ZooWorld

UP CLOSE and PERSONAL

Get hands on with wild animals at ZooWorld

STORY AND PHOTOS COURTESY OF RESORT COLLECTION

Take a break from the beach and experience the wild. ZooWorld is not your typical “look and see” type of zoo and offers numerous unique, hands-on opportunities with animals you would otherwise never get to touch. Brought to Panama City Beach almost 75 years ago by a local family, the zoo is nearly unrecognizable from the renovations and improvements made to the entire park by new ownership. ZooWorld has truly become a gem of the community.

Zoo World Panama City Beach, Florida, is home to exotic animals from all over the world, and you won’t need binoculars to see them! Step foot onto the 5.4-acre property and be welcomed with monkeys, guinea pigs, otters and rheas (a smaller breed related to ostriches). There is even a fun tunnel through the guinea pig exhibit for little ones to feel like they are in the room with them.

Brought back from its original establishment at ZooWorld in 1948, the Snake-a-torium is remodeled and features decades of history. Not only can you see pythons, boas, and vipers, but also get a close look at bearded dragons, Argentine tegus and iguanas. Squeamish around reptiles? That’s OK — you can wait right outside the vinyl strip doors and gently pet the bunny rabbits.

Besides the snake-a-torium, other hands-off exhibits are abundant. Check out the native black bears in their new home with two floor length glass viewing barriers, or the interesting bearcats from south Asia. There are also active tortoises, meerkats, several monkey species, and Asian wild dogs to see and learn more about.

If looking and seeing isn’t a big enough thrill or if your children love animals, almost the entire remainder of the park allows for touching, petting and feeding animals. Starting with probably the most popular hands-on attraction, feeding the two giraffes is an awesome time no matter your age. Purchase a few lettuce leaves and reach up to hand it to them, or if you’re even more daring, feed it to them straight from your mouth. There is even a private giraffe feeding area on a platform overlook for an extra cost.

After feeding the giraffes, stick around to pet the fun and personal petting zoo animals such as ponies, deer, goats, camels, pigs and more. Watch out for the baby goats that roam and hop around freely and offer up tons of laughs. Grab an animal feed cup, and they’ll gobble it all up right out your hand.

Ready to take flight? Walk through a free flight aviary with hundreds of colorful and exotic birds who love the interaction. For an even closer experience, bring in a budgie stick to feed the birds. You’ll start to find them sitting on the stick, your shoulder, or finger trying to nibble off the birdseed.

If you can overcome your fear of large reptiles, walk over to the newly constructed Allapattah Swamp and stand over 80-plus alligators. While

most places allow you to look at these Florida natives, typically submerged and sunbathing on the shore, ZooWorld offers two spine-tingling experiences for the extra-adventurous. Send the alligators into a feeding frenzy by throwing them food over the dock from a feed bucket or defy common sense and hold one the world’s oldest predators. Either way it is sure to be an excitement.

Slow it down a few notches, or several, and pet the world’s slowest animal — the sloth. These cute and docile creatures only reach a top speed of .003 miles per hour and live most of their lives hanging upside down. Not into sloths? Snuggle with a lemur instead. ZooWorld offers a rare opportunity to be hands-on with one of our world’s endangered species; the most endangered group of animals on the planet to be exact.

Last but not least, try out ZooWorld’s newest attraction and fla-mingle with their flock. It’s your chance to become a part of this pink herd in a fun and interactive way with Chilean flamingos. Get up close to snap some great photos, and learn from the experts who care for them daily. Please note, you still are unable to touch the flamingos.

If you’ve made it around to all the animal exhibits, why not connect with your inner lumberjack and test your skills at ZooWorld’s newest attraction? Throw real hatchets inside Grand-Papi Jolley’s Hatchet Shack, and try to make it stick to chopped-up tree trunks. Or take the kids (or yourself) to search for gems and seashells at the mining sluice. Sift through sand and flowing water as crystals and rocks hide inside. You never know what you might find and take home at ZooWorld.

Big changes and new attractions are still in the works at the zoo. The state-of-the-art African exhibit is now open, and you can also feed and hold baby kangaroos.

If there is one thing to be said about the entire team at ZooWorld, it’s that they are passionate about animals and their life work. In early 2020, they raised close to $20,000 for purchasing critical medical supplies to assist relief for Australia’s wildlife wounded by their brush fires. ZooWorld has also made huge strides in reducing harmful and plastic waste. In spring of 2019, they had over 450 patrons pledge to give up straws and cut back on plastic bag use, and they also passed out reusable water bottles and shopping bags.

Zoos are more than just an attraction, and most, like ZooWorld, are conservation organizations committed to saving endangered species around the world. Picture the wide-eyed wonder on a child’s face upon meeting a living, breathing giraffe, something she’s only seen on a digital screen before — or the wonder of encountering a flamingo that is looking at you with the same curiosity you have about him. These are the moments that tell the story of ZooWorld Panama City Beach. It is these connections that spark the desire to protect and save species.

Volunteer

ZooWorld accepts and utilizes volunteers in numerous capacities. Volunteers may spend their day assisting with lemur and giraffe encounters, interacting with guests in our Budgie Bush-Walk Aviary or introducing any number of our ambassador animals to visitors. For those have other skills they wish to share, horticulture or maintenance are a great way to help improve the zoo. To volunteer, please send a letter of intent to Groups@ ZooWorldPcb.com. Must be 18 years of age or older.

Visit

ZooWorld Panama City Beach 9008 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach, FL 32407 (850) 230-1243 ZooWorldPCB.com

“At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour, but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides and follow the sun.” — SANDY GINGRAS