LauderBlog
Apr 1: Jungle Gardens: Part One
Posted On: March 31, 2008 3:27 PM
Posted By: LauderBLOGGER
Related Subjects: Greater Fort Lauderdale
We left my condo on the east side of town, just one mile from the Atlantic Ocean, and drove out I-595 westward toward the Everglades early Sunday afternoon. My girlfriend, Gwendolyn, and I were heading to Flamingo Gardens. It’s an attraction I’d never visited in all my years living in South Florida for some reason. I don’t know why. Somehow I just never got there. Maybe it seemed too far west or whatever. As it turned out, I drove there in about 20 minutes flat, door to door. No sweat. I wasn’t sure just what to expect from this place. Probably I wasn’t expecting too much but Gwendolyn had visited Flamingo Gardens before and loved it. I was in for a pleasant surprise.
The first thing I noticed is all the massive overgrown vegetation. It really resembles a jungle in places – and I say this as someone who has tramped through rainforests in Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, among other exotic spots. A huge cluster fig tree, along with cohune palm, white sapote, West Indian catalpa and a wide variety of trees, ferns and other plants grow throughout the complex. We slowly wandered among the foliage, admiring the size and age of the greenery, before heading to check out the animals.
As fascinating as the plants are, the animals offer the best reason to visit Flamingo Gardens. These creatures are injured native wildlife that were rescued and now live permanently at this sanctuary. They would die if set free. So the folks here take care of them, nurture the animals’ young and release those offspring back into nature. Hundreds of them. The injured animals then serve as a kind of ambassador for their species, helping educate the public about the need to protect Florida’s wildlife and habitats. Flamingo Gardens has alligators, bobcats, otters, snakes, tortoises. And more than 70 species of birds. We started our animal gazing by stopping at the exhibits of Florida hawks and owls, including the red-tailed hawk and great horned owl. Like the other animals, they were beautiful and appeared well cared for. Then we sat down at a small rustic amphitheater for what’s called the “wildlife encounter.” An appropriate name for what we would see. Later this week I’ll tell you about it and also about the truly amazing free-flight aviary at Flamingo Gardens, where we strolled among dozens of wild birds flying, swimming and walking all around us. Large birds and small birds. But we weren’t quite there yet. Our wildlife encounter was next.
The first thing I noticed is all the massive overgrown vegetation. It really resembles a jungle in places – and I say this as someone who has tramped through rainforests in Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, among other exotic spots. A huge cluster fig tree, along with cohune palm, white sapote, West Indian catalpa and a wide variety of trees, ferns and other plants grow throughout the complex. We slowly wandered among the foliage, admiring the size and age of the greenery, before heading to check out the animals.
As fascinating as the plants are, the animals offer the best reason to visit Flamingo Gardens. These creatures are injured native wildlife that were rescued and now live permanently at this sanctuary. They would die if set free. So the folks here take care of them, nurture the animals’ young and release those offspring back into nature. Hundreds of them. The injured animals then serve as a kind of ambassador for their species, helping educate the public about the need to protect Florida’s wildlife and habitats. Flamingo Gardens has alligators, bobcats, otters, snakes, tortoises. And more than 70 species of birds. We started our animal gazing by stopping at the exhibits of Florida hawks and owls, including the red-tailed hawk and great horned owl. Like the other animals, they were beautiful and appeared well cared for. Then we sat down at a small rustic amphitheater for what’s called the “wildlife encounter.” An appropriate name for what we would see. Later this week I’ll tell you about it and also about the truly amazing free-flight aviary at Flamingo Gardens, where we strolled among dozens of wild birds flying, swimming and walking all around us. Large birds and small birds. But we weren’t quite there yet. Our wildlife encounter was next.
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