I didn't know they had white lions (which are not very common in the USA). The gallery shows a white lion and white tiger rubbing each other (I know a lot of ZooChatters will love that one ). I also didn't know they had changed their name from Parrot Jungle (though the name change certainly makes sense). They also have liger and golden tabby tiger - more perenniel favorites among ZooChatters . I wonder if anyone on this forum has actually been there?
I understand there is a brand new exhibit for the white lion and white tigers. I've never visited the new facility...only the old one
8-year-old Orangutan ?Peanut? undergoes chemotherapy treatments for cancer at Miami zoo Jungle Island - NY Daily News
I visited the new facility once, during the brief transitional stage when it was Parrot Jungle Island. Admission was over twice what it was at the old place. The parrots were placed around the fringes, they seemed to have about half to two thirds the species variety of the old one and there was a lot of empty space in the middle. There was no shade when viewing the parrots, which discouraged lingering. They didn't have the big cats yet, but the exhibits in the center were decidedly non-parrot-focused, as was the show I saw. I was still willing to give them the benefit of the doubt until the final transformation into "Jungle Island," which took away the emphasis on parrots entirely. Ever since then I've been rooting for it to fail. I will never understand what motivated the owners to take a Florida landmark, and one-of-kind attraction in the US (and possibly globally), move it to an expensive new location, and turn it into a generic but severely overpriced second-tier zoo, and I will never forgive the owners for destroying Parrot Jungle.
The original Parrot Jungle wasn't destroyed - the property is still there and not much changed. The motivation to move the facility was well publicized, and had to do with neighbors putting up a fight for the facility's desire to hold after hour events.
I know the original facility is there; I've been there. However the appeal of the original Parrot Jungle was twofold: the focus on parrots, with large variety and parrot-themed shows, and the setting. The change to Parrot Jungle Island removed the second part of the appeal and also de-emphasized parrots. The change to Jungle Island removed the first part of the appeal. It's now just a tacky and expensive tourist trap instead of something beautiful and unique. NIMBYism is always obnoxious, however it doesn't justify the shift to Jungle Island. Like I said, it was clear from the layout when I visited, with the parrots around the edges, that a big part of the reason for the move was so that they could shift their focus away from parrots. At the time I just asked "why is there all this empty space in the middle?" but when the shift to "Jungle Island" happened, things clicked and I was furious.
In that case, the Parrot Jungle you enjoyed was long gone before they even moved the place to Watson Island. I don't think staying the original theme would have done much for the business anyway. Monkey Jungle never seemed to bounce back either after Andrew.
In case anyone is wondering, Jungle Island recently relaunched its zoo attraction, but its now strictly private tour. You can have encounters with lemurs, kangaroos etc. for over $60 each. A pricey tourist stop. The apes, big cats and cassowary appear to be gone as well.
Their website was recently updated and now shows animal encounters once more. Jungle Island – An eco-adventure theme park like no other.
So its worth noting that at some point in the last year, Jungle Island has returned to offering regular admission which includes the garden and viewing all the animals (the zipline courses and animal feedings/encounters are separate). They are also offering at this moment free admission to anyone pre-booking so if you're a zoochatter in the Miami area looking to see this place its a good time to go. They still charge for parking, however.
