Tara Campbell Lussier didn’t know that she’d become the owner of the infamous Reston Zoo.
Fresh off the sale of her tech startup, ARROW—a childbirth education portal available to new parents all over the world—Campbell Lussier was taking some much-needed downtime working as a realtor when she discovered the property. While 30 acres in Fairfax County might be a developer’s dream, this land came with proffers that mandated it would not be developed; it had to remain a zoo.
The Reston Zoo was notorious: a former owner was found guilty of illegal possession of animal anesthesia and of drowning a wallaby in a bucket. And there was also a fire that was reported to have been caused by a suspected faulty radiant heat system used to keep the animals warm that resulted in the deaths of two giraffes.
This place came with some serious ghosts, for sure, but there was really nowhere to go but up. For $4.5 million, according to published reports, Campbell Lussier bought the zoo in December of 2022 and opened it—as NOVA Wild—in the spring of 2023. Compared to other properties in the area, this one was a bargain. And more than owning and operating a zoo, Campbell Lussier intends to run this place like a startup with no plans to sell.
Nova Wild Zoo, Reston, VA
Animals Matter
Straight out of the gate, this NoVa native is up front about her commitment to animal welfare. “We have to follow local guidelines and ordinances, of course, like any business, and then obviously follow federal regulations,” Campbell Lussier says.
“We’re regulated by the USDA very, very closely. We have a great working relationship with our USDA team, but we’ve gone through intense inspections, and we are accredited by organizations above federal regulations, like the Zoological Association of America (ZAA). That is our multi prong approach to ensure that our animals are incredibly well-taken care of.” That, in addition to her genuine love of animals, goes a long way. But she can’t run a zoo well without running it as a business well.
Of her approach, she says, “It’s having the understanding that this is a business, and then knowing how to run it successfully.” Which, given Birth Arrow’s success, she does.She’s also taken precautions with her business and the welfare of the animals—as well as of her customers. She says, “We have typical business insurance like any other business that covers all the regular things that everyone would have. We just sought out an insurance broker in the agency that specifically focuses on the zoo industry and the zoo clientele, so they understand that we have unique things different from the coffee shop down the street.”
Recently, she’s renovated the various animal habitats that were left over from the previous zoo, painting them and refinishing the interiors and exteriors of the buildings. “Everything that is in black has been repainted,” she says. “The buildings that are green are still being worked on.” The low, lean-to-style buildings were on the property when Campbell Lussier bought the land, and she’s working with a team to refurbish them to her standards.
She’s also creating new habitats for her new animals, bringing one enclosure to life with a waterfall, rocks, and climate control for her African penguins. The habitat was christened just in time for Christmas. And it’s adjacent to the cheetah habitat, where Alvin, Simon, and Theodore yawn in the sun.
Since she opened, Campbell Lussier has been growing her animal collection that lives in these various habitats throughout the 18-acre parcel of land that borders a 12-acre drive-through safari. “We offer animal encounters that are semi-private with the zookeepers themselves,” she says. “It’s about 15 to 20 minutes, and you get to work with the zookeeper and ask all your questions and take photos. That’s another way that we’re differentiating ourselves from other zoo facilities: by bringing that up-close-and-personal experience to our guests. We do that with several different animals.”
Nova Wild Zoo, Reston, VA
Looks Can Be Deceiving
Campbell Lussier, a petite blond in designer jeans, is hardly what one might envision as someone who owns a zoo. But this is why looks are deceiving. She’s been passionate about zoos all her life, and tapped into her pool of professional contacts in the national zoo community to prioritize her operations. “I’m a fan of animal welfare and communities gathering,” says Campbell Lussier. “I have a personal network of friends that worked on bringing the animals in. They were leaders in the zoo field and they did things the right way with the animals and with animal welfare.”
To care for the animals, she recruited a staff of 25 from various other zoos and related organizations up and down the East Coast. Among her staff is John Kleoudis, the assistant curator of animals, and Elizabeth Kruckow, the director of animal welfare.
“The ZAA has something called the Animal Management Plan,” says Kleoudis. “The goal is for each individual species to maintain 90 percent genetic identicality to the wild counterparts of these species. So that way, if there is ever a need to release them, or to breed them for conservation policies, we’re matching that.”
Kruckow says, “The domestic species are in our petting zoo, specifically. We also have some exotic species of animals that you can find throughout the globe, like some from South America and Africa. We have critically endangered species like Africa’s most endangered cat, which is the cheetah. In addition to those critically endangered species, we also have a breeding pair of giant anteaters.”
Additionally, NOVA Wild has a pair of zebras, the aforementioned trio of cheetahs, and a troop of critically endangered red-ruffed lemurs, along with a mob of stern-looking emus and a flock of particularly flirtatious birds. Campbell Lussier also brought on a few two-toed sloths that can be engaged with up close and some larger beasts that roam the safari. The African penguins have their own specially designed habitat. The acquisition of other larger animals is still under wraps, but it is anticipated that news of NOVA Wild’s newest additions will be revealed this year.
Nova Wild Zoo, Reston, VA
Glamping In The Wild
As for the existing population at NOVA Wild, Campbell Lussier first bought about 200 zoo animals, and has since grown her menagerie through the addition of at least 50 new animals and as a result of babies being born. She says, “We haven’t done any massive changes with the facility infrastructure, but we made lots of improvements on individual buildings and made some additional renovations.”
The animal facility renovations and the improvements to the customer experience are ongoing. The safari, aside from the addition of several larger animals, will eventually have spots for glamping, which include raised treehouse-like structures, or yurts—much like you’d see on an actual African safari. People will be separated from the animals by a man-made landscape feature to avoid dangerous encounters—for people and animals. And being up high is an added precaution.
Lussier says, “If you walk around the park, the animals look so happy and healthy. And we hear it every day, which is amazing. The animals all have their own personalities, and you get to know them and what they’re like.
All of it just reminds us of all the good work that we’re doing.”
On the back side of the safari, there’s a meandering development of homes that look out on the emus and zebras, and other safari animals roaming about. Campbell Lussier says, “I think that the community has really responded in such a great way because they know that there is a local person here, that not only lives here, but grew up here, who cares about this community and the effect a park can have on people.” What’s her day to day life like? “Waking up to the sunrise is so, so neat,” Campbell Lussier says. “You know, we’re humble about 2023 being the first year, getting it all under our belts, getting the essential people in place to make sure that we can accomplish our goals this year and then just build upon that every single year. We have big plans for 2024. For me, it’s just honestly been like a dream come true.”
Meredith Lindemon is the managing editor of Virginia Living.
