Little Ray’s Nature Centre

Visit this exotic animal rescue in rural Ottawa to learn about reptiles, birds, spiders and mammals, from pythons and porcupines to the ever-popular sloths.

Book a private visit to this zoo in the rural Ottawa community of Sarsfield and you may see crocodiles, lemurs, basilisks, tarantulas, macaws and many other animals—80 percent of them former pets. The sloths are so beloved that they have their own separate tour, where you can hand feed the gentle, low-speed mammals and take selfies with them. Groups are welcome.

Paul “Little Ray” Goulet and his wife Sheri started Little Ray’s Nature Centre when his collection of reptiles outgrew their Ottawa home. The small zoo they founded in 2000 has since grown into the largest exotic animal rescue in Canada, as well as one of North America’s most diverse animal outreach and education programs, with a variety of animals extending far beyond reptiles.