Naples Zoo
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The Naples Zoo (or more formally, Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens) is a 43-acre zoo and historic botanical garden in
Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,115, down from 19,539 at the 2010 census. Naples is a principal city of the Collier County, Florida, Naples–Marc ...
, United States. The first plantings were made by botanist and ornithologist Henry Nehrling in 1919; the gardens were neglected after his death in 1929. In the 1950s, Julius Fleischmann added new plantings, created lakes and a pathway, introduced parrots and waterfowl, and opened as Caribbean Gardens in 1954. After his death in 1968, the exotic animals were introduced in 1969 by Larry and Jane Tetzlaff, aka Jungle Larry and Safari Jane. The zoo holds about 70 species, though not all of these are on display at any given time. The main path is about a mile long, and winds past the main animal exhibits through the tropical garden first planted in 1919. Primates in the zoo are housed on islands in one of the lakes created by Fleischmann, and can be viewed from guided catamarans when visitors take the Primate Expedition Cruise. The zoo is nationally accredited by the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), originally the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA), is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1924 and dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aqu ...
(AZA), and is an institutional member of the
American Association of Zoo Keepers American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc. (AAZK) is a professional organization for zookeepers in the United States. It serves its membership through publications and conventions. History The American Association of Zoo Keepers was first organ ...
(AAZK). The garden itself is accredited by The Moreton Register of Arboreta and is a member of the American Public Garden Association and the Association of Zoological Horticulture. It is also a designated historic site by Collier County.


History

The Naples Zoo began as a personal project of botanist Henry Nehrling, who purchased the land in 1919 to protect his plant collection, which had taken heavy damage during a 1917 freeze at his original garden in central Florida. After his death in 1929, the gardens were neglected for over two decades. They were reopened in 1954, this time to the public and as "Caribbean Gardens," by Julius Fleischmann, Jr. At the time they were described as being "just north of Naples." The conversion to a zoo started in 1967, when Col. Lawrence and Nancy Jane Tetzlaff, known as Jungle Larry and Safari Jane, visited the Gardens while looking for somewhere to house their collection of rare animals during the winter. Although the property was not available at the time, shortly after Fleischmann's death the Tetzlaffs were contacted about displaying their animals within the garden, and it was opened with the animals in place on September 1, 1969. Although Larry Tetzlaff died in 1984, Nancy Jane Tetzlaff and her family carried on and continued to improve and expand the Zoo and gardens. The zoo was accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in 2001. In 2002, the Fleischmann family that owned the land at the time decided that they wanted to sell it. The Tetzlaffs began trying to get the county to purchase the land, and the Fleischmann family waited to allow the community to act. In 2004, a referendum to purchase the land was approved by 73% of voters. In order to make the purchase easier, the Tetzlaffs made the Zoo a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and gave control to the newly established Naples Zoo Board of Directors in 2005. Today, under the leadership of President and CEO Jack Mulvena, the zoo cares for a growing number of critically endangered species, supports conservation efforts in the wild, and reaches over 350,000 guests a year.


