Category: zoo

Posted in animals, zoo

Sloths have come to our corner of Florida

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by David Gomez on Unsplash

Judging by the highway billboards, sloths are one of the biggest new attractions in central and northeast Florida. The Jacksonville Zoo spent a lot of money marketing their new sloth exhibit. The Daytona Aquarium and Rainforest Adventure features a picture of a sloth on their sign. The Orlando Science Center houses a sloth in their small rainforest habitat. If you’re a sloth, there’s a good chance you can find a job in our area.

We became sloth fans after watching Flash at the Department of Mammal Vehicles in the animated movie Zootopia. We were excited by the opportunity to visit all these new exhibits.

We did get to see the sloths, but we were underwhelmed. At the Jacksonville Zoo, the two sloths had moved into a monkey display not far from the penguins. Since they weren’t out of their shelters, we didn’t see them. At the Orlando Science Center, the sloth was just a ball of fur up in a tree. And at the aquarium, the sloth was just visible on a ledge in a very dark enclosure.

I don’t know why I expected more. That’s what sloths do. They aren’t very active. They “hang around.” Nice work if you can get it.

Posted in zoo

I’m still learning new things at the zoo

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I learned so much when I went to the Jacksonville zoo last week. With five grandchildren in tow, my wife and I, with our daughter, rode the little train to the back of the zoo to begin our day. On the way, the train operator shared information I had never heard before, and we’ve been coming to this zoo for decades.

  • The Jacksonville zoo has one bull elephant, Ali, who is thirty-four years old. Ali is a donation from Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch.
  • The zoo also has the world’s oldest white rhino. His name is Archie, and he is fifty-one years old. His dirt-sprinkled back makes him easy to spot in his habitat.
  • This zoo rehabilitates injured manatees. They had four on site, but can accommodate six. Manatees usually drift along below the water, but one was floating on the surface. An injury kept the manatee in the front tank from sinking, floating, and swimming around as it normally would.
  • We got to watch two seven-month-old tiger cubs wrestle and chase each other around. A zoo worker explained that tigers and other big cats don’t purr. They “chuff,” a breathy snort from their nostrils. I never knew that.

No matter how many times I visit the zoo, I always learn something new. By the time I leave, I’m even more awed by and grateful for creation!

Posted in zoo

Spending some time with the giraffes

Posted on by William Douthwaite

It’s always fun feeding the giraffes at the zoo. It was even better when the big guy, A. J., showed up for a snack yesterday.

It was the perfect day for a trip to the zoo. My wife and I had two grandsons with us, and we met my daughter with her three girls. We got there early, so it wasn’t hot or crowded. For an extra ten bucks you get unlimited carousel and train rides, 4D movies, and feeding the giraffes at the zoo.

We took the train to the back end of the zoo, where we got to see the two seven-month-old tiger cubs and the Komodo dragon. After that we rode the carousel twice, played on the splash pad, brushed the goats, and ate lunch. Then it was on to the lions, elephants, manatees, and the giraffes.

Feeding the giraffes means a zoo worker gives you a leafy branch and you hold it out so a waiting giraffe can take it from you with her long, blue tongue. Carrying our one-year-old granddaughter, I got in line for her first giraffe experience.

When it was our turn, the male giraffe nudged his way up to the platform. The Jacksonville, FL zoo has a number of females, but only one male. He doesn’t come over for a snack very often, so this was a special occasion.

His name is A. J., and he is sixteen-and-half feet tall. I held out our elm branch, and he only sniffed it at first. The zoo worker said, “He likes to think about it first.” A. J. then licked it, but didn’t take the branch. Finally, he wrapped his foot-long tongue around the stick and crunched it up as my granddaughter pulled back a few inches.

I’ve fed the giraffes before, but never realized how much bigger the males are. I knew they had horns on their head, but never knew that the horns had fur and patches of color just like the rest of his body.

It was cool seeing giraffes in the wild on a safari in Kenya ten years ago. It’s cool to see one up close, too.

In the Masai Mara, Kenya, Africa, 2013
Posted in zoo

I hope the animals got a raise

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Either the zookeepers union got what they wanted or all the animals got a nice raise, because a trip to the zoo has become expensive.

We frequent the Jacksonville (Florida) zoo. It’s the best one within driving distance, even though it takes us over an hour to get there. A membership there used to be a great deal. I think we paid $140 for an annual family membership which included two named adults and four unnamed grandchildren. Two trips with a could of kids and it paid for itself. Now it’s $75 per adult and $60 per named child.

If you visit the zoo more than three times a year, the membership will be worth it since admission is $29.95 for adults and $24.95 for children. That’s if you buy them online at least a day ahead of time. Add $5 for tickets purchased day of your visit.

Oh, and that doesn’t include the train, the carousel, feeding giraffes a piece of lettuce, and a movie in the 4D theater. Everyone must pay a flat $10 extra for total experience tickets, which includes all of those things. Even members. And you cannot purchase any of those things separately. And I can’t imagine telling the grandkids, “No, you can’t ride the train or the carousel.” That’s pretty much what they want to do at the zoo.

Kona shaved ice trucks are strategically positioned around the park. Moms and dads can get a $10 beer or wine to go along with a $14 burger. A cup of ice cream tastes great, but sets you back $9. And of course, you exit the zoo through the gift shop. I know, these aren’t Disney prices, but if you aren’t careful, you could spend $100 per person.

The last time we went was disappointing. The much promoted tiger cubs had the day off. All the animals from the Americas (bear, coyote, eagle, etc.) were off site while their habitats were bring rebuilt. The stingrays were on sabbatical.

Having said all that, I still love going to the zoo. We bring our lunch and some drinks. We know how to bypass the gift shop. The elephants and giraffes are more than happy to pose for pictures. It’s all good.