The Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens, also known as Zoo Miami, is a
zoological park and garden near
Miami and is the largest
zoo in
Florida. Originally established in 1948 at
Crandon Park in
Key Biscayne
Key Biscayne ( es, Cayo Vizcaíno, link=no) is an island located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, located between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. It is the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida, and lies sou ...
, Zoo Miami relocated in 1980 as Miami MetroZoo to the former location of the
Naval Air Station Richmond, southwest of Miami in southern
unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to:
* Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality
* Unincorporated entity, a type of organization
* Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...
Miami-Dade County, surrounded by the
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...
s of
Three Lakes (north),
South Miami Heights (south),
Palmetto Estates (east) and
Richmond West (west).
The only
tropical zoo in the continental
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, Zoo Miami houses over 3,000 animals of around 500 species on almost , of which are developed. It is around if walked on the path, and features over 100 exhibits.
The zoo's communications director is wildlife expert and photographer
Ron Magill
Ronald Magill (born February 28, 1960) is an American wildlife expert and photographer; he is the communications director of the Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens, and makes regular television appearances across local South Florida networks. ...
. Zoo Miami is accredited by the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), originally the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, is an American 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization founded in 1924 and dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in ...
(AZA).
History
The history of Zoo Miami can be traced back to 1948, when a small road show, stranded near Miami, exchanged three monkeys, a goat and two black bears for approximately $270 in repairs for the truck. These six animals were the beginning of the Crandon Park Zoo at
Crandon Park on the island of
Key Biscayne
Key Biscayne ( es, Cayo Vizcaíno, link=no) is an island located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, located between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. It is the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida, and lies sou ...
, just southeast off the coast from
downtown Miami.
The Crandon Park Zoo occupied of the park. The first animals in the zoo, including some lions, an elephant and a rhinoceros, had been stranded when a circus went out of business in Miami. Some Galapagos tortoises, monkeys and pheasants were added from the Matheson plantation. By 1967, the Crandon Park Zoo had grown to over 1,200 animals, and was considered one of the top 25 zoos in the country.
Other animals were added, including a white Bengal tiger in 1968.
In 1965,
Hurricane Betsy devastated the zoo and killed 250 animals. After the hurricane, there was talk of a new zoo for Dade County, but not until 11 December 1970 did Dade County officials apply for of land in the
Naval Air Station Richmond property. Construction began in 1975. The zoo opened on July 4, 1980,
as ''Miami MetroZoo'', with a preview section of 12 exhibits; ''Asia'', the first major exhibit, opened on December 12, 1981. A total of 38 exhibits, covering , were open to the public at this time.
In the 1980s, the zoo continued to expand. An additional , with six new African hoofed-mammal exhibits, opened in 1982, along with the zoo's
monorail in 1984. After the closing of the
1984 Louisiana World Exposition in
, the expo’s visitor monorails were moved to Florida to be re-purposed at Miami MetroZoo. The monorail operated until 2022.
''Wings of Asia'', a free-flight
aviary
An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. Avi ...
, was opened in December 1984. Three additional African hoofed stock exhibits followed in 1985, and two new exhibits were opened in the African savanna section in 1986. The Australian section of the zoo was opened in 1989, and ''PAWS'', the children's petting zoo, opened in 1989.
The ''Asian Riverlife Experience'' opened in August 1990.
In 1992, the zoo suffered extensive damage when
Hurricane Andrew made landfall in South Florida, on August 24. The small, yet intensely powerful
category 5 hurricane toppled over 5,000 trees and destroyed the ''Wings of Asia'' aviary (which had been built to withstand winds of up to ) resulting in the loss of approximately 100 of the 300 resident birds.
Despite the majority of the zoo's animals remaining outside during the duration and aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, only five animals were killed from either debris or the consumption of contaminated water. MetroZoo, though looking dramatically different, reopened on December 18, 1992, with the zoo's tiger temple exhibit renamed in honor of Naomi Browning, a local 12-year-old zoo volunteer who was one of the storm's casualties.
By July 1993, many of the animals that were sent to other zoos and animal parks across the United States (during the zoo's reconstruction) had been returned to Miami, and over 7,000 new trees had been planted to begin restoring the zoo's
tree canopy
In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant cropping or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns.
In forest ecology, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns an ...
.
In 1994, stray dogs entered the zoo during off-hours, and killed five
Thomson's gazelle
Thomson's gazelle (''Eudorcas thomsonii'') is one of the best known species of gazelles. It is named after explorer Joseph Thomson and is sometimes referred to as a "tommie". It is considered by some to be a subspecies of the red-fronted gazell ...
s and two
Grant's gazelle
Grant's gazelle (''Nanger granti'') is a species of gazelle distributed from northern Tanzania to South Sudan and Ethiopia, and from the Kenyan coast to Lake Victoria. Its Swahili name is ''swala granti''.[brush fire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...]
burned 100 acres in the southeast portion of the zoo's undeveloped land.
