Meet Gina Mackovic | Owner and operator at Lil’ Buckaroo’s Petting Zoo

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gina Mackovic and we’ve shared our conversation below (Shoutout Colorado Magazine).

Hi Gina, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My husband and I were cooped up in the house during the beginning of the pandemic with three small children. We started to realize how much we rely on grocery stores, Amazon, etc to get everything we need. We decided we wanted to get back to our roots! But how? I had only seen most farm animals in a book. I wasn’t much of a gardener. Luckily my husband had grown up on a farm and was a bit more savvy than me about how it was going to get done. We started looking for the perfect property. Once we found our farm in Erie, we realized we had so many exciting ideas. This was going to be more of a project than we had originally thought. It always is right?! Just like myself, our kids, and all of the families we knew, we hadn’t experienced “farm life” and there began our dream of a petting zoo and interactive farm. We built an 8,400 sq ft barn and brought the sweetest animals from around the US that we could find. These animals are very special, unique breeds, with calm dispositions (well, except for the rowdy goats ). We set out to create a fun, interactive, and educational experience for children and adults alike. Our farm allows visitors to interact with our animals, learn about environmentally sustainable practices, and we are now implementing an animal therapy program.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Lil’ Buckaroo’s Petting Zoo is a place that people can go and spend time with animals on the farm. We are most proud of the animals we have and the environment that we have created. We pride ourselves on working with and training our animals consistently, so that in-turn our guests can connect with them on a deeper level. Watching visitors laugh and heal when visiting with our animals is our joy. We have a care team to watch over their diet and health, as well as care for and clean our brand new barn. We are handicap accessible and open year round to provide a wonderful place for the community to visit and become educated on our animals and sustainable farming practices.