Florida Wildlife Park

Florida had a tradition of commercial roadside wildlife parks. Public opinion soured on this particular exploitation of animals and the park's part in the tourist trade. The State took over one park, in Homosassa Springs, and built a state park featuring native animals. If you use the main parking, you ride a boat or tram to the entrance. Three hours + and 75 photos later. . .  Here are some highlights. Most of the photos are of birds. The large animal (panther. wolf, etc) enclosures were not photo-friendly.

The boat ride. It is a nice transition from the road work to the wild.

Even before the actual park a couple of Osprey posed at extreme zoom.

Red Fox

Flamingos of course.

"The Bird, Mister Spade."

"He's nothing but a dandified buzzard, . . . dandified."

Canebreak Rattlesnake.

River Otter.

Florida Black Bear.

The boat driver said that the TV producer, Ivan Tors (Sea Hunt, Flipper, Science Fiction Theater, AND Gentle Ben, among others) owned or had something to do with the old park. Gentle Ben (it was his screen name) wintered there. (A "snowbear?") Anyway Ben wander about loose and would go across the highway (19) and knock on the back door of a restaurant and the cook would feed him. Heck, it might be true.