I visited this zoo twice while visiting family in Navarre, Florida. The first visit with my nieces I’ll post some photos of…but we literally spent 2/3rds of the visit feeding and being abused by Budgerigars. The next third feeding the Giraffes…what was left was spent riding the train and looking at the Florida Black Bears.
My ten year old niece told me an earnest story of a child who was feeding the giraffe when the giraffe wrapped its tongue around the lettuce and inadvertently swallowed the child’s arm up to their elbow and raised its head up and then dropped the child…who fortunately landed safely on their feet. She did not know the child personally…but a boy from her class did. Hmmmmm…
It was an interesting visit.
I got no species list that day. Fortunately my visit to Florida’s Emerald Coast was extended when I was offered a two night stay at the Gulf Breeze Hospital (4-Stars). On the Wednesday I should have been resting with some light walking…I hit the zoo again…with periodic rests on various benches, stumps, playground equipment and patches of dirt.
Plus I casually rode the train twice…
Here is what I saw. All mistakes are my own. Remember when I visit a zoo I count domestics (by breed if possible) and if there is not a plausible (if not natural) predator to prey balance…that zoo (unless it’s a specialty operation) will not rate high. That said Gulf Breeze Zoo is a good zoo. Little worn…little cribbed, but more on that (even to the benefit of the residents) in my actual review. Wild animals observed on site are included (*)
Ok. Here goes…common English names only:
Birds (accuracy 97%)
Turkey Vulture - 1
Black-bellied Whistling Duck - 5
Greylag Goose (and domestic hybrids) - 2 / 8. “Might have to review film to see if two of these birds may have been Bean Geese.”
Wood Duck - 2
Emperor Goose - 2
Red-breasted Goose - 2
Nene - 2
Black Swan - 2
Goffin’s Cockatoo / Tanimbar Corella - 1
Australorpe Chicken - 10
Budgerigar - 50+
Himalayan Monal - 1
Chilean Flamingo - 9
Victoria Crowned Pigeon - 4
Scarlet Ibis - 3
Ringed Teal - 1
Common Ostrich - 2
Indian Peafowl - 7
Laughing Kookaburra - 4
Emu - 2
King Vulture - 5
House Sparrow - 7*
Philippine Hornbill - 2
Spectacled Owl - 4
Channel-billed Toucan - 1
Red-billed Toucan - 1
Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill - 2
White-Cheeked Turoco - 1
Eastern Screech Owl - 1
Eurasian Eagle Owl - 1
Mourning Dove - 4*
Brown Thrasher - 1*
Rhea - 25
no show:
Malayan Crested-Fireback Pheasant.
Mammals (accuracy 99%)
American Black Bear, Florida sub-species - 2
Black Howler Monkey - 1
White-handed Gibbon - 3
Nubian Goat - 25
Boer Goat - 1
Katahdin Sheep - 6
Grey Squirrel - 6*
“Reticulated” Giraffe - 7
Scottish Highland Cattle - 4
Red-handed Tamarin - 1
Red-rumped Agouti - 1
Brown Headed Spider Monkey - 3
Giant Anteater - 1 (they have at least two more…each no shows this visit)
Common Squirrel Monkey - 10
Clouded Leopard - 1
Golden-headed Lion Tamarin - 4
Bennett’s Wallaby - 3
Binturong - 2
Grant’s Zebra - 2
Springbok - 4
Yellow-backed Duiker - 2
Red Kangaroo - 15
Tufted Capuchin - 6
African Lion - 2
White “American Zoo” Tiger - 1
Black & White Ruffed Lemur - 3
Maned Wolf - 2
Ring-tailed Lemur - 5
Egyptian Fruit Bat - 12
Two-toed Sloth - 2
Thomason’s Gazelle - 17
Greater One-horned Rhinoceros - 1
Greater Kudu - 5
Pygmy Hippopotamus - 2
Nile Hippopotamus - 2
Southern White Rhinoceros - 3
Orangutan - 2 (someone mentioned a third which I did not see)
Western Lowland Gorilla - 3
Blue Wildebeest (aka Brindled Gnu) - 2
Dromedary - 3
Axis Deer - 27
Blackbuck - 28
Sable - 3
no show:
Owl Monkey
Reptiles and Amphibians (accuracy 90% - just blame unsigned turtles)
American Alligator - 8
***American Alligator, White - 1
Unsigned Pond Turtles - 6
Galapagos Tortoise - 3
Aldabra Tortoise - 2
Sculata Tortoise - 3
no show:
Cape White-throated Monitor
My ten year old niece told me an earnest story of a child who was feeding the giraffe when the giraffe wrapped its tongue around the lettuce and inadvertently swallowed the child’s arm up to their elbow and raised its head up and then dropped the child…who fortunately landed safely on their feet. She did not know the child personally…but a boy from her class did. Hmmmmm…
It was an interesting visit.
