I was a bit of a wild child growing up. I ran away for the first time at seven; told my mother I was joining the traveling circus with all the defiance of a seven-year-old filled with self-righteous anger.
She helped me pack a snack in a paper bag when it was clear my stubborn streak was wider than the hint of a smile at the corner of her lips.
I remember getting as far as the back yard via the front door before stopping to devour the homemade cookies she’d wrapped in wax paper for me. I’d found a shady spot up against the house under the eaves where I could sit and imagine an exotic life taming tigers, riding elephants and training monkeys.
There’s something about wild animals that still appeals to the wild child in me. Maybe it's that feral feeling of living off your wits and whim; it was called play, back when play was unscheduled and haphazard, and summers were devoted to roaming the jungles of our curiosity on bicycles with banana seats, like a pack of wild animals hunting for prey.
I felt a bit like that wild child again, riding our safari cycles through the 740 acres of Zoo Miami, formerly Miami MetroZoo (okay, maybe not all 740 acres). I think the wild child piece could be a family trait.
She helped me pack a snack in a paper bag when it was clear my stubborn streak was wider than the hint of a smile at the corner of her lips.
I remember getting as far as the back yard via the front door before stopping to devour the homemade cookies she’d wrapped in wax paper for me. I’d found a shady spot up against the house under the eaves where I could sit and imagine an exotic life taming tigers, riding elephants and training monkeys.
There’s something about wild animals that still appeals to the wild child in me. Maybe it's that feral feeling of living off your wits and whim; it was called play, back when play was unscheduled and haphazard, and summers were devoted to roaming the jungles of our curiosity on bicycles with banana seats, like a pack of wild animals hunting for prey.
I felt a bit like that wild child again, riding our safari cycles through the 740 acres of Zoo Miami, formerly Miami MetroZoo (okay, maybe not all 740 acres). I think the wild child piece could be a family trait.
Two wild and crazy sisters.
Like a mid-life crisis gone wild (that’s actually a rather scary thought), the older kids among us (me, Jimmy, and my sister Lynda) departed the safari cycles rental area with reckless abandon in our “surreys with(out) the fringe on top;” Lynda’s singsong words.
One wild and crazy guy.
We were still no match for Isla, Lynda’s two year old granddaughter. Although she was riding shotgun there was no doubt she was more than willing to take charge. No doubt either the wild child building blocks were part of our DNA.
One wild child.
Isla was definitely in her element, the youngest wild child with more curiosity than your average cat flaunting the prerequisite nine lives. She certainly had enough curiosity to keep her grandmother and her mother (Lynda’s daughter Marci) purring with pride and running in circles as we all headed into the jungles of Florida’s largest, oldest and best-est zoological garden. Isla is the epitome of adorable. I can be a proud aunt, too.
Marci walked and strolled the newest family member, Isla’s 2-month-old sister Lanie,
Marci walked and strolled the newest family member, Isla’s 2-month-old sister Lanie,
Before there was wild and crazy, there was sweet and oh so precious.
leaving all the wild childs to steer their own course. Motherhood will do that to you; tame that wild child, at least temporarily; as long as something or someone doesn’t threaten those baby cubs. Wild hardly begins to describe a vigilant mother when called to protect her brood.
Out for a morning stroll.
The air-conditioned monorail might have been a better option than walking or biking the three miles of roadways inside the zoo, but where’s the fun in that?
That's one big anaconda!
No way would we hear the random sounds of the wild from inside an air conditioned monorail. We’d miss hearing the roaring and grunting, the hooting and howling, the cackling and flapping. We’d miss the subtle olfactory landscape, the smell of dung and dust and animal scents that come with life in the wild, even if that wild was really just a living diorama of the real deal.
The first diorama, the Asian Exhibit, was home to the Bengal tiger, the national animal of both India and Bangladesh. Her home shown in the background was based on five ruins in India where tigers have been known to take over abandoned temples. She is one of three tigers in residence at Zoo Miami. She seemed quite content with her digs, sailing on a sea of tranquility (alas, perhaps she was imagining a life with Pi) from her side of the moat and split rail fence.
The first diorama, the Asian Exhibit, was home to the Bengal tiger, the national animal of both India and Bangladesh. Her home shown in the background was based on five ruins in India where tigers have been known to take over abandoned temples. She is one of three tigers in residence at Zoo Miami. She seemed quite content with her digs, sailing on a sea of tranquility (alas, perhaps she was imagining a life with Pi) from her side of the moat and split rail fence.
Nothing beats being king of the castle, or Indian temple.
There were no cages to grossly inhibit her movements; no poachers to take her life and her hide; no humans encroaching on her territory, just a few of us taking a moment to escape our noisy, crowded, busy world, a world usually devoid of wild animals and the quiet balance of a natural setting. Good or bad, as a member of Zoo Miami, she was one less tiger facing extinction.
Before Zoo Miami, there was the Crandon Park Zoo. In 1965, when Hurricane Betsy all but wiped out Crandon Park Zoo, (250 animals were lost as a result of that hurricane), County officials applied for 600 acres further south where the old Richmond Naval Air Station had been located. In 1981 Miami MetroZoo, now called Zoo Miami, opened and continued to evolve into the world renowned showcase it is today.
When Category 5 Hurricane Andrew made landfall in South Florida on August 24th, 1992, Zoo Miami lost 5,000 trees, and 300 birds living in the Wings of Asia aviary. The aviary was completely demolished, as was 25,524 homes in south Miami, including my sister Lynda’s home. One hundred sixty thousand people were suddenly homeless following Hurricane Andrew. The chaos in the aftermath was as traumatizing as the destruction.
