I'm always hesitant because I'm such a lover of animals and zoos are not necessarily my favorite place so I'm worried about the state that they are in. While I was here many of the animals had a fair amount of space and were definitely more taken care of than their original situation. For example, some of the monkeys were lab monkeys and other others were owned by civilians who thought they could take care of exotic animals when they clearly couldn't. I do wish the lions have more space for that many being in one enclosure, but it looks like all they did was lay down and sleep in the sun basking so they may just be happy like that The price is a little bit expensive for a general tour, but I don't think it's not worth it. We took the general wildlife experience and were able to have a tour and then also visit with a couple exotic species, including a couple of ball pythons, a really awesome spectacle owl, which was my favorite and some other reptiles. Overall, I think it was worth a visit, but I'm not sure I'd come back again since I feel like I saw everything unless it was for an encounter. The otter encounter seems the most interactive so I'd recommend that one. Our tour guide was Mikayla, and she was very honest and gave facts that she knew and nothing that she did. I do wish the different enclosures had labels on them to give us an idea of the names of the species and where they're originally located as the tour guide wasn't able to answer one of our questions about them but gave what she knew. I kind of like the idea that people aren't allowed to go roaming around the property on their own banging on enclosures and trying to stick their fingers through bars. I think it's just a really good safety precaution. You will be limited to about an hour worth of a visit overall I had a great time. read more

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This experience was amazing!!! This place was recommended to me after my friend went on a field trip with her students. We booked the general wildlife tour. It was 50 for adults and 25 for kids. It includes a one hour tour of the whole zoo. It is phenomenal how close you can get to the animals, including the lions and tigers, monkeys, capybara, sloths, etc. It also includes a hands-on experience with five animals. We were able to hold an alligator, a snake, feed a lemur, and touch an owl. You can book (for an additional price) close encounters with specific animals, but it was super enjoyable without doing this. I only wish it would be longer! Our tour guide Kique was amazing, knowledgeable, and patient with us! I would love to return again. read more

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This is one of the most amazing places I have EVER been too! Highly recommend is a true understatement. Their mission is to educate visitors about rare endangered animals in captivity and the wild. Such a beautiful place and you can tell the employees care and love what they do. Our tour guide was so passionate and did a great job on telling us about each animal. I love that the guided tours weren't too big and it was very personable. I went on the guided tour and also did two private encounters - one with the sloths and other with the bobcats. The sloths were so fun and we got to feed them apples. The bobcats were interesting animals and it was amazing being so close to one and being able to pet it. I can't wait to go back! Be sure to put reservations in as it is required. read more

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I've been coming to ZWF since I was 16yrs old and it is the most amazing experience for all ages in Miami. A hands-on interactive Zoo where you can get up close & personal with some incredible exotic animals read more

Zoological Wildlife Foundation - Albino Boa Constrictor - Zoos Near Me - Miami, Florida

I did an atv tour that included ZWF. This is my first time that I have ever been to ZWF. There is no signage so you wouldn't even aware that's it's there. This is a private zoo and the owners live in the property as well. As soon as you arrive in the guest lobby you are greeted by Ricky and he was super sweet and informative. After we get our wristbands and sign in we go to the animal encounter area. Victoria is the one that does the animal encounter and she was amazing and I loved it. We were able to touch the ball python, kinkajou, lemur, owl, and the blue tongue skink. I loved it but which I had more time with the animals. I did like that there were only two other families doing the encounters. After the encounters Sophia gave us a guided tour throughout the zoo. Sophia was super informative and answered all of our questions. I can tell that she is super passionate about animals. I loved the experience and I recommend for everyone come by and visit these beautiful animals. read more

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Really great interaction animals, we went on a weekday so it was just my son and I. Our guide was truly great. He was patient with the animals, they definitely know and love him. and we didn't feel rushed. I think his name is Michael. He is in the pictures I added. Place is very clean and well kept.its a bit costly but a great experience I am glad I went. read more

