Known for bringing animals to events and shows throughout McHenry County and beyond as part of A Zoo to You, Corey Hancock hopes to create a permanent zoo.
He has land in mind – about 200 acres off of Route 14 between Harvard and Woodstock – and plans in place. Along with a zoo, his new venture, called Wild Heart Adventure, would include a campground and wedding venue.
It also would feature a virtual zoo, offering live feeds of the animals and remote learning opportunities for educators.
A dream of Hancock’s for years, the public zoo would be McHenry County’s first. And he’s determined to see it through as a destination for “family, education and community to come together.”
“Everything is kind of in place ready to go,” he said. “It’s just finding the funding to make it happen.”
In support of his Wild Heart Adventure effort, a GoFundMe page has been set up at gofund.me/e7cb67ee with a goal of raising $200,000 and he’s sharing plans at Wildheartadv.com. Hancock also has been in communication with county officials as he looks for other potential funding and grants.
Located in unincorporated McHenry County, the land he aims to build on remains undeveloped and would need utilities, among a vast array of work.
“I planned to self-fund as much as I can, but coming back from the pandemic, my hands are tied,” Hancock said. “Everything I’ve had I built. It’s kind of taking it step by step, basically leaning on every avenue I can to make it happen.”
Hancock intends to eventually absorb A Zoo to You into his new venture, still offering the “mobile zoo” he provides now as a branch of Wild Heart Adventures.
A part of Santa’s Village AZoosment Park in East Dundee from 2002 until Hancock took over sole ownership in 2016, A Zoo To You offers a traveling petting zoo, exotic animal shows, pony carousels, reindeer displays and more.
Since venturing out on his own with a wide range of animals – including ponies, reindeer, exotic mammals, reptiles and birds – Hancock averaged about 400 events and shows a year throughout McHenry County, the greater Chicago region, Wisconsin and Indiana.
But A Zoo to You struggled through the pandemic. For a time, Hancock worried he’d lose the business as bookings were canceled. He had to sell some animals, mainly goats and sheep, to keep afloat.
“We kind of bounced back,” he said. “This is an attempt to broaden my spectrum to where I don’t have to worry about that again, if there is another [COVID-19] shutdown. … That is one of the big reasons I’m doing it. I don’t want to be put in that position again, something I have no control over.”
Hancock now has about 130 animals, the start of what he hopes to be the first phase of Wild Heart Adventures.
Aside from the physical zoo, the virtual zoo would provide a unique interactive experience for remote learners throughout the world, Hancock said. He envisions curriculum specifically designed around the zoo, with not only live feeds of the animals, but also live feeds of speakers from the zoo.
The entire Wild Heart Adventures project would give families the opportunity to experience nature firsthand and make memories, Hancock said.
“I get a lot of positive feedback of what people want, and McHenry County doesn’t haven anything like it,” he said. “It’s trying to bring something to the county and local area that’s exciting and new and to get people outdoors.”
Plans are to first branch out with animals, such as wolves, kangaroos, wallabies and bobcats, and eventually add larger animals, such as lions, tigers and bears.
Before A Zoo to You, Hancock worked as a trainer with large carnivores for 13 years.
“I’m very experienced with what needs to be done,” he said.
After the expansion of animals would come the 30-site campground and, finally, the wedding venue. Campers would get perks, such as night tours, as they camp in an area outside the zoo. They’ll be close enough to hear the sounds of animals at night, but still have their own space, Hancock said.
Similarly, the wedding venue would be secluded enough so that patrons have a choice between simply using it as a venue or making the zoo part of the experience, he said.
Hancock wishes he could start the project today to open Wild Heart Adventures as soon as possible.
“Ideally, in the perfect world, my goal would be summer, but there’s a long road ahead,” he said.