Visiting Florida and want to feed a giraffe? You’re in luck because there are a number of zoos and safari parks that offer this.
Whether you want to feed them directly from your car in a safari park or from a giraffe feeding platform in a zoo, there’s plenty of ways to experience giraffes up close in Florida.
The following is a list of places where you can feed a giraffe in Florida:
Brevard Zoo:
Address: 8225 N Wickham Rd, Melbourne, FL
Website: brevardzoo.org
Established in 1994, the Bervard Zoo is a 75-acre non-profit zoo in Melbourne that is home to over 900 animals from Florida, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
The zoo features animals such as tortoises, deer, red foxes, ostriches, lions, Komodo dragons, jaguars, zebras, black bears, monkeys and more.
The zoo also offers animal feedings, a train ride, kayak tours, behind-the-scenes tours and a Treetop Trek zipline.
Visitors can purchase giraffe snacks and feed giraffes from a specially-built giraffe feeding platform.
For an additional fee, visitors can also feed a Lorikeet, take part in the Rhino Encounter or take part in a Keeper Chat where they can learn about training and caring for a specific animal such as bears, giraffes, sea turtles, white-nosed coatimundis and other animals.
In 2022, Brevard Zoo was voted the #4 Best Zoo in North America in the USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
Brevard Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay:
Address: 10165 McKinley Dr, Tampa, FL
Website: buschgardens.com/tampa
Busch Gardens is an animal theme park in Tampa that features amusement park rides, animal exhibits and a Serengeti safari tour where visitors can view the various animals in the safari park such as the giraffes, zebras, ostriches, rhinos, elephants and antelopes.
The Serengeti safari tour is a 30 minute off-road tour of the 65-acre Serengeti plain safari park in an open air touring vehicle. During the tour, giraffes often approach the vehicle and the passengers can hand feed them right from the vehicle.
In addition to the safari, the park also has various other types of animal exhibits including a tiger enclosure with a tiger popup viewing hole where visitors can stick their head up into the enclosure to see a tiger up close.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Central Florida Zoo:
Address: 3755 W Seminole Blvd, Sanford, FL
Website: www.centralfloridazoo.org
Established in 1923, the Central Florida Zoo is a 116-acre zoo and botanical garden in Orlando that is home to over 400 animals.
The zoo features animals such as spider monkeys, leopards, cheetahs, sloths, giraffes, rhinos and warthogs. The zoo also has a small carousel, splash park and a ridable miniature train.
For an extra fee, visitors can meet and feed the zoo’s two giraffes, Rafiki or Gage, or they can meet a rhino.
The Central Florida Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Emerald Coast Zoo:
Address: 5262 Deer Springs Dr, Crestview, FL
Website: www.emeraldcoastzoo.com
The Emerald Coast Zoo is a small, private zoo in Crestview that features exotic animals. The zoo is home to giraffes, lions, bears, tigers, kangaroos, sloths, monkeys, zebras and more.
For an extra fee, visitors can feed the park’s giraffe, Dikembe, or they can hold a monkey, or pet a sloth or feed some exotic birds.
Giraffe Ranch:
Address: 38650 Mickler Rd, Dade City, FL
Website: girafferanch.com
Established over 20 years ago, the Giraffe Ranch is a 47-acre working game farm that offers drive-thru safaris during which visitors can feed giraffes and view camels, rhinos, Brazilian tapir, and pygmy hippos.
Visitors can explore the drive-thru safari in their own vehicle while following a lead vehicle and listening to real-time commentary through an FM transmitter over the car radio or they can experience the safari in one of the ranch’s 4-WD vehicle that comes complete with a shaded canopy and stadium seating or they can even experience it on a camel safari tour.
Gulf Breeze Zoo:
Address: 5701 Gulf Breeze Pkwy, Gulf Breeze, FL
Website: www.gbzoo.com
Established in 1984, the Gulf Breeze Zoo is a 50-acre zoo that is home to over 900 exotic animals such as such as hippos, rhinos, gorillas, orangutans and giraffes which visitors can view during the Safari Express train ride.
For an extra fee, visitors can feed a giraffe, camel, Scottish Highland cow, America alligator or a hippo. Visitors can also hold an albino alligator, pet a Galapagos tortoise and pet the zoo’s two sloths, Lady and Tramp.
In 2015, the Department of Agriculture filed a complaint against the owners of the zoo, Eric Mogensen and his daughter Meghan Mogensen, for multiple violations of the Animal Welfare Act at the Gulf Breeze Zoo and two other zoos they own in Virginia.
Meghan Mogensen pled guilty to an act of animal cruelty that occurred while she was working at the Reston Zoo in Virginia and spent a month in jail.
The Gulf Breeze Zoo is accredited by the Zoological Association of America.
Jacksonville Zoo:
Address: 370 Zoo Parkway, Jacksonville, Florida
Website: www.jacksonvillezoo.org
Established in 1914, the Jacksonville Zoo is a 122-acre zoo in Jacksonville that features over 2000 animals.