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I really wanted to like this place. I detest zoos and animals in cages. I thought it was a sanctuary for rescued animals. Turns out, the enclosures are very small. Especially for the lions, and the leopard. These animals need space, lots of it. The male lion looked very unhappy and he was snapping at the people. A lot of pacing by the leopard and the black panther. Bored out of their minds. Disturbing to watch. The enclosures were also dirty and I saw dirty drinking water. It's so hot in Miami, maybe set up some areas with cool water for them to get in and cool off. Our guide was very nice and friendly. She didn't rush us. The animal encounter in our tour was nice. I love animals and it bothers me when I see them locked up in small spaces. Won't be going back. read more

My wife and I did a detailed reading about ZWF before committing to doing the 2 hour tour. It did NOT DISAPPOINT!! It was the highlight of our 2 weeks in Florida, by far!! I was warmly greeted on the phone by Camilla, which was a great start!! Our guides were Nick and Karina, and they were great!! Karina brought a basket of fruits and vegetables, so that we could feed more than item to each animal!! The variety of animals ranged from starting with BUTTERS, the boa, which we held, to seeing lions, jaguars, leopards, a crocodile, an alligator . There were primates like monkeys, that we fed. The animals that stole our hearts were 1. The otters put their tiny hand on our hand 2. The Kinkajou lay in our arms like a baby while it licked honey out of a jar. 3. The Lemur that crawled all over me and rested in my lap like a large puppy!! 4. The gibbon held our hand and brought it closer, so that it could gently take the food. 5. The majestic great horned owl that was soooooo incredibly soft to pet!! Anytime we are anywhere in Florida, we will make this part of our itinerary. I cannot recommend this place highly enough. It deserved at 6 stars!! read more

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Everyone needs to do this at some point, especially if you're an animal lover! This is honestly one of my favorite things I've ever done. They did a Labor Day sale of 50% off animal encounters, and my husband and I took advantage to do a couple since it's normally out of our price range. First, we did the otter feeding. They gave us meatballs and fish to feed the otters through their enclosure. I would've loved to get closer and hold them, but we did get to out them a bit through the cage. We also did the wolf encounter, which included singing dogs. For this one, we did get to go into the enclosure and play with them. They climbed all over us just like household dogs! Be prepared that you will get messy if you do this one. The dogs' paws were pretty muddy. The website said each encounter was only 15 minutes and we were worried about it being so short even while being so expensive, but we didn't feel rushed at all. Maybe it was because we were the only ones there at the time, but they let us stay a little longer. Our guide was so friendly and informative. I also love that the priority is placed on the animals and not the people. It's not a zoo, but a wildlife foundation that really takes care of the animals well. I hope to go back at some point and do more animal encounters here! read more

Zoological Wildlife Foundation - Otter encounter - Zoos Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Amazing, must do experience if you're in the area!! I visited ZWF this afternoon with my mom for a tour and primate experience. Our tour guide was Janelle who was super knowledgeable and friendly. Our tour consisted of just my mom, myself, and Janelle which was awesome. It felt like we had the whole space to ourselves as we only saw one other small group when we were leaving. Janelle showed us all of the animal enclosures and shared information on each species and the specific animals. She was very engaging to listen to and was able to engage the animals as well by making certain noises, which they would do back to her. At the end of the tour we sat in this really cool hut where Janelle let us hold some kind of lizard, a snake, and a small animal related to the raccoon. We also got to pet an owl. For our primate experience, Janelle and another handler brought two lemurs for my mother and I to play with in the hut. Again, we were the only people here so it felt like a super special and personalized experience. We got to play with the lemurs for about ten minutes. They were on leashes and we were able to give them apples and carrots, pet them, and they even climbed on us and licked us. It was so special and cool to see these animals up close, they have hands with opposable thumbs which is very interesting. The entire time we felt super safe and calm when touching and holding the different animals, thanks to Janelle who was a very chill guide. At the end of the tour we went back to the office where they gave us each a little goodie bag with a water and two snacks which was so sweet and thoughtful. I would love to come back here, this experience was so cool and really unlike anything else I've ever done. This is a place where you can be alone, up close and personal with the animals and not have to push through crowds of people like at the zoo. All of the animals also looked very content and extremely well cared for which made me feel okay about them being in captivity. This is a must do experience! read more

