A Wild Good Time at the Naples Zoo

The best five dollars you’ll ever spend? Buying a chunk of romaine lettuce to feed the giraffes at the zoo. While the hallmark of the newly refurbished Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is the ability to get an up close and personal view of the animal inhabitants, nothing compares to the quiet but awe-inspiring thrill of standing face to face with a gentle, 3,000-lb., 16-ft. tall reticulated giraffe – the tallest creature in the world – and hand feeding it. 

Feeding the giraffes is one highlight of a visit to Naples Zoo, sure to delight children and adults alike, and the only one that carries an additional charge. Hanging out while the keepers feed the lions, sharing quality time with the resident family of orangutans, and taking a boat ride among islands filled with monkeys, lemurs, and Sumatran gibbons are all included in the price of admission. 

For an animal habitat or series of habitats not located in a major city, Naples Zoo is an amazing resource, “punching above its weight,” and well worth a visit for local residents, even when they do not have the grandchildren visiting – and doubly so when they do. And if you haven’t seen the zoo recently, you haven’t seen the zoo. 

Earlier this year, the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens unveiled a new $14-million entrance and visitor center, refurbishing the grounds with spacious, brightly colored Old Florida accents and following the addition of a number of new and enhanced animal experiences. Last year, the zoo introduced a family of four red-haired Bornean orangutans, a critically endangered species in the wild, to a spacious enclosure. 

“We are thrilled to welcome orangutans to Naples Zoo and to contribute to the global effort to conserve Bornean orangutans,” said Jack Mulvena, Naples Zoo president and CEO. Consisting of a matriarchal family, the orangutan group includes grandmother DeeDee, 44, daughters Randee and Dira, and three-year-old Riplee, Randee’s son. 

The family cuddles with each other, swings through the ropes and trees in their habitat, and comes up to inspect the humans. This can mean interacting with visitors and keepers through the fence or gazing intently into the faces of people just an inch away through the glass at the front of the enclosure. 

Also in 2023, the zoo debuted new South American habitats, bringing in species including the capybara, the world’s largest rodent, the 400-lb. Baird’s tapir, with a snout it can use as a snorkel, and improbably massive-billed toco toucan, famous from Froot Loops and the historic sign for “Jungle Larry’s African Safari,” the long-ago former name of the zoo, on U.S. 41. That sign, incidentally, is being refurbed and will be part of the zoo’s entrance at a future date, said Courtney Jolly, communications and P.R. director for the zoo. The ramps allowing you to encounter the giraffes at their own level when you give them your selection from the salad bar – they also eat acacia leaves – were added in 2021.

Not everything at Naples Zoo is new. The popular boat rides on “Lake Victoria” have been featured for decades and offer the chance to see, with no barriers except the water the simians don’t want to swim through, creatures such as spider monkeys, ring-tailed lemurs including the baby born this spring to the resident parents, and a pair of Sumatran gibbons swinging through the trees overhead and booming out their love songs.

There is much more in store for your visit – lions, tigers, and bears; anteaters, bongos, and coyotes; fossas, cheetahs, and leopard tortoises; hyenas, honey badgers, and African flamingos; Athena, a Florida panther rescued and unable to return to the wild; a Burmese python slithering along just behind the glass – everything from alligators to zebras. 

The 43-acre home for these creatures was originally established as a botanical garden over 100 years ago, so the grounds are themselves worthy of note, with fully mature exotic and native plant species serving as a backdrop to the wildlife. 

And all of the exhibits are put together in a thoughtful, eco-friendly manner, both giving the animals space and maximizing the opportunity for human interaction. Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Naples Zoo is strongly committed to conservation and protecting endangered species and also to educating their visitors to the critical importance of protecting critically threatened animals. Whatever you know about wildlife as you enter, you will know more by the end of your visit. 

One thing to know before you go – the zoo opens at 9:00 AM, and the best strategy is to be there when they open. It’s cooler in every way; not only will you avoid the heat and possible downpours during a Southwest Florida summer, you will also find the animals are more active and visible during the earlier hours. 

Ever since Collier County residents voted to save the zoo from development in 2004, Naples Zoo has offered residents free admission on the first Saturday of every month. But consider going any other day for a more peaceful, more intimate experience – the zoo had over 400,000 annual visitors for the first time in 2022 – and to help this 501(c)3 nonprofit, which receives no government funding and does a great deal of work, including beyond the zoo itself, to protect endangered species. You can also join as a member or volunteer your time.

Whenever you choose to visit, if you are looking for a fun outing and a way to get out of the house on your staycation, Naples Zoo would like to welcome you along with all the other critters. 

Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization cooperating in conservation programs for endangered species locally and around the world. Admission includes a full day of interactive presentations, Meet-The-Keeper talks, and a wild cruise through islands of monkeys, lemurs, and apes. $26.95 for adults age 13+/ $17.95 for children three to 12, under three free. Zoo memberships and discount tickets are available online at www.napleszoo.org. Naples Zoo is open daily from 9:00 to 4:30 and is located in the heart of Naples at 1590 Goodlette-Frank Road across from the Coastland Center Mall. For more information, visit www.napleszoo.org, follow them at www.facebook.com/napleszoo, or call 239-262-5409.