[ Nearly 30 animals from adjacent exhibits were evacuated. The ''Falcon Batchelor Komodo Dragon Encounter'' opened that same year, followed by exhibits featuring ]Andean condor
The Andean condor (''Vultur gryphus'') is a giant South American Cathartid vulture and is the only member of the genus ''Vultur''. Found in the Andes mountains and adjacent Pacific coasts of western South America, the Andean condor is the larg ...
s (1999), meerkats (2000), Cuban crocodile
The Cuban crocodile (''Crocodylus rhombifer'') is a small-medium species of crocodile endemic to Cuba. Typical length is and typical weight . Large males can reach as much as in length and weigh more than . Despite its smaller size, it is a hig ...
s and squirrel monkey
Squirrel monkeys are New World monkeys of the genus ''Saimiri''. ''Saimiri'' is the only genus in the subfamily Saimirinae. The name of the genus is of Tupi origin (''sai-mirím'' or ''çai-mbirín'', with ''sai'' meaning 'monkey' and ''mirím'' ...
s (2001). ''Dr. Wilde's World'', which is an indoor facility for traveling zoological exhibits, was also opened in 2001. The rebuilt ''Wings of Asia'' aviary, housing more than 300 individual birds and representing 70 species, refurbished in the spring of 2003.
On July 4, 2010, the zoo was renamed the ''Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens'', or ''Zoo Miami'' (for marketing and branding purposes). This was a part of the zoo's 30th anniversary celebration. The zoo broke ground on a $43 million project that included an Everglades
The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissim ...
exhibit and a new state-of-the-art entryway. The Everglades exhibit opened on December 10, 2016.
In 2017, the zoo was struck by Hurricane Irma
Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread destruction across its path in September 2017. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Maria two ...
, which impacted South Florida on September 10. The ''Amazon and Beyond'' exhibit suffered the most damage, with widespread tree loss in that area. According to the zoo, one American flamingo
The American flamingo (''Phoenicopterus ruber'') is a large species of flamingo closely related to the greater flamingo and Chilean flamingo native to the Neotropics. It was formerly considered conspecific with the greater flamingo, but that tre ...
, one Great hornbill
The great hornbill (''Buceros bicornis''), also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It occurs in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It ...
, and a few other birds died reportedly due to stress. The zoo remained closed until October.
Conservation efforts
''Zoo Miami'' supports conservation programs at the local, national and global level, and was a founding member of the AZA's Butterfly Conservation Initiative (BFCI), a program designed to assemble governmental and non-governmental agencies to aid in the population recovery of vulnerable, threatened and endangered butterflies in North America.
The zoo has also provided financial help through the Zoo Miami Conservation Fund to upgrade captive-breeding facilities in Thailand’s zoos, notably for endangered clouded leopards and fishing cat
The fishing cat (''Prionailurus viverrinus'') is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. Since 2016, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Fishing cat populations are threatened by destruction of wetlands and have declin ...
s.
Exhibits and animals
File:Zoo Miami American flamingo.jpg, American flamingo exhibit
File:Zoo Miami, Florida Mission Everglades.jpg, Florida: Mission Everglades
File:Samburu Giraffe Feeding Station at Zoo Miami.jpg, Samburu Giraffe Feeding Station
File:Zoo Miami, Amazon and Beyond.jpg, Amazon and Beyond
File:Afrikanischer Elefant, Zoo Miami 2.jpg, African elephant
There are five main exhibit sections in the zoo: Florida: Mission Everglades, Asia, Africa, Amazon and Beyond, and Australia. The zoo's main entry includes an entryway canopy structure, conjoining ticket booths and gift shop, and an adjacent American flamingo
The American flamingo (''Phoenicopterus ruber'') is a large species of flamingo closely related to the greater flamingo and Chilean flamingo native to the Neotropics. It was formerly considered conspecific with the greater flamingo, but that tre ...
exhibit.[ At the junction of the zoo's main pathways, is the Conservation Action Center, an indoor pavilion featuring interactive exhibits themed to conservation and wildlife preservation. The property includes a large lake, called Lake Iguana. Zoo Miami is characterised by large cageless, moated exhibits.
From 1984 until 2022, an ]air-conditioned
Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
monorail system traveled around the zoo's premises, providing both an aerial view of the zoo and a convenient way to move between sections. The monorail system had four stations throughout the zoo. Narrated tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
rides and guided tours were given daily. The monorail was decommissioned due to unaffordable maintenance costs. There were 5 trains in total, 3 of which were formerly used for the New Orleans World's Fair. One train was decommissioned in 1987 so that it could be used for parts for the others, as the manufacturer ceased business.