I got no species list that day. Fortunately my visit to Florida’s Emerald Coast was extended when I was offered a two night stay at the Gulf Breeze Hospital (4-Stars). On the Wednesday I should have been resting with some light walking…I hit the zoo again…with periodic rests on various benches, stumps, playground equipment and patches of dirt.
Plus I casually rode the train twice…
Here is what I saw. All mistakes are my own. Remember when I visit a zoo I count domestics (by breed if possible) and if there is not a plausible (if not natural) predator to prey balance…that zoo (unless it’s a specialty operation) will not rate high. That said Gulf Breeze Zoo is a good zoo. Little worn…little cribbed, but more on that (even to the benefit of the residents) in my actual review. Wild animals observed on site are included (*)
Ok. Here goes…common English names only:
Birds (accuracy 97%)
Turkey Vulture - 1
Black-bellied Whistling Duck - 5
Greylag Goose (and domestic hybrids) - 2 / 8. “Might have to review film to see if two of these birds may have been Bean Geese.”
Wood Duck - 2
Emperor Goose - 2
Red-breasted Goose - 2
Nene - 2
Black Swan - 2
Goffin’s Cockatoo / Tanimbar Corella - 1
Australorpe Chicken - 10
Budgerigar - 50+
Himalayan Monal - 1
Chilean Flamingo - 9
Victoria Crowned Pigeon - 4
Scarlet Ibis - 3
Ringed Teal - 1
Common Ostrich - 2
Indian Peafowl - 7
Laughing Kookaburra - 4
Emu - 2
King Vulture - 5
House Sparrow - 7*
Philippine Hornbill - 2
Spectacled Owl - 4
Channel-billed Toucan - 1
Red-billed Toucan - 1
Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill - 2
White-Cheeked Turoco - 1
Eastern Screech Owl - 1
Eurasian Eagle Owl - 1
Mourning Dove - 4*
Brown Thrasher - 1*
Rhea - 25
no show:
Malayan Crested-Fireback Pheasant.
Mammals (accuracy 99%)
American Black Bear, Florida sub-species - 2
Black Howler Monkey - 1
White-handed Gibbon - 3
Nubian Goat - 25
Boer Goat - 1
Katahdin Sheep - 6
Grey Squirrel - 6*
“Reticulated” Giraffe - 7
Scottish Highland Cattle - 4
Red-handed Tamarin - 1
Red-rumped Agouti - 1
Brown Headed Spider Monkey - 3
Giant Anteater - 1 (they have at least two more…each no shows this visit)
Common Squirrel Monkey - 10
Clouded Leopard - 1
Golden-headed Lion Tamarin - 4
Bennett’s Wallaby - 3
Binturong - 2
Grant’s Zebra - 2
Springbok - 4
Yellow-backed Duiker - 2
Red Kangaroo - 15
Tufted Capuchin - 6
African Lion - 2
White “American Zoo” Tiger - 1
Black & White Ruffed Lemur - 3
Maned Wolf - 2
Ring-tailed Lemur - 5
Egyptian Fruit Bat - 12
Two-toed Sloth - 2
Thomason’s Gazelle - 17
Greater One-horned Rhinoceros - 1
Greater Kudu - 5
Pygmy Hippopotamus - 2
Nile Hippopotamus - 2
Southern White Rhinoceros - 3
Orangutan - 2 (someone mentioned a third which I did not see)
Western Lowland Gorilla - 3
Blue Wildebeest (aka Brindled Gnu) - 2
Dromedary - 3
Axis Deer - 27
Blackbuck - 28
Sable - 3
no show:
Owl Monkey
Reptiles and Amphibians (accuracy 90% - just blame unsigned turtles)
American Alligator - 8
***American Alligator, White - 1
Unsigned Pond Turtles - 6
Galapagos Tortoise - 3
Aldabra Tortoise - 2
Sculata Tortoise - 3
no show:
Cape White-throated Monitor
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