Lake Tobias
Lake Tobias Wildlife Park located in small-town Halifax, Pa., is a family-run, zoo-like park that started in 1965. The late J.R. Tobias and his wife Pauline lived in Halifax after they were married, in the house J.R. grew up in. Pauline said in an interview that her husband always had a love for animals, having many pets when he was younger. She admitted that after growing up on a farm she had hoped to never marry a farmer, which she didn’t, but they did end up with many animals, beyond the typical farm animal.
Lake Tobias is home to monkeys, tigers, lions, kangaroos, wallabies, peacocks, chickens, roosters, alligators, parrots, goats, sheep, deer, snakes and many other mammals, reptiles and birds. What makes it unique compared to other zoos is that it's run by the Tobias family. Pauline still lives in the house that is located on the park grounds. The petting zoo is right across from her porch, while the reptile building is next to her backyard.
After spending some time there, I learned that peacocks make a loud squawking noise that I didn't expect. I asked Pauline how she sleeps at night because they roam the grounds freely, and tend to hang out around the house. She said that it has never bothered her, and her favorite animal at the park are the peacocks.
After J.R. Tobias passed, ownership of the park went to his seven children. Jan Kieffer Tobias, one of the seven, explained that her oldest sister has passed since then, and her ownership then went to her son. Thepark is now run by Jan, her three sisters, two brothers and nephew.
