Zoological sights in South Florida
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A
Key West Aquarium
Gaze at marine life.
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B
Animal Park
The first cageless drive-through safari in the country, this incredible animal park puts you in the cage (ie your car) as 800 creatures roam freely, staring at you. Equal parts conservation area and safari, the park’s 500 acres are home to bison, zebra, white rhinos, chimpanzees and, of course, lions. You tour the safari section in your car (unless it’s a convertible; short-term rentals are available), driving slowly, hoping the animals approach the vehicle. The best time to go is when it rains, because the animals are more active when it’s cool.
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Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary
Dale Shields is the Pelican Man, and his sanctuary rehabilitates injured wildlife; it's on City Island, just east of the Mote, on the south side of Ken Thompson Pkwy. Although all injured animals are helped, pelicans are their primary customers (90% of all injured pelicans are hurt by fishing line). Since its humble beginnings in 1985 when Shields' first pelican rehabbed in a bathtub, the sanctuary now rehabilitates upwards of 6000 animals annually.
Still, some animals cannot be released; about 250 birds including hawks, gulls, egrets, owls, storks and pelicans and other indigenous wildlife now live here permanently.
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C
Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park
The highlight of this compact zoo is the Tropics of the Americas exhibit, a 3-acre recreation of a rainforest, stocked with jaguars, monkeys, snakes, macaws and other tropical creatures. Gator feedings occur regularly and are advertised. The zoo’s also home to a few of the last remaining Florida panthers, North America’s rarest mammal. Other unusual residents include Komodo dragons (the largest lizard in the world), capybaras (the largest rodent in the world) and red kangaroos, which can hop at speeds of up to 40mph.
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Caribbean Gardens
Formerly a 52-acre botanical oasis, these gardens are now a junglelike home to exotic animals like Bengal tigers, zebras, panthers and huge snakes. You can take a narrated cruise to observe monkeys and apes living freely in an island habitat. And even though it’s not the focus of the place, kids love the petting zoo and myriad daily animal presentations. All activities are included in the admission price. The zoo is a nonprofit organization, and admission revenues go toward protecting wildlife around the world.
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D
Lowry Park Zoo
This zoo has the great manatee encounter and aquatic center, and good exhibits on panthers, alligators, Komodo dragons, pandas, primates and bison. The Asian domain highlights a rare Indian rhinoceros, while families love the Wallaroo Station, an Australian-themed area with kangaroos and wallabies that kids can pet. They can also pet and feed stingrays elsewhere in the park. Before leaving, don’t miss the 18,000-sq-ft, free-flight aviary.
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