Road in Gray, the park is home to 30 different Maine wildlife species, including its newest animal, a one-year-old bobcat named Moxie. The bobcat has tiny tufts of fur from the top of her ears to the black and white tip of her signature bobbed tail.

Moxie joined the wildlife park this spring after sustaining an injury that didn’t allow her to be returned to her natural habitats. Like all the other animals at the wildlife park, many are here because they were injured or orphaned, and others because they are human dependent having been raised in captivity.

The Maine Wildlife Park is owned and operated by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and is within the Division of Information and Education. Besides the animals, park visitors can enjoy wildlife gardens, nature trails, picnic areas, the park visitor center, a nature store, and other attractions.

Almost every species cared for at the wildlife park are native to Maine. Many animals in the park’s care are permanent, non-releasable residents that have been placed at the park for a variety of reasons, including human dependence, illegal human possession, as orphans, or with permanent injuries. Sources for these animals include wildlife rehabilitators, law enforcement, and other captive wildlife facilities. Most of the animals are not undergoing rehabilitation but are there because they cannot survive in the wild and should not be released. They are given a place to live safely at the wildlife park, while serving as ambassadors for their species, educating thousands annually about Maine’s native wildlife.

Park animals are herbivorous, omnivorous, and carnivorous animals and their diets range from browsing leaves, buds and twigs of woody shrubs and trees to red meat, chicken, and mice. Road-killed deer and moose are used for the carnivores whenever available. Most of the park’s wildlife is fed once a day but feeding times, quantities, and techniques vary considerably.

Among larger mammals to see are black bears, Canada lynx, cougars, white-tailed deer and a moose. There are also beavers, fisher cats, coyotes, raccoons, red foxes, skunks, grey foxes and bobcats. The park is home to porcupines, woodchucks, flying squirrels and small rodents, along with wood turtles, great horned owls, wild turkeys, bald eagles, and more.

The Maine Warden Museum is also on the grounds of the Maine Wildlife Park and features informative videos about the Maine Warden Service, memorabilia and equipment including a canoe, vintage snowmobile and an older model three-wheeler.

Visitors can tour the adjacent Dry Mills Fish Hatchery with a new interpretive building and trout pond there, trout observation tanks and thousands of brook trout which are raised at the hatchery every year.

This year the Maine Wildlife Park is allowing guests to use credit cards to pay for entry. And for the first time, visitors are now able to purchase Maine Wildlife Park passes online, either for the entire season or for single-day admission.

Through October, the Maine Wildlife Park is open seven days a week at 9:30 a.m. and the gate closes at 4:30 p.m. but visitors inside the park are welcome to stay until 6 p.m. The park does close during severe weather.

For more specific details, visit https://www.maine.gov/ifw/wildlife-park/ or find them on Facebook. <