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Pluses: Best animal encounter my kids have experienced. Truly magical. Minuses: The sweatshirts for sale in the Gift Shop were of the owner being arrested (not sure which time). We did not do our research and thought we were coming to a regular zoo. Do your research on this place and the owner. We would not have chosen to support this business (but again... it was an amazing experience for our kids). read more

We went for my daughter's birthday, Michael Rivero was our guide and the entire experience was outstanding! We saw lions, cubs, different monkeys/apes, large cats, sloths, carried a snake - An unforgettable experience for sure. My daughter had started feeling bad when we were there and had to go back to the office and the entire staff was kind and caring. I highly recommend - your kiddos will love it! And so will you! read more

Zoological Wildlife Foundation - Zoos Near Me - Miami, Florida

Our visit here was the highlight of our time in the Miami area!! The animals were beautiful and well cared for, and it was amazing to be so close to them! Our guide, Karina, was patient and so knowledgeable! I never felt rushed to move on to the next animal when I was really enjoying the one I was with. (With the animal enclosures being close to each other, the group could move on, and I could linger a few extra minutes with my favorites then easily re-join the group.) I absolutely LOVED feeding them and being able to hold our pet others. There was plenty of food, so you could even feed them multiple times!! It's obvious how much these animals are loved and cared for. Take the two-hour tour like we did! You won't regret it! read more

Love this place ! I've been several times and it's always an amazing experience! The general wildlife tour is a must and is a good synopsis of the facility and great way to see a lot of the grounds. The lion cub encounter , the owl encounter and the baby otter encounter were all once in a lifetime experiences and well worth it. Be on the lookout for limbani the chimp, he's pretty much the unofficial mascot. read more

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Super cool place to visit if you love exotic animals. You must make a reservation prior to going. You get a semi private tour we were about 10 in our group. Had a lovely experience. They also have several add ons for private animal encounter. We picked the sloths as our add on. What a great experience for the fam. read more

I visited ZWF on Saturday and did the ZWF Wildlife Presentation tour. It was a wonderful experience! First you start off my touring the grounds and visiting several of the animals. In each stop the guide gives you knowledgeable info on each animal. Our guide was great. He knew a lot of facts and was very friendly. The second part of the tour is more hands on. We got to touch a snake, porcupine, different birds, baby gator. They also brought out a baby cougar and baby chimp named Limbani. I would have to say my fav part was when they brought out the anteater and it licks your ear This place was great, cannot wait to be back. My only complaint is that we started a little late, but its Miami so that didnt ruin our experience! read more

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Amazing place, not your typical zoo, very friendly staff, gorgeous animals and they look very well take care !!!!! Totally recommended.

I booked through Groupon for a 2 hour wildlife presentation for my husbands birthday. He absolutely loved the experience. Amber took care of us and was super sweet, personable and knowledgeable. There was a one hour tour of the facility which Amber was able to introduce each animal by name and and feature. We learned a ton if new facts like the difference between and ape and monkey, etc. The animals ranged from reptiles to birds, felines, primates, and other mammals. She allowed a bathroom break and got an opportunity to interact with a variety of animals. Well definitely be going back. :) FYI. You can bring a backpack with snacks but you can't eat while on tour. Athletic attire is recommended. Sunscreen too. Water dispenser is located at the front. Tour guides wear masks. Parking on the grass outside the entrance. read more

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This was an amazing experience and will not be my last time coming here. My friends and I found this deal on Groupon and couldn't pass up the opportunity to check out ZWF. Keep in mind that you must call ahead and schedule your date and time to visit as the tour guides like to keep the group at a manageable size so that every one can hear and learn about the animals here. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and she genuinely cares for the animals as she helped to raise a few of them. This is a great location for nature and animal lovers, young and old. I would definitely suggest using discretion with younger children as you will get hands on with some of the animals and you do not want to scare or harm them by "playing too rough" ZWF visitation hours are 9am to 6pm all week long. read more