The zoo features a 2.5 acre replica African Savanna exhibit where the zoo’s giraffes graze. For an extra fee, visitors can purchase the Total Experience ticket.and climb the Giraffe Overlook platform where they can hand feed the giraffes.
For an additional fee, visitors to the zoo can also feed a stingray at the Stingray Bay exhibit or feed exotic birds in the aviary.
Wild Florida Airboats and Gator Park:
Address: 3301 Lake Cypress Rd, Kenansville, FL
Website: wildfloridairboats.com
Established in 2010, Wild Florida is a drive-thru safari park that also has airboat rides, an alligator park and live animal shows.
The park also offers various other types of animal encounters such as a Giraffe painting experience where you can feed giraffes while they paint a picture for you with their nose, Albino Alligator Training Encounter, a Gator Encounter, an African Crested Porcupine Encounter, a Tamandua Encounter, a Lemur Encounter and a Capybara Encounter.
Zoo World:
Address: 9008 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach, FL
Website: zooworldpcb.com
Originally established as the Snake-A-Torium in 1947, this zoo was renamed Zoo World in 1991. Zoo World is a 5-acre zoo in Panama City that features exotic animals such as giraffes, alligators, lions, lemurs, sloths and kangaroos.
Visitors can purchase lettuce leaves at the park to feed to the giraffes and have the opportunity to receive kisses from them.
The zoo also offers other animal encounters such as a Sloth Encounter, a Lemur Experience, an Alligator Experience, an Alligator Feeding Experience and an Australian Experience during which visitors can hold a kangaroo and feed a baby bearded dragon.
Zoo World is accredited by the Zoological Association of America.
Zoo Miami:
Address: 12400 SW 152nd St, Miami, FL
Website: www.zoomiami.org
Established in 1948, Zoo Miami is a 750-acre tropical zoo in Miami that features over 3,000 animals.
The zoo offers a Giraffe Feeding experience during which visitors can purchase giraffe feed and climb a wooden giraffe-feeding platform to feed the giraffes directly out of their hand.
In addition to the giraffe feeding, the zoo also offers various other types of animal encounters such as camel feeding, rhino feeding and parrot feeding.
If you would like to visit Zoo Miami and want to save money on tickets, check out the following article about Zoo Miami discount tickets.
Zoo Miami is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Sources:
“Activities.” Zoo Miami, zoomiami.org/activities#item=328143
“Animal adventures Panama City Beach.” Zoo World, zooworldpcb.com/experiences-2/
Cobb, Nathan. “Giraffe dies at Zoo World from ‘unpreventable’ birth defect.” The News Herald, 17 Dec. 2020, newsherald.com/story/news/2020/12/17/giraffe-panama-city-beach-florida-zoo-dies-birth-defect/3904505001/
“Freak accident kills Floirda giraffe: USDA blames barn flaw at Zoo World.” Orlando Sentinel, 31 May. 2013, orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2013-05-31-os-freak-accident-giraffe-killed-20130531-story.html
“Zoo World officials respond to concerns about giraffes.” My Pandhandle, 17 June. 2021, mypanhandle.com/news/local-news/zooworld-officials-respond-to-concerns-about-giraffe/
“Animal Encounters Panama City Beach.” Zoo World, zooworldpcb.com/experiences-2/
“Giraffe Feeding.” Zoo Miami, zoomiami.org/activities#item=328143
“Serengeti Safari.” Busch Gardens, buschgardens.com/tampa/tours/serengeti-safari/
“Giraffe.” Naples Zoo, napleszoo.org/giraffe
“Animal Encounters and Gator Park Tickets.” Wild Florida, wildfloridairboats.com/book-animal-encounter-experiences/#giraffe
“Giraffe Feeding.” Brevard Zoo, brevardzoo.org/adventures/giraffe-feeding/
“Giraffe Feeding Attraction.” Central Florida Zoo, centralfloridazoo.org/attractions/giraffe-feeding/
Isern, Will. “Agency Alleges Animal Mistreatment at Gulf Breeze Zoo.” Pensacola News Journal, 19 June. 2015, pnj.com/story/news/local/gulf-breeze/2015/06/19/usda-files-complaint-gulf-breeze-zoo-owner/29007019/
Isern, Will. “GB Zoo Operator’s Letter Denies Charges.” Pensacola News Journal, 27 June. 2015, pnj.com/story/news/local/gulf-breeze/2015/06/25/gulf-breeze-zoo-operator-denies-charges/29314975/
“Florida Zoo Owner Charged With Mistreating Animals.” WINK, 22 June. 2015, winknews.com/2015/06/22/florida-zoo-owner-charged-with-mistreating-animals/
Sherrod, Brian. “Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Voted #3 Best Zoo in North America.” KKTV, 3 June. 2022, kktv.com/2022/06/03/cheyenne-mountain-zoo-voted-3-best-zoo-north-america/
“Accredited Facilities.” Zoological Association of America, zaa.org/accredited-facilties
“Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums.” Association of Zoos and Aqariums, aza.org/current-accreditation-list
