Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens
 |
|
| Date opened | 1923 July 4, 1975 in current location |
|---|---|
| Location | Sanford, Florida, United States |
| Coordinates | 28°49′40″N 81°18′58″W / 28.827832°N 81.31623°WCoordinates: 28°49′40″N 81°18′58″W / 28.827832°N 81.31623°W |
| Land area | 116 acres (47 ha) |
| No. of animals | 400 |
| Memberships | AZA |
| Website | centralfloridazoo |
The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens is a 116-acre (47 ha) zoo and botanical garden located north of Orlando, Florida at the intersection of I-4 and Hwy 17-92 near the city of Sanford.
The zoo has been an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since March 2011.
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.
On March 4, 2010, Mary the elephant died at age 63, leaving Maude as the lone elephant in Elephant Encounters. On February 21, 2011, Maude was moved to Zoo Miami. Once Maude had been moved to Miami, the zoo converted the elephant exhibit to house an Indian rhinoceros. With support from the FAIRWINDS Credit Union, the zoo will open its Rhinoceros Outpost exhibit in the near future. The zoo opened its otter exhibit in September 2012.
In February 2014, the zoo added a new giraffe exhibit which is now the home to three male giraffes, Rafiki, Emba, and Gage.
The zoo is now home to over 400 animals, visitors can take advantage of educational opportunities including keeper chats and animal encounters.
Mammals at the zoo include leopard, black-handed spider monkey, brown lemur, cheetah, clouded leopard, goat, Hoffmann's two-toed sloth, llama, alpaca, dromedary camel, lesser spot-nosed guenon, river otter, puma, red ruffed lemur, South African crested porcupine, warthog, Indian rhino, giraffe, and the newest fossa.
...
Wikipedia