Tag: Jacksonville Zoo

Posted in Travel, zoo

A lot of new at the zoo

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We visited the Jacksonville Zoo for the first time in about six months, and wow, has it changed! They’ve finished the new entrance, added many new walkways and a 330,000 gallon manatee rescue/rehab tank. These three manatees sure enjoyed their new environment, as did a large crowd of folks on a cool, sunny, spring break day.

After watching the manatees for a bit, we walked around the back side of the zoo to the tiger exhibit. I’ve never seen any of the tigers this close before. She is a beautiful cat!

The warty pigs gathered at the window for us, too.

Unfortunately, the zoo no longer lets you bring food or drink in. We tailgated our picnic lunch in the parking lot after seeing all the animals, feeding giraffes, and riding the train.

The entrance and manatee upgrade cost $72 million! Quite an upgrade.

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!