This place used to be called Parrot Jungle and mainly housed parrots. From what I gather they had a pretty impressive collection back then. Then they changed their name and moved to a new location (correct me if I'm wrong) and got more animals.
This place does nothing for conservation, I'm sure. Allowing the public to hold a baby White-handed Gibbon with a t-shirt on or a baby tiger for $60 is just not a good idea, for the safety of both humans and animals. The price to get in is $29 per person, which is over double what people should be paying to get in.
Please note that currently I am writing this from memory alone, so I will be vague on some things.
After parking your car, you can actually see some exhibits before paying. There are 1 or 2 macaw cages and a small flamingo exhibit. Inside the cafe is another cage for 2 more parrots, inside the giftshop is another...you get the idea. Parrots are everywhere here, although most of them are just different species of macaw.
After paying, you then enter the park, and what do you think the first animals seen are? Rows of perches for macaws. I think you can get your photo taken with some of them. Past here are more macaws, and finally some other species. A row of aviaries houses at least African Gray Parrot, Senegal Parrot, Peach-faced Lovebird, and Rose-ringed Parakeet, and another nearby row has Thick-billed Parrot, Yellow-crowned Amazon, Military Macaw and one other one I can't remember. There is also a lorikeet feeding aviary nearby. Actually for being near the entrance these aviaries were deserted. I think there were only a few people around, and this was in the afternoon.
Also in this area is a cage for baboons, I only saw a few baboons here and I can't remember the species right now but their exhibit is very small. You'll come to expect that from my review, most exhibits are small and average or below average.
Past the aviaries is a Florida Everglades exhibit, with alligators, turtles and other reptiles viewed from a boardwalk. There is a speaker that plays swamp sounds but since it loops every 30 seconds and there is a pause between each loop it is not at all convincing.
And now we come to the worst exhibit: for a liger. Why do you even need such a thing? It just proves this place does nothing for conservation and exists exclusively for entertainment. The exhibit is terrible, the animal was pacing back and forth, back and forth, and there is simply no point why any zoo should have one of these.
There was an animal show taking place nearby so I went to watch. I missed part of it but what I saw contained a Binturong and a baby White-handed Gibbon. They actually did give facts about the animals at least. And then...for $60 you can hold and get a photo taken with the gibbon or tiger cub. I think they've done this with lion cubs before too. I have one simple question: Why?
There is a playground area, and behind that are exhibits for White-handed Gibbon and White-faced Capuchin. At least they allow the primates to climb! They are, once again, extremely small and average, however. I also heard something about lemurs, and the only way you could see them is to pay even more money. Once again: What is the point? You can go to either Miami Metrozoo or Monkey Jungle and see lemurs for just the price of admission.
Next are more aviaries (Moluccan Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, another amazon, Sun Conure I think and more macaws). I think they also had a turaco and toucan too in this area.
I had heard they also had Orangutans here in a horrible little cage but I didn't see any. There were some reptile tanks (I usually don't pay much attention to reptiles so I don't remember even one of the species exhibited). Then another show. This was a bird show and again I missed the beginning of it but what I saw included a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrots, a Violet Turaco hopping back and forth between 2 volunteers retrieving grapes, an Andean Condor flight demonstration, a cassowary and some other parrots. Pretty straightforward.
Honestly, that's about it. There are some more aviaries and probably reptile tanks, and another show with animals I didn't see and a python. Guests were allowed to touch the python but it was free and visitors are often allowed to touch and hold reptiles at zoos.
The only other things here are child's atractions, like a big slide so I can't really comment on them. I stayed for about 3 hours. I tried to get the most out of it (it was $29 to get in after all) but still felt it should be at least half the price that it is, probably lower especially considering the amount of other opportunities to make money here.
Actually I vaguely remember there being an exhibit for normal tigers too but I'll have to check on that.
Actually I think my favorite part was the African Gray Parrot in the first row of aviaries, back near the entrance. The sounds it was making would rival many of those in video games. They honestly sounded like they were electronic and not coming from a parrot. I've heard lots of parrots mimicking sounds and voice but that was probably the coolest one because instead of voices all the mimicked sounds it made were things like buses, sirens or those just plain weird sounds I can't describe.
Despite all the negative comments, I don't regret visiting. If you're in the area and have the money to spend, go ahead and see it, just watch the shows or you'll really feel like you got ripped off. If you don't have the extra cash to spend then I'd recommend Miami Metrozoo or Monkey Jungle instead. Monkey Jungle has a similarly expensive entry price but is much, much better.
