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Photo Diary: Native Florida Wildlife at the Zoo Tampa [1]

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Date: 2023-04-06  

Zoos used to be not much more than animal prisons, with the goal of exhibiting as many postage-stamp collections of species as possible. Now, zoos are wildlife conservation centers which practice captive breeding and ecological research to help maintain wild populations. As part of this effort, most zoos now have prominent displays of local wildlife, to educate the public about the ecology of their area.

Zoo Tampa does a good job of this—they not only exhibit and breed many native Florida species, but they run their own Manatee rescue center.

Some photos.

For those who don't know, I live in a converted campervan and travel around the country, posting photo diaries of places that I visit. I am currently wintering in Florida.

Florida Cottonmouth

Spotted Turtle

Sheepshead

Sandhill Crane

A pair of Hooded Mergansers

Black-Necked Stilt

Southern Copperhead

Spotted Salamander

Florida Black Bear

Red Wolf

Florida Box Turtle

River Otter

Rescued Manatee, hit by a boat

Manatee in the recovery pool

American Alligator

The Zoo is also home for some of the local wildlife that have moved in and made themselves at home.

Little Blue Heron on nest. The local birds like to nest in the zoo’s Alligator pond

A nestling clambering around

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/6/2161141/-Photo-Diary-Native-Florida-Wildlife-at-the-Zoo-Tampa

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