Exhibits

The Naples Zoo is laid out with one major loop about 1 mile long that winds through the botanical gardens past the main exhibits. The main exhibits, going clockwise around the main loop, include the following: Alligator Bay provides a home to the zoo's American alligators. This lake is also home to many native species including an annual rookery of herons. South American Exhibits This area features a
giant anteater The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an Insectivore, insectivorous mammal native to Central America, Central and South America. It is the largest of the four living species of anteaters, which are classified with sloths in the or ...
as well as
red-rumped agouti The red-rumped agouti (''Dasyprocta leporina''), also known as the golden-rumped agouti, orange-rumped agouti or Brazilian agouti, is a species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae. Distribution It is native to northeastern South America, ma ...
s. Nearby are critically endangered
cotton-top tamarin The cotton-top tamarin (''Saguinus oedipus'') is a small New World monkey weighing less than . This New World monkey can live up to 24 years, but most of them die by 13 years. One of the smallest primates, the cotton-top tamarin is easily reco ...
s,
red-footed tortoise The red-footed tortoise (''Chelonoidis carbonarius'') is a species of tortoise from northern South America. These medium-sized tortoises generally average as adults, but can reach over . They have dark-colored (nearly black), “loaf”-shaped ...
s,
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth Linnaeus's two-toed sloth (''Choloepus didactylus''), also known as the southern two-toed sloth, unau, or Linne's two-toed sloth is a species of sloth from South America, found in Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Colombia, Ecuador, Per ...
s. African Antelope is on the South side of the path opposite Alligator Bay. This area is home to a breeding pair of mountain bongo, a critically endangered antelope from the Mount Kenya area. Only 75 to 80 remain in the wild. Guests also see
slender-horned gazelle The rhim gazelle or rhim (from Arabic غزال الريم) (''Gazella leptoceros''), also known as the slender-horned gazelle, African sand gazelle or Loder's gazelle, is a pale-coated gazelle with long slender horns and well adapted to desert li ...
s. These light colored animals come from northern Africa where only 250 to 340 remain. Clouded Leopards has a breeding pair of
clouded leopard The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through Northeast India and Bhutan to mainland Southeast Asia into South China. It w ...
s. There is glass viewing and a nearby educational display offers guests information on how their purchases of snacks, cosmetics, and other household items can help or hurt clouded leopards, orangutans, tigers, and more. Guests can download a free app that shows them which products are better for these endangered species. Lake Victoria contains several islands that are home to the zoo's primates, including
ring-tailed lemur The ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') is a medium- to larger-sized strepsirrhine (wet-nosed) primate and the most internationally recognized lemur species, owing to its long, black-and-white, ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of fiv ...
s,
red ruffed lemur The red ruffed lemur (''Varecia rubra'') is one of two species in the genus ''Varecia'', the ruffed lemurs; the other is the black-and-white ruffed lemur (''Varecia variegata''). Like all lemurs, it is native to Madagascar. It occurs only in the ...
s,
collared lemur The collared brown lemur (''Eulemur collaris''), also known as the red-collared brown lemur or red-collared lemur, is a medium-sized Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhine primate and one of twelve species of True lemur, brown lemur in the family Lemuridae ...
s,
black-handed spider monkey Geoffroy's spider monkey (''Ateles geoffroyi''), also known as the black-handed spider monkey or the Central American spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, parts of Mexico and possibly a ...
s, buff-cheeked gibbons,
siamang The siamang (, ; ''Symphalangus syndactylus'') is an endangered arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The largest of the gibbons, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching i ...
s and
eastern black-and-white colobus The mantled guereza (''Colobus guereza''), also known simply as the guereza, the eastern black-and-white colobus, or the Abyssinian black-and-white colobus, is a black-and-white colobus, a type of Old World monkey. It is native to much of west ...
es. Visitors can see these islands can be viewed up close by taking the 15 to 20 minute Primate Expedition Cruise around the lake on one of the zoo's catamarans. The majority of the species on these islands are endangered in the wild. Lagoon Loop is home to the zoo's
lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
s as well as nearby
plains zebra The plains zebra (''Equus quagga'', formerly ''Equus burchellii'') is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. Its range is fragmented, but spans much of southern and eastern Africa south of the Sahara. Six or seven subspec ...
s. Giraffes showcases a herd of
reticulated giraffe The reticulated giraffe (''Giraffa reticulata'' or ''Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata'') is a species/subspecies of giraffe native to the Horn of Africa. It is differentiated from other types of giraffe by its coat, which consists of large, p ...
s, where guests can hand-feed them for a fee. Fosas of Madagascar is home to this rare carnivore from Madagascar. (It is still commonly spelled fossas, although the preferred spelling is fosa with a single S to prevent confusion with another Malagasy civet whose scientific name is Fossa fossana.) Black Bear Hammock is home to
American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is Endemism, endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. It is an omnivore, with ...