Florida: Mission Everglades
The Florida: Mission Everglades exhibit features native fauna and flora species found in Florida, particularly from the state's Everglades
The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissim ...
region. Species displayed include American alligator
The American alligator (''Alligator mississippiensis''), sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, is a large crocodilian reptile native to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two extant species in the gen ...
s, American crocodile
The American crocodile (''Crocodylus acutus'') is a species of crocodilian found in the Neotropics. It is the most widespread of the four extant species of crocodiles from the Americas, with populations present from South Florida and the coasts ...
s, North American river otter
The North American river otter (''Lontra canadensis''), also known as the northern river otter and river otter, is a semiaquatic mammal that only lives on the North American continent, along its waterways and coasts. An adult North American rive ...
s, American black bears, Florida panthers, bald eagles, brown pelican
The brown pelican (''Pelecanus occidentalis'') is a bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae, one of three species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving into water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mout ...
s and roseate spoonbill
The roseate spoonbill (''Platalea ajaja'') is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in both South and North America.
Taxonomy
The roseate spoonbill is sometimes placed in its own ...
s. The $33 million project features Lostman's River Ride, a gentle airboat
An airboat (also known as a planeboat, swamp boat, bayou boat, or fanboat) is a flat-bottomed watercraft propelled by an aircraft-type propeller and powered by either an aircraft or automotive engine. In early aviation history the term ''airboat ...
ride attraction.
Asia
The zoo's Asian exhibit features dozens of animals such as Bornean orangutans, Asian elephants, Indian rhinoceros
}
The Indian rhinoceros (''Rhinoceros unicornis''), also called the Indian rhino, greater one-horned rhinoceros or great Indian rhinoceros, is a rhinoceros species native to the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red Li ...
, Sumatran tigers, gaur
The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...
, Arabian oryx
The Arabian oryx (''Oryx leucoryx'') or white oryx is a medium-sized antelope with a distinct shoulder bump, long, straight horns, and a tufted tail. It is a bovid, and the smallest member of the genus ''Oryx'', native to desert and steppe areas o ...
, Bactrian camel
The Bactrian camel (''Camelus bactrianus''), also known as the Mongolian camel or domestic Bactrian camel, is a large even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of Central Asia. It has two humps on its back, in contrast to the single-humped dro ...
s, dromedary camels, Malayan tapirs, dhole
The dhole (''Cuon alpinus''; ) is a canid native to Central, South, East and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, red wolf, and mountain wolf. It ...
, sloth bears, clouded leopards, northern white-cheeked gibbons, siamang, Asian small-clawed otters as well as a variety of Asian birds. The multi-leveled Asian Riverlife Experience replicates the appearance of an Asian river brook. Zoo Miami is only one of two zoos in the United States to display a pair of black-necked stork
The black-necked stork (''Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus'') is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family. It is a resident species across the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia with a disjunct population in Australia. It lives in wetlan ...
s. Several species not native to Asia are also found in this area like lions, African painted dogs, spotted hyenas, addax, sable antelope
The sable antelope (''Hippotragus niger'') is an antelope which inhabits wooded savanna in East and Southern Africa, from the south of Kenya to South Africa, with a separate population in Angola.
Taxonomy
The sable antelope shares the genus ''Hi ...
, mongoose lemur and Cuban crocodile
The Cuban crocodile (''Crocodylus rhombifer'') is a small-medium species of crocodile endemic to Cuba. Typical length is and typical weight . Large males can reach as much as in length and weigh more than . Despite its smaller size, it is a hig ...
s.
The zoo's orangutan exhibit once housed Nonja, a female Sumatran orangutan that was relocated from a Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
zoo to Zoo Miami. She was widely believed to be the oldest living specimen of her species, until her death in 2007. Another notable resident was Carlita, a 21-year-old female white Bengal tiger, who resided in the zoo's tiger enclosure from 1994 until her death in 2013.
The Asian exhibit is home to 3 Asian elephants: an elderly bull named Dalip, an elderly female named Nellie and a young male named Ongard. Dalip (born on June 8, 1966, in Kerela), arrived at the old Crandon Park Zoo on Key Biscayne as a young calf in August 1967, along with his mate Seetna and he is the father to Spike (born on July 2, 1981, in Zoo Miami and he is Dalip's only surviving offspring) who currently lives in the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington. Seetena and Dalip were separated due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Both were separated during the storm, Seetna moved to Two Tails Ranch (Patricia Zerbini) and stayed there for breeding purposes but died of labor issues in 1996 while Dalip returned to Zoo Miami in 1995 where he has remained ever since.