No chaos the morning we went through the aviary, with the exception of our smallest wild child anxious to dive into some action.
Before Zoo Miami, there was the Crandon Park Zoo. In 1965, when Hurricane Betsy all but wiped out Crandon Park Zoo, (250 animals were lost as a result of that hurricane), County officials applied for 600 acres further south where the old Richmond Naval Air Station had been located. In 1981 Miami MetroZoo, now called Zoo Miami, opened and continued to evolve into the world renowned showcase it is today.
When Category 5 Hurricane Andrew made landfall in South Florida on August 24th, 1992, Zoo Miami lost 5,000 trees, and 300 birds living in the Wings of Asia aviary. The aviary was completely demolished, as was 25,524 homes in south Miami, including my sister Lynda’s home. One hundred sixty thousand people were suddenly homeless following Hurricane Andrew. The chaos in the aftermath was as traumatizing as the destruction.
No chaos the morning we went through the aviary, with the exception of our smallest wild child anxious to dive into some action.
It can be back breaking work keeping up with a wild child.
Most of the action was either on the ground
I know you like my hat; sorry, it's only for crested wood partridges.
Can you tell this masked lapwing likes his eggs sunny side up?
The Nicobar Pigeon is already dressed for the Easter parade.
or up in the trees.
I think this one, sitting fat and sassy, surely must be related to the penguin.
Yes, I'm proud to be part of the Pied Imperial Pigeon palace guard.
Help! I can't get this Great Indian hornbill off.
Under the cool canopy of tropical trees was 54,000 square feet of jungle floor, home to 70 species of birds, including brightly colored pheasants, hornbills and pigeons more than willing to show off their shimmering, iridescent plumage. It’s the largest free-flight aviary of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. A ten foot skeletal reminder of the evolutionary connection to dinosaurs encouraged visitors to enter the Field Research Center adjacent to the aviary so they could view and touch realistic casts of dinosaur fossils and bird skeletons.
Open your mouth and say, ahhhh.
With three miles of winding roads to cover and several more continental exhibits (Africa and Australia), it was back to our safari cycles. Africa did not disappoint.
This majestic and intelligent pachyderm, aka elephant named Machito, was busy demonstrating how to forage for food when we came by. I guess so, given he digests only 40% of what he eats as an herbivore. What doesn’t get digested comes out as dung balls weighting approximately 4 pounds each. Elephants can drop up to 100 of these bombs in one day. That equates to one majestic Preparation H bill.
This majestic and intelligent pachyderm, aka elephant named Machito, was busy demonstrating how to forage for food when we came by. I guess so, given he digests only 40% of what he eats as an herbivore. What doesn’t get digested comes out as dung balls weighting approximately 4 pounds each. Elephants can drop up to 100 of these bombs in one day. That equates to one majestic Preparation H bill.
Bombs away!
This dromedary, aka Arabian camel, seemed to have all the personality of a wild child, his curiosity second only to his love of the camera.
Hey, guys. Can I join the party?
That's okay. I see how it is.
I think he truly hated to see us go, but there was no time for any monkey business (or white handed gibbons) if we were going to complete one loop around the Asian and African Exhibits before our safari cycles were due back without incurring more charges.
Who knew just hanging out could make your arms so long.
We breezed past the sable antelopes sitting in the shade;
Can't seem to shake this headache this morning.
past the black-necked storks, a rare bird available in only one other zoo in the United States;
Got any babies needing delivering?
past this lion pacing the grounds.
No, my name is not Simba.
Lynda went through a few of her own paces just keeping up with Isla.
Won't be long til grandma gets left in the dust.
We missed more than we saw that morning; but that wasn’t the point of our visit.
At least for me, a trip to the zoo always highlights the fragile bond between man and wild beast and the need for respect between the two. It’s a humbling experience to be reminded of the sheer multitude of gifts life has to bestow on this planet we share.
I’m always left feeling small in the shadow of so much untamed beauty.
At least for me, a trip to the zoo always highlights the fragile bond between man and wild beast and the need for respect between the two. It’s a humbling experience to be reminded of the sheer multitude of gifts life has to bestow on this planet we share.
I’m always left feeling small in the shadow of so much untamed beauty.
Beautiful, indeed.
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The Bottom Line on Miami’s Metro Zoo:
Verdict: Go for the kids, or the kid in you. It’s the next best thing to Noah’s Arc! It’s great family fun, it’s very clean, it’s educational without the homework or the tests.
How to Get There: FromMiami Beach, take 395 West to the 836 West. Pass the Miami International Airport. 836 West dead-ends into the Florida Turnpike. Turn left onto it, continue south to exit 16. Leave Turnpike-come down ramp to your right. You are close to the Zoo. Make a right off the exit and then make another right at 152nd Street. You will then be going west on SW 152nd Street. Move to the left lane and enter the Zoo at SW 124th Avenue to your
left.
Insider Information: Check out their website first (their interactive map of the zoo is especially helpful) to decide what you’d like to see before you go. We went wild (literally and figuratively) on our safari cycles relying on serendipity to guide us. I regret we missed the Samburu Giraffe Feeding Station in the African Exhibit where kids can get eye-to-eye with reticulated giraffes, a species of giraffe common to zoos. If you truly want to see the entire zoo, you can purchase tickets that allow you to return for several days in a row. There are plenty of coupon options with Miami being a very tourist driven area. Simply try an internet search of Miami MetroZoo and coupons to see what’s available. Get to the zoo early if you want to rent a safari cycle. They typically go fast and the rental lines can eat up 15-20 minutes.
Nearby Food: There are several cafes onsite situated around the park. We did not stay to eat lunch because of the little ones in tow.
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