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A small team of wildlife keepers care for the animals at the Maine Wildlife Park year-round, but they also invest time and labor into the park experience.

Visitors will see updated features including a new entryway and nature shop, as well as a small terrace and garden in the middle of the park.

Maine Wildlife Park Assistant Superintendent Ben Barrett feeds browse to Byron, a 12-year-old moose, Tuesday at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. Browse is a supplement to Byron’s regular meals, providing a similar food that he would otherwise find in the wild. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Bonnie, a 22-year-old Canada lynx, is one of the animals visitors will see at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, which opens Wednesday for the season. Bonnie, seen Tuesday, is possibly the oldest lynx in captivity in the United States, a park official said. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Maine Wildlife Park intern Garrett Bosse hangs a duck on the park’s mural Tuesday in preparation for opening day Wednesday. The wildlife keepers said it signifies the start of the season and remains until the season ends in the fall. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Luvey, a 9-year-old cinnamon phase black bear, sits in her enclosure Tuesday at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. Luvey awoke from her winter hibernation just in time for the opening of the 2026 season on Wednesday. The park is planning to hold a birthday celebration in her honor when she turns 10 in July. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Wildlife keeper Quinn Santos, left, and intern Garrett Bosse rake leaves Tuesday in preparation for opening day Wednesday at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. Assistant Superintendent Ben Barrett said his staff works 365 days of the year to tend the animals. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Longtime volunteer Fred DiBello installs handmade letters Tuesday for the nature store at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, the day before the park opens for the season. The wood was repurposed from cedar fence posts in the park. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Byron, a 12-year-old moose, looks cautiously before deciding to snack on browse Tuesday at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. Byron has spent his life at the park since being found alone in the wild as a baby. He is one of Assistant Superintendent Ben Barrett’s favorite animals to care for, in addition to Tux the skunk. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Wildlife keepers Jake Piper, left, Assistant Superintendent Ben Barrett, center, and Quinn Santos hang a sign Tuesday in preparation for opening day Wednesday at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Wildlife keeper and Assistant Superintendent Ben Barrett, left, watches Tuesday as intern Garrett Bosse hangs a duck on the Maine Wildlife Park mural while wildlife keeper Quinn Santos stands at right. The duck is hung to signify the start of the season, which is Wednesday, and will remain until closing in the fall. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
A Canada lynx, one half of a duo in the same enclosure named Hansel and Gretel, is seen on Tuesday at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. The park has three lynx, including 22-year-old Bonnie, who is possibly the oldest lynx in captivity in the United States, said a park official. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Assistant Superintendent of the Maine Wildlife Park, Ben Barrett, helps his team clear leaves Tuesday from a lawn used for educational programming in preparation for opening day Wednesday at the park in Gray. “It’s a labor of love,” Barrett said, describing that he and a staff of fewer than a dozen run the park, with only four wildlife keepers who tend to the animals year-round. “We’re all very invested.” (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Stuffed animals are arranged Tuesday in preparation for opening day for the Maine Wildlife Paris in Gray on Wednesday. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Wildlife keepers Jake Piper, driving, and Quinn Santos, passenger, update Assistant Superintendent Ben Barrett on their tasks Tuesday in preparation for opening day Wednesday at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. The team cares for animals in addition to groundskeeping, working year-round. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Guests who visit the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray will walk through a revamped entry, including a new building housing the nature store (gift shop) seen Tuesday. This season visitors will have the option to pay admission with a credit card or through online ticketing. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
A sign out front of the Maine Wildlife Park announces opening day will be tomorrow, as seen on Tuesday at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. The park is located at 56 Game Farm Road. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

Libby Kamrowski Kenny is a staff photographer at the Sun Journal who came aboard in June 2025. She’s been in journalism longer than that though, as her prematurely graying hair can attest, starting as...

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