Zoo Miami
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Entrance from State Road 992.
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| Date opened | 1948 (Crandon Park Zoo) July 4, 1980 (Miami MetroZoo) |
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| Location | Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States |
| Coordinates | 25°36′28″N 80°24′00″W / 25.6077°N 80.4001°WCoordinates: 25°36′28″N 80°24′00″W / 25.6077°N 80.4001°W |
| Land area | 750 acres (304 ha) (324 acres (131 ha) developed) |
| Number of animals | 3,000 |
| Number of species | 500 |
| Memberships | Association of Zoos and Aquariums |
| Major exhibits | 100 |
| Website | www |
The Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens, also known as Zoo Miami, and formerly known as Miami MetroZoo, is a zoological garden near Miami, and the largest and oldest zoological garden in Florida. Originally established in 1948 at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Zoo Miami relocated in 1980 to the former location of the Richmond Naval Air Station, southwest of Miami in southern metropolitan Miami-Dade County, in the center of the census-designated places of Three Lakes (north), South Miami Heights (south), Palmetto Estates (east) and Richmond West (west).
The only tropical zoo in the continental United States, Zoo Miami houses over 3,000 animals on nearly 750 acres (304 ha), 324 acres (131 ha) of which are developed. It is about 3 mi (5 km) around if walked on the path, and features over 100 exhibits. The zoo's communications director is wildlife expert and photographer Ron Magill. He frequently appears on local talk shows and news stations, often promoting the zoo and its wildlife. Zoo Miami is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
The history of Zoo Miami can be traced back to 1948, when 3 monkeys, a goat and 2 black bears were purchased for $270 from a small road show stranded near Miami. These 6 animals were the beginning of the Crandon Park Zoo at Crandon Park on the island of Key Biscayne, just southeast off the coast from downtown Miami. The Crandon Park Zoo occupied 48 acres (19.4 ha) of the park. The first animals in the zoo, including some lions, an elephant and a rhinoceros, had been stranded when a circus went out of business in Miami. Some Galapagos tortoises, monkeys and pheasants were added from the Matheson plantation. By 1967, the Crandon Park Zoo had grown to over 1,200 animals, and was considered one of the top 25 zoos in the country. Other animals were added, including a white Bengal tiger in 1968.
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