The ZOO Northwest Florida (also called The Gulf Breeze Zoo or simply The Zoo) hosts over 900 animals on more than 30 acres of preservation land. The Zoo is located at 5701 Gulf Breeze Parkway, 10 miles east of Gulf Breeze and 19 miles west of Fort Walton. In addition to the animals themselves, the Zoo features amenities such as the Safari Line Train, Jungle Café, Whistlestop Snack Bar, and a gift shop in the main building.
| The ZOO Northwest Florida | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | zoo |
| Size | 30+ acres |
| Operated by | Gulf Coast Zoological Society |
| Opened | 1984 |
| Location | 5701 Gulf Breeze Parkway Gulf Breeze, FL 32563 |
| <googlemap lat="30.400714" lon="-86.983223" zoom="16" width="288" height="288">
30.40114, -86.984425, The ZOO Northwest Florida </googlemap> | |
Exhibits & animals
- List incomplete. Cost per year to feed each animal is listed in parentheses.[1]
- Asia, a female Bengal tiger ($3,000)
- Mwelu, a Western lowland gorilla ($2,500)
- Gabby, a female giraffe ($2,000)
- Larry, a male African lion ($3,000)
- Jafar, a male greater one-horned rhino ($2,000)
Financial woes and other problems
The Zoo has operated in the red since its opening in 1984. Formerly owned and operated by Pat Quinn, control was transferred to the non-profit Gulf Coast Zoological Society on September 1, 2004 — weeks after Hurricane Ivan destroyed a number of exhibits. Despite a $2.7 million policy, the Zoo's insurance company only paid $59,000 of more than $600,000 in damages.[1]
Under executive director Doug Kemper, the Zoo has faced more problems than just the Ivan-related damage and dwindling attendance. Though it remains a licensed zoo, its American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accreditation, granted in 1988, was revoked on March 29, 2006 after AZA inspectors deemed 38 Zoo practices "questionable" and 24 more "unacceptable."[2] Other recent incidents to plague the Zoo include:
- a November 13, 2006 injury when a caged leopard bit a 19-year-old zookeeper (whose last name, coincidentally, was Leopard) who was "too close" to the cat, according to Kemper[3];
- the temporary escape of two cougars from their pens on November 14, 2006 (one day after the leopard bite), requiring all 30 visitors to be moved to secure areas[4]; and
- the bateria-related deaths of four kangroos in a three-day period[5]
The Pensacola News Journal reported in July 2007 that the Zoo is in danger of closing unless $1 million is raised by the end of the year.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "The Zoo could be closing." Pensacola News Journal, July 7, 2007.
- ↑ Trouble in the animal kingdom - Northwest Florida Daily News, August 13, 2006
- ↑ bigcatrescue.org
- ↑ Cougars escape pen at The Zoo - Northwest Florida Daily News, November 15, 2006
- ↑ String of kangaroo deaths plagues zoo - Northwest Florida Daily News, January 17, 2007