The American Banker's Family Aviary, Wings of Asia is also located here. The aviary features 300 rare birds of 70 species in a temperate mixed forest, and it highlights the evolutionary connection of birds to dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
s. At , it is the largest open-air Asian aviary in the Western Hemisphere. The Children's Zoo, hosts special animals that can be approached to a close distance by guests. Guests can view meerkats, a petting zoo
A petting zoo (also called a children's zoo, children's farm, or petting farm) features a combination of domesticated animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, many genera ...
, an exhibit that displays small species of reptiles, amphibians and insects, butterfly gardens, a carousel dedicated to individual animal species, and experience traditional camel rides.
Africa
The African loop of the zoo offers animals from different locations on Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. Visitors can observe species including reticulated giraffes, pygmy hippos, African bush elephants, eastern black rhinoceroses, greater kudu
The greater kudu (''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'') is a woodland antelope found throughout eastern and southern Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory, they are sparsely populated in most areas due to declining habitat, deforestation, ...
, nyala, slender-horned gazelle, Grevy's zebras, ostriches, chimpanzees, western lowland gorillas, mountain bongo and okapi
The okapi (; ''Okapia johnstoni''), also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. It is the only species ...
s. Oasis Grill, a small eatery plaza, is situated at the northern end of the African exhibits. Zoo Miami has one of the most diverse collections of hoofed stock in the United States.
Eleven-year-old "Pongo," at sixteen feet the tallest giraffe in the zoo, was euthanized on January 4, 2021, after failing to recover from a foot injury.
Amazon and Beyond
The zoo's impressive South America animal collection is widely acknowledged. Amazon and Beyond, situated in the zoo's northwest corner, opened on December 6, 2008. This area has dedicated to the flora and fauna of South America, and is subdivided into four distinct areas: Village Plaza, Cloud Forest, Amazon Flooded Forest, and Atlantic Forest. The first area provides guests an immersive experience for the unique culture found in central and southern American civilizations. The remaining three areas represent native habitats that are found in the Amazonian region—the " cloud forest", the Amazon River basin, and the Atlantic Forest-Pantanal
The Pantanal () is a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area, and the world's largest flooded grasslands. It is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and ...
—with species such as giant otters, jaguars, Orinoco crocodiles, giant anteater
The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is one of four living species of anteaters, of which it is the largest member. The only extant member of the genus ''Myrmecophag ...
s, black howler monkey
The black howler (''Alouatta caraya'') or black-and-gold howler, is among the largest New World monkeys and a member of the ''Alouatta'' genus. The black howler is distributed in areas of South America such as Paraguay, southern Brazil, eastern ...
s, black-handed spider monkeys, Hoffmann's two-toed sloths, harpy eagles, fruit bats
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...
, poison dart frogs and various Amazonian fish.
Australia
The zoo's Australian habitat showcases specimens from throughout the region of Australia, Oceania, and the Pacific islands, including koala
The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the w ...
s, emus, cockatiels and Matschie's tree-kangaroos. Situated near this to habitat, is the 800-seat Sami Family Amphitheater, where daily animal presentations, concerts and cultural events are held. The amphitheater is named in memory of Albert and Winifred Sami, who anonymously donated an estimated $3 million to the zoo from 1993 until their deaths in 2007 and 2014, respectively. Zoo Miami recently celebrated the birth of a baby koala, who was actually born in May, 2019, but only emerged from its mothers pouch on January 8, 2020. The baby koala was named Hope in light of the recent fires that devastated Australia.
File:Wings of Asia at Zoo Miami.jpg, Wings of Asia Aviary
File:Tiger poses at the Zoo, Miami, Florida LCCN2011631150.tif, Tiger exhibit.
File:Sami Family Amphitheater at Zoo Miami.jpg, Sami Family Amphitheater
File:Bactrian camel at Zoo Miami.jpg, Bactrian camel exhibit
File:Zoo Miami Monorail.jpg, Zoo's former monorail system
Zoo Miami Foundation
The Zoo Miami Foundation is a group setup as the non-profit support organization of Zoo Miami. It was founded in 1956 and is responsible for improvements over the years of the zoo. Key members of the foundation include Senator Dwight M. Bullard and Diana L. Fitzgerald, among others.
See also
* Gold Coast Railroad Museum (adjacent to Zoo Miami)
References
External links
*
Overview of the Florida: Mission Everglades and Front Entry Project
{{Authority control
1948 establishments in Florida
Aviaries in the United States
Botanical gardens in Florida
Buildings and structures in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Education in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Parks in Miami-Dade County, Florida
History of Miami-Dade County, Florida
Tourist attractions in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Zoos established in 1948
Zoos in Florida
Monorails in the United States