General Info

This award-winning zoo seeks to connect you and your family with the wonders of the natural world. That's why you'll find a variety of fun ways to engage with Naples Zoo's staff to better understand nature while seeing animals active and up close -- from taking a guided cruise through islands of monkeys and talking with professional keepers at animal habitats to seeing live animals and videos in the Safari Canyon theater show and hand-feeding giraffes. Naples Zoo is a nonprofit organization cooperating in conservation programs both in and outside the wild for endangered species. Much more than a walk-thru zoo, this historic tropical garden and nationally accredited zoo features a full day of wildlife experiences to delight you with the natural world to inspire the conservation of our planet's remaining wild areas and their wondrous inhabitants.Naples Zoo has a wonderful history beginning in 1919 when botanist Dr. Henry Nehrling founded the garden. A Fleischmann Yeast heir expanded the forgotten garden in 1954. In 1969, Lawrence and Nancy Jane Tetzlaff, a.k.a. Jungle Larry and Safari Jane, introduced the wild animals. Larry did stunt work for Johnny Weissmuller in the famous Tarzan films, milked thousands of venomous snakes during WWII, and educated millions throughout the Midwest and Florida with his wife Nancy. Since that time, the Zoo earned national accreditation and won both regional and national awards. And the Zoo's impact reaches far beyond its borders. In addition to funding conservation in the wild for animals from Malagasy fosas to Malayan tigers, Naples Zoo plants thousands of trees each month in Africa, Asia, or the Americas. Most importantly, the message of conservation is clear throughout all our entertaining programs. The Zoo has won the top Nature/Education and Grand Champion Entertainment awards from Naples Daily News and was voted 'Best Place to Take Kids' by Gulfshore Life magazine.