From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Zoo and botanical garden in Sanford, Florida, United States

Field	Value
zoo_name	Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens
logo	Central FL Zoo logo.jpg
image	Central Florida Zoo Entrance.jpg
image_caption	Entrance to the Central Florida Zoo
date_opened	1923
July 4, 1975 in current location
location	Sanford, Florida, United States
coordinates
area	116 acre
num_animals	400
annual_visitors	300,000
members	AZA
website

July 4, 1975 in current location The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a 116 acre zoo and botanical garden located north of Orlando, Florida in Sanford. As a not-for-profit organization, it is a leader in conservation, providing experiences that inspire actions on behalf of wildlife. The Zoo has been an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1986.

History

In 1923, the Central Florida Zoo (then called the Sanford Municipal Zoo) opened its gates for the first time with only a small collection of animals that were donated by the local fire department. In 1941, it was relocated to new facilities where Sanford City Hall now stands. It was moved to its current location on July 4, 1975.

With the support from a group of dedicated citizens, and the donation of a 106-acre piece of land from Seminole County, the Central Florida Zoological Park opened at its current location along Lake Monroe, with Jack Hanna as Director. In 1986 the Central Florida Zoo became accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). In 2005, The Wayne M. Densch Discovery Center and ZooLab opened. The buildings feature classroom and hands-on instructional space, as well as a multi-purpose banquet room available for private meeting and event rentals. In 2007, the Zoo officially announced its botanical garden status and became the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. The same year, the Wharton-Smith Tropical Splash Ground opened.

In 2022, the zoo closed for over 3 weeks due to Hurricane Ian.

Animals

The zoo is home to around 400 individual animals, closely representing 100 species. While visiting, guests can take advantage of educational opportunities including keeper chats and animal encounters.

Mammals

American black bear
Amur leopard
Blue duiker
Cape porcupine
Chacoan peccary
Cheetah
Cotton-top tamarin
Domestic goat
Domestic sheep
Fossa (animal)
Guianan squirrel monkey
Geoffroy's spider monkey
Indian rhinoceros
Lesser spot-nosed guenon
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth
Llama
Masai giraffe
Mongoose lemur
North American river otter
Ring-tailed lemur

Birds

African pygmy goose
Bald eagle
Blue-and-gold macaw
Cape thick-knee
Crested coua
Domestic chicken
Guira cuckoo
Green-winged macaw
Hyacinth macaw
Laughing kookaburra
Nicobar pigeon
Palawan peacock-pheasant
Red-shouldered hawk
Red-tailed hawk
Silvery-cheeked hornbill
Violet turaco
Wreathed hornbill

Reptiles

American alligator
American crocodile
African spurred tortoise
Aldabra giant tortoise
Aruba island rattlesnake
Baja blue rock lizard
Blue iguana
Black-breasted leaf turtle
Crocodile monitor
Desert horned viper
Dusky pygmy rattlesnake
Eastern diamondback rattlesnake
Eastern indigo snake
Emerald tree boa
Eyelash viper
Florida cottonmouth
Gaboon viper
Green bush viper
Green tree python
Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko
Jamaican boa
Leopard tortoise
Mexican lance-headed rattlesnake
Metlapilcoatlus mexicanus
Naja haje
New Caledonian giant gecko
Orinoco crocodile
Pantherophis obsoletus
Prehensile-tailed skink
Radiated tortoise
Bitis rhinoceros
Snouted cobra
Southern copperhead
Spotted turtle
Sri Lankan pit viper
Tokay gecko
Western green mamba

Amphibians

Amazonian milk frog
Australian green tree frog
Dendrobates auratus
Dendrobates leucomelas

Invertebrates

Acanthoscurria geniculata
Asbolus verrucosus
Avicularia geroldi
Blaberus discoidalis
Brachypelma albopilosum
Dermestidae sp.
Gerridae sp.
Giant African Millipede
Hadogenes troglodytes
Poecilotheria subfusca
Porcellio laevis

Attractions

Within the zoo, a splash park can be found. Giraffe feedings and rhino encounters are available for an extra cost. The Little Florida Railroad, a gauge ridable miniature railway with a G-16 streamliner locomotive originally built in 1951, began operating at the zoo in 2003. Following an incident in November 2019 in which a derailment required guests to be hospitalized, the train was closed temporarily. In early 2023, the zoo unveiled its new train.

Events

The Zoo hosts several annual events, including ZOO Boo Bash and Hippity Hop Adventure. Brews Around the Zoo, a 21 & up only event occurs yearly in the spring. In 2019, the Inaugural Asian Lantern Festival: Into the Wild, was held at the Central Florida Zoo. In partnership with Tianyu Arts & Culture, 35 hand crafted illuminated lantern elements transformed the Zoo and more than 38,000 guests took part in the event.

Conservation

The Central Florida Zoo has teamed up with The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWC/FWRI) and the Florida Museum of Natural History to monitor the state's 68 species of amphibians and help save the 16 species considered to be at greatest risk due to habitat loss, invasive species, climate change, and new wildlife diseases. The Zoo also participates in several AZA Species Survival Plans (SSP), including those for the Indian rhino, cheetah, Amur leopard, cotton-top tamarin, and blue iguana.

The Zoo also operates an offsite conservation center, the Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation. This facility helps to breed and release eastern indigo snakes into the wild where they have disappeared.

Gallery

Amur leopard.jpg|Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) Asian_Elephants.JPG|Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) Female_Hornbill_-Flickr-Andrea_Westmoreland.jpg|Hornbill (Bucerotidae) Ybtor_2b(7687369946).jpg|Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) Alligator_at_the_Central_Florida_Zoo_in_Sanford,_Florida.jpg|American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) Ybbhn 2b (7661585706).jpg|Blue heron

References

"Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens Fact Sheet".
[https://www.wftv.com/news/local/seminole-county/central-florida-zoo-still-closed-due-hurricane-ian-flooding-heres-how-you-can-help/7VP3W5VD4VBCRMHEC6RWWL24SA/ Central Florida Zoo still closed due to Hurricane Ian flooding; here’s how you can help], WFTV, October 20, 2022
(February 28, 2020). "Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens Statement Regarding the Little Florida Railroad Miniature Train". Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
"About the Zoo". Central Florida Zoo.
"Conservation Projects". Central Florida Zoo.
"Species Survival Plan". Central Florida Zoo.
"List of Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
(November 17, 2011). "Fairwinds Credit Union and the Central Florida Zoo Partner to Bring Rhinoceros Exhibit to the Zoo". Central Florida Zoo.
K.D. Tobik, Amy. (April 24, 2008). "New surprises at Central Florida Zoo". Winter Park/Maitland Observer.
[http://www.srmduluth.org/G16/G16-history.shtml G-16 History] {{webarchive. link. (2016-03-03)

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

educational-organizations-established-in-1923 zoos-established-in-the-1920s zoos-in-florida buildings-and-structures-in-seminole-county,-florida sanford,-florida tourist-attractions-in-seminole-county,-florida 1923-establishments-in-florida

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report