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Amanda was the BEST tour guide! She was so knowledgeable and patient with my 7yr old son who had many questions and his own tidbits of knowledge to share. We fed many animals and had the best "special encounter" experience. Wear bug spray! We did get lots of bug bites but the experiences made it worth it! Highly recommend this special experience read more

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This place is awesome It is a little hard to find with GPS but once you get there it is incredible. You are able to encounter several animals and even monkeys! You can tell that the animals are well cared for and it's a cool and clean environment! The staff are super friendly and don't rush the tours, they take there time and give lots of information. this is an experience for all ages. I hope you will come check it out for yourself:) read more

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Had the best timeeee Amanda is so welcoming , funny, and knowledgeable will be back to being all my friends

We came here prepandemic and truly loved every second of this experience. We did the general tour and a private experience with a baby tiger. I am not sure if this specific experience is available anymore as I know they switch up the private experiences from time to time. But I'll never forget how amazing this was! The general tour was nothing short of great. We saw so many animals and got in depth information about them. You can tell the employees who work there are passionate about their jobs and the animals. We were able to feed and pet some of the animals. It is outside and there is a lot of space. It only got even better with the private experience. It was a 10 minute encounter with a baby tiger. The guide made us feel comfortable and secure. The baby tiger played and we were able to hold him. The guide took some pictures of us to keep for memories. It was SO cool. I would love to do it again. Thanks ZWF! read more

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Rented the bike for my trip with my two daughters and wife had a blast helpful staff at every corner. Very clean facilities and restrooms.

Great experience... you really get up close with all the beautiful animals... very well organized

If you wanna try something new! This place might be for you! Came here on a weekday to experience something different. And left very happy with the overall experience. We both did the Tiger Cub Experience and it was really nice for the first time. I personally expected a little bit more for what we paid. Considering that you only have 5 minutes with the cub because it might get fatigued, they should think of making the overall experience a little bit longer, maybe talking to you about the specie or giving you funny stories about the tiger itself. Or maybe some background history. We were both pretty excited anyways! Will come back to take the more private ones and do other tours! read more

Zoological Wildlife Foundation - White tiger. - Zoos Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Hidden zoo but well worth the drive! The admissions is at a reasonable price especially since you get very close to exotic animals such as leopards, tigers and lions. If you want to take a picture with a cub it will cost over a hundred if your an adult and will last 5mins. Not sure it is worth it but I did it for the experience. read more

Zoological Wildlife Foundation - Zoos Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Came here on Christmas Eve at 11am. We arrived about ten minutes early like told, it was about 15 people waiting for their tours too. We ended up all going together, it was about 18 of us in on group. When it said private session, I thought with tour group only. But it wasn't bad. Emily was great and informative! What I liked about her most, she wasn't afraid to say "I don't know but I can ask". Good to know she wasn't just rattling untrue facts off for us. We seen lions, tigers, jaguars, monkeys, apes, and etc! However, I felt like the lions and tigers enclosures should've been much bigger for their sake. But apparently the proceeds go to the animals and it's enclosures. Most of the big cats were sleeping but some were active and came close for pictures. The tour ended with an encounter of ball pythons, hedgehogs, owls, and other birds. It was really nice. There was a small monkey in the encounter area when our group there, it was confusing because I honestly thought we'd have sometime with him but it was a private encounter. I'd recommend looking on Groupon before buying tickets on the sight! You can definitely save some money on both general wildlife tours and some encounters! I gave four stars because I was expecting to touch or see at least a monkey up close and personal based off previous Wildlife Tour reviews. For $85, the encounter could've been better. I'd still recommend to come here but get a Groupon! Some of the encounter prices were absurd for 2 minutes. But I'm all for helping animals and hopefully the proceeds really go to the betterment of the animals read more

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We love the place. It was amazing experience. I will definitely bring my kids there when they are growing bigger! read more

Zoological Wildlife Foundation - Owl - Zoos Near Me - Miami, Florida

What a fantastic opportunity to learn more about so many animals! Kat (our host) was engaging for our children and for us adults. We had the chance to see and learn about the sleeping habits and noises and all the cool things that make each unique. I highly recommend a visit! read more

