Jacksonville Zoo in Florida

The point of entry menagerie and Gardens, situated in point of entry, Florida, sits at the mouth of the Trout stream. The menagerie occupies more or less 117 acres (47 ha) and has over two,000 animals and one,000 plants in its assortment. The menagerie has big from its modest beginnings in Springfield to be thought-about one in every of the city's premier attractions, with quite 1,000,000 guests within the past year.

The point of entry menagerie and Gardens' marquee attractions ar the vary of the Panthera onca, that won the 2005 AZA Exhibit of the year award[2] and also the Land of the Tiger, that opened in 2014 Associate in Nursingd options an innovative walk-through path system for the 2 Sumatran and 3 Malayan tigers. conjointly enclosed within the Land of the Tiger ar decorated and wrinkled hornbills, Bisayan rough pigs, babiroussa pigs, and Asian small-clawed otters. The zoo's different exhibits embrace the Plains of East Africa, highlight African grassland animals; nice Apes of the planet, that includes 2 of the four nice apes among different primates; the Australian Outback, as well as lorikeets, cassowarys, and kangaroos; and Wild Sunshine State, that options animals native to the state.

The menagerie is active in animal conservation, taking part in additional than fifty national and international conservation initiatives and quite ninety five Species Survival Plans. In 2004, the menagerie reached Associate in Nursing agreement with the state of South American country to assist promote conservation therein country, significantly the Iwokrama woodland. to boot, since 1999 the menagerie has been home to an outsized breeding colony of untamed wood storks.

History
The Municipal menagerie opened within the Springfield neighborhood of point of entry, Sunshine State on could twelve, 1914. the primary animal on exhibit was a deer fawn.

On July 19, 1925, the menagerie moved to a thirty seven.5-acre (152,000 m2) web site on the Trout stream off Heckscher Drive in North point of entry.

Perhaps the foremost vital animal within the zoo's history was a Panthera onca named Zorro. Zorro was a male, wild-born black (melanistic) Panthera onca that fell upon the menagerie in August 1967. At that point, black jaguars were terribly rare in captivity. throughout Zorro's nineteen years at the menagerie (he died in Sep, 1986), he fathered various cubs that were sent to different zoos across North America. within the spring of 2003, the Jax menagerie investigated and will not realize a current North yankee captive-born black Panthera onca that wasn't a descendant of Zorro.[3]

By the tip of the Sixties, the menagerie was putative to own the most important assortment of exotic animals within the Southeast, however it had fallen on misfortune and a good deal of cash was required to avoid wasting the menagerie. Community leaders, beneath the direction of politician Hans Tanzler, appointed a seven-member committee to go looking for an alternate to closing the menagerie.

Small train at the menagerie
A major renovation of the menagerie began in 1992. Through a mix of public funds and personal donations, over $20 million was raised. comes completed embrace a brand new front entry gate and car parking zone, the most Camp entrance, Birds of the vale bird sanctuary, Great Apes, Associate in Nursing distended train ride, Associate in Nursing elephant and breeding complicated, RiverBranch Foundation Animal heart, the PepsiCo Foundation Education field, and renovation of the 11-acre (45,000 m2) Plains of East Africa. Exhibits conjointly embrace ray Bay, eveningwear Coast, and also the Asian bamboo garden and monitor exhibit.

In Dec 2003, the zoo's name was formally modified from the point of entry menagerie to the point of entry menagerie and Gardens. Over ensuing 5 years, many new exhibits and services, as well as the famous vary of the Panthera onca, the grassland Blooms facility, and also the Children's Play Park with success opened to the general public. additionally, the menagerie has endeavored to become recognized as a facility.

Currently, the menagerie sits on eighty nine acres (360,000 m2) of land, over doubly its original size on the Trout stream location. The menagerie homes over two,400 rare and exotic animals and over one,500 distinctive plant species and participates in several preservation and breeding programs to confirm the survival of vulnerable and vulnerable species in addition as native fauna and flora.

Management and finance[edit]
The point of entry Zoological Society began managing the menagerie on June 21, 1971. Originally consisting of solely the seven members appointed by politician Tanzler, the society currently consists of eighty five of the city's most prestigious leaders. There ar presently thirty Board of Trustees members, with sixteen unearned members. The board conducts business relating to the menagerie within the name of the society.

The City of point of entry contracts with the society to manage all phases of the operation of the menagerie. All property, as well as land, animals and instrumentation, belong to the city; successively, the town contributes Associate in Nursing annual grant to offset a number of the zoo's operational expenses. All different menagerie expenses ar paid through revenues attained from admissions, concession sales, memberships, the Animal Care Club program, the Annual Fund, sponsorships, grants, and fundraising events.