Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida

Formed in 1984, the East Coast Zoological Society of Florida dreamed of building a new zoo for Brevard County. Frank Vega recruited several community leaders and slowly, the reality of a new zoo began taking form. Major aerospace company executives formed teams to work on the architectural plans and volunteered their time providing labor for construction of the new zoo. A. Duda & Sons made a generous donation of land, a prime location for the zoo.

County commissioners committed revenue to the project by providing the zoo with a much needed loan. Other sources of revenue came from fundraising efforts; the Founders Society was established and along with 303 founding members, assisted the zoo in matching a $500,000 grant from the State of Florida. With a high level of community support and devotion, the society raised $3.5 million, and with more than 16,000 volunteers, the zoo was the largest community project ever built. The Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida opened its doors to the public in March of 1994.

The Zoo has five major areas devoted to animals and exhibit and supports conservation projects in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, the Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, the Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Guests visiting the Expedition Africa will be taken via a kayak ride down the Nyami Nyami River and from there, encounter a wide variety of African wildlife including birds, giraffe, lemurs, primates, gazelles, rhinos and antelopes.

The La Selva Exhibit invites guests to take a "walk-thru'' tour of the jungle area and encounter jaguars, a wide variety of monkey species, tropical birds and capybaras, which are large guinea pig type animals. Also to be seen are anteaters snooping around a hollowed out palmetto display in search of tasty ants. The La Selva exhibit shows the Brevard Zoos devotion to conservation efforts in Mexico, Peru, Columbia, Belize, Paraguay and Dominica.

The Australia/Asia Loop features a free-flight aviary exhibit which is home to cockatoos, cockatiels, lorikeets, Indonesian fruit bats, eclectus parrots, kookaburras and cassowaries. Other animals featured in the exhibit are munitjacs, small deer-like animals from China; dingoes, wallabies, kangaroos, emus and turtles. The exhibit highlights the Brevard Zoos conservation programs in the Philippines and Papua, New Guinea.

The Wild Florida Exhibit showcases animals native to the state of Florida. Visitors are invited to feed Annie and Flame, two white-tailed deer, watch a public alligator feeding, and visit the crocodile display. Also included in the exhibits are red wolves, fox, bald eagles, bobcats and red-tailed hawks. At the end of the walkway, visitors can take a guided kayak tour through a fully restored wetland area. The Brevard Zoo is dedicated to conservation projects in Florida that protect sea turtles, right whales, manatees, scrub jays, Perdido Beach mice and oyster reef restoration.

The Paws on Display exhibit is the newest addition to Brevard Zoo. Here youngsters are welcome to enjoy water play, a petting zoo, an animal fort structure, an aquarium and daily educational programs. In addition to the wide array of displays, the area also boasts an1, 800 square foot playground and 40 animals exhibited in the children's zoo.

The Brevard Zoo is a smaller zoo, but devoted to big ideas such as animal conservation and educational programs. The main focus is to provide top quality care for the animals and offer unique opportunities for guests to experience the wonders of nature. Brevard Zoo is open daily from 9:30 am until 5:00 pm, Monday through Sunday.