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Second time here (Didn't review first time around, oops) and it's an absolutely incredible experience. I will start by saying that the person who was with us during our encounter and the encounter itself was amazing. However, the woman who checked us in was flat out RUDE. She had an attitude and seemed generally bothered by us. Mind you, we were the only ones there. If she'd been with us for the actual experience, this review would be much different. My fiancé and I considered leaving if she was going to be with us during the encounter. Very unpleasant lady. As a business, they should consider replacing her because that is just an awful first impression. Especially given the amount of money spent. Again, our experience after that was much better, thankfully. I wish I'd gotten the name of the young lady who was with us during both encounters (lion & serval). She was fantastic. It's pricey but it is so so worth it! They do have special deals from time to time too :-) read more

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I wish I could remember our guides name but I can't, she was sweet. The tour was cute and short, which was perfect for me since were under a heat advisory. My son LOVES animals so when I booked the package to hold some of them he was so excited. It really didn't disappoint. We held quite a few different animals and it wasn't rushed at all. My 6 year old said it was the best day ever. I would love to go back for a different experience. It is a little pricey, I was able to catch a 50% off deal on a Wednesday. read more

Zoological Wildlife Foundation - Zoos Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Great experience. Did a 2hour tour and the tour guide was great. I would definitely do this again. Just bring bug spray mosquitoes were not playing lol but it was a great experience. read more

Zoological Wildlife Foundation - Zoos Near Me - Miami, Florida

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For the past couple of years I been wanting to take my mom here. Its been her dream to see these biiig cats but the closest we could do was through their Instagram page. We would spend literally hours watching the tiger videos, lions and all the beautiful animals in the zoo. We had the privilege to come to the zoo (finally!) and it's all that you expect, above and beyond!!! Mr Mario Tabraue made sure we had the best time ever! I told him the reason was for my mom, it was her dream to be here and i love to see my mom smile. And let me tell you, Mr Mario did everything possible to make our experience the BEST EXPERIENCE EVER!, he even brought Jason over (our tour guide) and it was such an amazing experience. We learned about all the animals, types of monkeys, tigers, lions, birds and much much more. We even had a Chimpanzee Encounter!!! Which I highly suggest you guys to come and get! It was such a great time with Limbani, its like a little baby with HUGE strength lol. He was jumping and playing with me, taking pictures, hugging us (see some pics below) Not only that, Mr Mario and Jason also introduced us to their cubs ( Lion AND Jaguar) Never in my life I thought I would get to pet/play with a real jaguar!! Let alone, a lion!! These little cats are the most beautiful thing in the world, I'm not even exaggerating! Get to contemplate them in your next visit. I promise you, you will have such an unforgettable experience. Driving back home all we could do was look at the pictures, smile, laugh at the videos with the lion, chimpanzee and jaguar. It was the best experience ever, again I just want to thank Mr Mario for making this experience possible and more importantly, so unforgettable for my mom and I. Thank you to everyone at ZWF Miami for making my mom's dream come true. Can't wait to be back with the whole family! read more

