Mark's Ark

Hands on animals of all kinds. Up close and personal.
You are encouraged to pet and hold all manner of animals.

Ruffle some feathers,
Scratch some scales.
Pet a tortoise!
Wag some tails!

I'm Mark Kohlhorst, owner and presenter for Mark's Ark. Mark's Ark has been in business for 20 years and I have been working with animals for more than 40 years professionally. I went to school at The Ohio State University for biology, and worked as a zookeeper at the Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo,(rated consistantly as one of the top 10 zoos in the nation), for 10 years working with all kinds of animals from around the globe.
I am a certified diver, and have been an animal trainer for California Sea Lions, Siamangs, red pandas, and gibbons.
I have worked with an extensive list of exotic animals, including many types of venonmous animals, primarily snakes, as a special exhibits keeper at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo.

I have appeared in many newspaper articles, have been on local NE Indiana TV programs, and have been a guest on several local radio programs over the years.

Mark's Ark is a full-time, all year round business that caters to any kind of family event.

I posses over 50 kinds of animals. Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and bugs are all in my collection and are there for you to select from. All of my animals are pets, and are treated with extreme respect and value. They are always handled properly and are never used as props or exploited for fun at any time in my presentations. That's what I'm there for...Comic relief!

When you choose Mark's Ark you will find that all of my animals are all very people friendly and very safe. You may pet and hold everything I have, with very few exceptions, for your event. YOU may select the individual animals you would like. No two Mark's Ark events are ever alike. You can personalize yours!

My presentations are delivered in a relaxed manner, passing the animals around as I talk about their individual interesting facts. I do this through light humor and wit. I am very good at catering to the very young and keeping their attentions as well as delivering to college age, senior patrons, (I love nursing and rehab locations, and senior centers), and everybody in-between.
I excel with audiences such as children and adults with disabilities and have extensive experience at it. Whether it be for groups or personal events, like birthday parties, I can easily accommodate. These are some of my favorite kinds of presentations.
For public appearances I do like to select volunteers from the audience to help me share the animals to the rest of the patrons as well as do some fun stage performing.

I offer two general ways of presenting my animals.
The formal presentation. A time is set for me to begin and end, and I show up to eight animals to the audience in that time frame.
Meat and Greet. I am given a location to set up and patrons come to me at their leisure, in a set time frame, to see the animals I have with me. It's more like a true petting zoo, but I am there to facilitate petting and handling of the animals.

I am a USDA class C animal exhibitor, and do carry liability insurance. Credentials will be provided upon request. I will gladly provide references as well.

I can travel to any location for your event. I can also present inside or outside, weather permitting and according to my guidelines.

I do offer other services with my animals for different occasions as well. I have doves for weddings, funerals, memorial events, and singing animalgrams too, (I do the singing, you pick the animal).

Mark's Ark is fun for the whole family. You will not be disappointed.

The Animals Can't Wait to See YOU!

Please try and book 2 months in advance, especially weekend dates,(Fri, Sat, Sun). I will try and accomodate your schedule to the best of my ability, but 2 months is best. May, June, July, August, and October are my busiest months of business.
For booking a date, I will send you by e-mail or regular mail my Host Booking Form. You must fill it out and get it back to me at least 2 weeks before a presentation with your deposit included.
A non-refundable deposit of a minimum of $100.00 is required for any booking. Credit Card, Cashapp, and Checks are the accepted method of payment.
A signed Mark's Ark contract is required for presentations of more than 1 hour in duration.
I can provide copies of insurance and License upon request or if required.
I can do both indoor or outdoor presentations, as long as the weather and temperature are appropriate for the animals. Outdoor presentations are done when teperatures are 65F and sunny or warmer and less than 85F. Otherwise indoor presentations are required.
Public presentations like fairs and festivals must provide adequate shelter, determined by Mark Kohlhorst, and are outlined in the Mark's Ark Festival and Fair contract.
Any location for a Mark's Ark presentation that require the use of stairs must provide elevator service or else an animal presentation must be presented on ground level. This applies to basements and upstairs rooms in homes. No exceptions. Mark's Ark brings animals in sometimes large and bulky animal carry cages and will not risk personal injury or stucture damage to the hiring clients' homes.
It is the responsibility of the hiring client to practice their own crowd control, not the entertainer. Loud noise is one important example to be avoided.