This place does nothing for conservation, I'm sure. Allowing the public to hold a baby White-handed Gibbon with a t-shirt on or a baby tiger for $60 is just not a good idea, for the safety of both humans and animals. The price to get in is $29 per person, which is over double what people should be paying to get in.
Please note that currently I am writing this from memory alone, so I will be vague on some things.
After parking your car, you can actually see some exhibits before paying. There are 1 or 2 macaw cages and a small flamingo exhibit. Inside the cafe is another cage for 2 more parrots, inside the giftshop is another...you get the idea. Parrots are everywhere here, although most of them are just different species of macaw.
After paying, you then enter the park, and what do you think the first animals seen are? Rows of perches for macaws. I think you can get your photo taken with some of them. Past here are more macaws, and finally some other species. A row of aviaries houses at least African Gray Parrot, Senegal Parrot, Peach-faced Lovebird, and Rose-ringed Parakeet, and another nearby row has Thick-billed Parrot, Yellow-crowned Amazon, Military Macaw and one other one I can't remember. There is also a lorikeet feeding aviary nearby. Actually for being near the entrance these aviaries were deserted. I think there were only a few people around, and this was in the afternoon.
Also in this area is a cage for baboons, I only saw a few baboons here and I can't remember the species right now but their exhibit is very small. You'll come to expect that from my review, most exhibits are small and average or below average.
Past the aviaries is a Florida Everglades exhibit, with alligators, turtles and other reptiles viewed from a boardwalk. There is a speaker that plays swamp sounds but since it loops every 30 seconds and there is a pause between each loop it is not at all convincing.
And now we come to the worst exhibit: for a liger. Why do you even need such a thing? It just proves this place does nothing for conservation and exists exclusively for entertainment. The exhibit is terrible, the animal was pacing back and forth, back and forth, and there is simply no point why any zoo should have one of these.
There was an animal show taking place nearby so I went to watch. I missed part of it but what I saw contained a Binturong and a baby White-handed Gibbon. They actually did give facts about the animals at least. And then...for $60 you can hold and get a photo taken with the gibbon or tiger cub. I think they've done this with lion cubs before too. I have one simple question: Why?
There is a playground area, and behind that are exhibits for White-handed Gibbon and White-faced Capuchin. At least they allow the primates to climb! They are, once again, extremely small and average, however. I also heard something about lemurs, and the only way you could see them is to pay even more money. Once again: What is the point? You can go to either Miami Metrozoo or Monkey Jungle and see lemurs for just the price of admission.
Next are more aviaries (Moluccan Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, another amazon, Sun Conure I think and more macaws). I think they also had a turaco and toucan too in this area.
I had heard they also had Orangutans here in a horrible little cage but I didn't see any. There were some reptile tanks (I usually don't pay much attention to reptiles so I don't remember even one of the species exhibited). Then another show. This was a bird show and again I missed the beginning of it but what I saw included a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrots, a Violet Turaco hopping back and forth between 2 volunteers retrieving grapes, an Andean Condor flight demonstration, a cassowary and some other parrots. Pretty straightforward.
Honestly, that's about it. There are some more aviaries and probably reptile tanks, and another show with animals I didn't see and a python. Guests were allowed to touch the python but it was free and visitors are often allowed to touch and hold reptiles at zoos.
The only other things here are child's atractions, like a big slide so I can't really comment on them. I stayed for about 3 hours. I tried to get the most out of it (it was $29 to get in after all) but still felt it should be at least half the price that it is, probably lower especially considering the amount of other opportunities to make money here.
Actually I vaguely remember there being an exhibit for normal tigers too but I'll have to check on that.
Actually I think my favorite part was the African Gray Parrot in the first row of aviaries, back near the entrance. The sounds it was making would rival many of those in video games. They honestly sounded like they were electronic and not coming from a parrot. I've heard lots of parrots mimicking sounds and voice but that was probably the coolest one because instead of voices all the mimicked sounds it made were things like buses, sirens or those just plain weird sounds I can't describe.
Despite all the negative comments, I don't regret visiting. If you're in the area and have the money to spend, go ahead and see it, just watch the shows or you'll really feel like you got ripped off. If you don't have the extra cash to spend then I'd recommend Miami Metrozoo or Monkey Jungle instead. Monkey Jungle has a similarly expensive entry price but is much, much better.