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Before visiting any zoo-type establishment, I try to vet them by looking up their mission statement. ZWF's is as follows: "At the Zoological Wildlife Foundation we believe conservation is more than just lip service to an abstract ideal. Conservation is the hard and often dirty work of preserving species for posterity. In partnership with you and a global network of conservationists, we support in-situ on the ground programs, as well as captive breeding programs, to ensure a future for threatened and endangered species that might otherwise be lost." Okay. Fair enough. Seems like an acceptable reason to have wild animals in cages. That being said, I do kind of wish they'd gone over that a bit on the tour to reassure us one more time. I had initially scheduled three baby cat encounters as an extravagant (yes, they are super expensive) birthday gift for myself - jaguar, lion and tiger. But the tiger cub happened to be too old by the time we got there, so they swapped out my tiger encounter with admission to the general tour for both my fiance and I, which I thought was a fair trade-off. Note for your Uber driver: you have to go up a pretty long dirt road to get here. It's way out in the "wilderness," and it's a bumpy ride. Note for you: depending on the weather, it may be too humid to really get those awesome photos of the animals that you want. We got photos, but if you're wondering why a lot of them are foggy, that's why. GENERAL TOUR: We got to see tons of cool animals including the grown lions and jaguar, a "bear cat" (binturong), sloths and more. My and the children's favorite parts were getting to feed some of the smaller monkeys fruit through the cages - they're so smart that they actually will take it from your hand like a human! - and shaking hands with the otters. Yes, if you put your hand out near the otter cage, they will shake hands with you, and you will die from cuteness. At the end, you get to interact with a set of animals: a tortoise that no one really paid attention to, a baby alligator, a hedgehog, an armadillo, an owl, a python and the group's choice of either a (squirrel? capuchin? not sure) monkey or a lemur. I wanted the lemur really badly, but the vote was not in my favor. It's fine though because the monkey was highly amusing as he crazily jumped all over our shoulders, heads and even stole my Givenchy sunglasses (he was polite enough to return them.) BABY CAT ENCOUNTERS: These are only five minutes long in theory to not overwhelm the cats, but I'm pretty sure both my lion and black jaguar encounters went a little over. I'll admit that I had different expectations from what I got -- these cats are not that friendly, lol. It's not like going and playing with some domestic kittens who will purr and rub against you, etc. The jaguar pretty much hid in the bushes the whole time for me, and the lion paced back and forth in the room for the majority of my encounter with her, baring her teeth when I tried to pet. That being said, it was still an amazing experience to be so close to and be able to touch these beautiful cats, especially if you're a crazy cat lady such as myself. The staff do provide toys for you to try and play with the cats with, which the cats may or may not be interested in for a minute or two. The staff will also take pics of you and the cats, so you'll earn some Insta points for sure. All in all, I had an awesome time, and it was so obvious that the staff really love and have bonded with all the animals on a personal level. So if you're in Miami and want to venture into the "wilderness," consider splurging on a trip to ZWF for sure. **edit - yelp's being weird, I uploaded way more than 10 photos. go through the photos on my main profile to see! read more

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What a great place to visit & to be educated . Love the staff . Will be back again! Best place ever read more

Zoological Wildlife Foundation - Lambani- what a great visit Love this little guy - Zoos Near Me - Miami, Florida

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We were in town and we did a searched online for things to do in Miami and stumbled upon this place. This place is located in the boonies behind a backyard, yeah it sounds pretty shady but it was a great experience. The front entrance is gated so you have to push the talk button to get access. Once you're in and parked, your tour guide will come out and greet you. They take you to the back where the bathrooms are and make you sign some waiver forms. They are kind enough to have insect repellent in the bathrooms. Anyway the tour is about 30-40 mins long, we were able to feed some monkeys, a camel, a toucan, and saw tigers, jaguar, and a couple of other animals. We also got to play with a baby Siberian tiger which was the main reason why we came. The tiger was adorable and our tour guide Kayla was super nice and knowledgable about the animals. If you're in town and love animals, we recommend this place. Kinda pricey though, and you must call in advance for reservation. read more

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It was definitely the coolest experience ever! The guide was very knowledgeable on everything that she was showing us. They are one of a few zoological foundations that save lions from can hunting. It was definitely an educational experience that kept my kids and myself interested. I definitely recommend this palce read more

Zoological Wildlife Foundation - Zoos Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Update to our last trip. We lost all of our photos because of Samsungs incompetence We were so upset. So we called and had to rebook our trip but this time meeting a black Jaguar. We asked to be put with our favorite person Andrea. Andrea was awesome and excited to see us. Especially since she knew we flew all the way back from Los Angeles. Then Andrea heard we were getting married next month and we're going to use these photos for our wedding. When my fiancée played with the Black Jaguar, Andrea even took my phone and got some great angles of my fiancée playing with the black jaguar. We have been here twice now in the last 2 months and both times came to see our favorite person Andrea. I hope zoological never loses this person because she's a hard worker and very personable. Thank you Andrea for being awesome!! read more

Small and personal, lots of animals to see, staff is usually young and happy, great to see the care the animals receive.