s, and consists of two separate habitats: one that simulates a natural environment and one that simulates a back yard. Viewing for both areas is from behind glass. It is the largest black bear exhibit in an accredited zoo east of the Mississippi River. Tiger Forest provides a naturalistic bamboo forest habitat for the zoo's
Malayan tiger The Malayan tiger is a tiger from a specific population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to Peninsular Malaysia. This population inhabits the southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula, and has been classified ...
s. The Naples Zoo is a participating member of the
AZA Aza or AZA may refer to: Places *Aza, Azerbaijan, a village and municipality *Azadkənd, Nakhchivan or Lower Aza, Azerbaijan *Aza, medieval name of Haza, Province of Burgos, Spain *Aźa, a Tibetan name for the Tuyuhun kingdom *Aza, a Hebrew roman ...
Species Survival Plan The American Species Survival Plan or SSP program was developed in 1981 by the (American) Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help ensure the survival of selected species in zoos and aquariums, most of which are threatened or endangered in the w ...
for this species. Backyard Habitat is a section of the gardens set aside and certified by the
National Wildlife Federation The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization in the United States, with over six million members and supporters, and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations (i ...
in their
Backyard Wildlife Habitat The Backyard Wildlife Habitat is a program of the National Wildlife Federation that encourages homeowners in the United States to manage their gardens and yards as a wildlife garden, with the goal of maintaining healthy and diverse animal habitats ...
(BWH) program. It includes a pool where visitors can feed the fish. Panther exhibit is home to Athena, a
Florida panther The Florida panther is a North American cougar (''P. c. couguar'') population in South Florida. It lives in pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks and mixed freshwater swamp forests. Its range includes the Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglade ...
. She was found in
Big Cypress National Preserve Big Cypress National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in South Florida, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of Miami on the Atlantic coastal plain. The Big Cypress, along with Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas, beca ...
after being left behind by her mother. After attempts to reunite the kitten with her mother failed, she was brought to Naples Zoo at less than a month old. She regained her health and can be seen daily. As panthers need to spend at least 6 months with their mother to learn how to survive, she cannot be returned to the wild. The panther exhibit had originally been home to Uno, another florida panther, until his death in 2018. The big cat was found after having been shot between the eyes at close range and left for dead. He survived the ordeal by dining on
road kill Roadkill is a wild animal that has been killed by collision with motor vehicles. Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) have increasingly been the topic of academic research to understand the causes, and how they can be mitigated. History Essenti ...
. After being nursed back to health he was brought to the zoo and put on exhibit in a recreation of what would be his local mostly wild habitat (mostly
wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
). There are also other exhibits throughout the zoo for
striped hyena The striped hyena (''Hyaena hyaena'') is a species of hyena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Hyaena''. It is listed by the IU ...
s,
Reeve's muntjac Reeves's muntjac (''Muntiacus reevesi''), also known as the Chinese muntjac, is a species of muntjac found widely in south-eastern China (from Gansu to Yunnan) and Taiwan. It has also been introduced in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlan ...
,
yellow-backed duiker The yellow-backed duiker (''Cephalophus silvicultor'') is a shy, forest-dwelling antelope of the order Artiodactyla, from the family Bovidae. Yellow-backed duikers are the most widely-distributed of all duikers. They are found mainly in Central a ...
s,
honey badger The honey badger (''Mellivora capensis''), also known as the ratel ( or ), is a mammal widely distributed across Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only living species in both the genus ''Mellivora'' and the subfami ...
s,
cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...
s,
coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...
s and
macaw Macaws are a group of Neotropical parrot, New World parrots that are long-tailed and often colorful, in the Tribe (biology), tribe Arini (tribe), Arini. They are popular in aviculture or as companion parrots, although there are conservation con ...
s.


Daily Events

Throughout the day, the zoo provides visitors with events that highlight the animals and conservation. These include the ''Seated Safari'' and ''Reptile Rendezvous'' shows at the Safari Canyon Open Air Theater, ''Alligator Bay Feeding'', and ''Meet the Keeper'' series at various exhibits around the zoo.


Incidents

On December 29, 2021, River Rosenquist, an employee with a third-party cleaning service working at the zoo was bitten by an 8-year-old
Malayan tiger The Malayan tiger is a tiger from a specific population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to Peninsular Malaysia. This population inhabits the southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula, and has been classified ...
after he entered an unauthorized area and reached his arm into the animal's enclosure. A responding law enforcement officer shot the tiger, named Eko, in an effort to force its release of the victim's arm, wounding the tiger who later died.


Notes


References

* (official site) *


External links

* * {{authority control Zoos in Florida Buildings and structures in Naples, Florida Parks in Collier County, Florida Tourist attractions in Collier County, Florida 1969 establishments in Florida Zoos established in 1969