The Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens, branded and commonly known as Zoo Miami, formerly known as Miami MetroZoo, is the largest and oldest zoological garden in Florida, and the only tropical zoo in the United States. It is located on the old Richmond Naval Air Station site, 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). It houses over 2,000 animals on 740 acres (299 ha), 324 acres (131 ha) of which are developed. It is about 3 mi (5 km) around if walked on the path, and has over 100 exhibits. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
Zoo Miami supports conservation programs at the local, national
and global level, and was a founding member of the AZA's Butterfly Conservation Initiative (BFCI), a program designed to assemble non-governmental organizations and government agencies to aid in the population recovery of imperiled butterflies in North America.
The zoo has also provided financial help through the Zoo Miami Conservation Fund to upgrade captive breeding
facilities in Thailand zoos for endangered clouded leopards
and fishing cats.
Visit Zoo Miami Conservation to find out more about ongoing projects.
the people
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Ms. Fanny Navarro
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Mr. Willy Cotto Mr. Cotto has nearly 15 years of experience working with both wild and captive animals. He has worked as a zookeeper for Parrot Jungle Island (5 years), the DuMond Conservancy for Primates (Monkey Jungle - 2 years), and Zoo Miami/Zoological Society of Florida (8 years). He also brings with him a wealth of research background acquired while working with FIU's Southeastern Environmental Research Center as a laboratory technician. Mr. Cotto comes to us from the Dolphin Research Center's College of Marine Mammal Professions in Marathan, FL where he was the administration and career services coordinator and senior program instructor. Mr. Cotto has his B.S. degree in Psychology from Barry University and an A.A. from Miami-Dade College.
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Ms. Theresa Parrish Ms. Parrish has been a part of Zoo Miami as a Conservation Educator for 2 years. She has a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology and Spanish from Albright College. Ms. Parrish has been working in the zoological field since 2009. She has experience in wildlife rehabilitation, animal husbandry and environmental education. In addition Ms. Parrish has worked on field projects in Europe. She brings a passion for educating others about the conservation of wildlife.
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Ms. Isabel Sanchez Ms. Sanchez has a B.A. in Anthropology and a M.A. in Linguistics. She has twenty years experience in the zoo field including working as a zookeeper and an informal educator. Ms. Sanchez also worked as a formal educator teaching high school students. In addition, she has participated in several field conservation studies in Africa and Asia. Ms. Sanchez is currently the Volunteer Manager overseeing the department including the Conservation Teen Scientist program.
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