Today

Parrot Jungle Island's trademark Jungle Theater at night.

Parrot Jungle Island is a world-famous animal theme park in Miami, Florida. Located on 18.6 acres between downtown Miami and South Beach, the park is home to more than 3,000 exotic animals and 500 species of plants. This article is about the city in Florida. ... This article is about the section of Miami Beach known as South Beach. ...

A visit to the Jungle is an adventure that includes animal stage shows, one-of-a-kind aviaries, plant nurseries, jungle trails, a petting farm and educational exhibits.

The centerpiece of Parrot Jungle Island is the theme park's trademark -- the sails flying high over the Jungle Theater, a spectacular arena where visitors experience encounters with unique wildlife from all over the world. This one-of-a-kind structure has quickly become a Miami icon and cannot be missed when driving between the city and the beach. Just on the other side of the theater lives Hercules, the 900-pound liger, a cross between a lion and a tiger. Example of a liger The liger is a cross (a hybrid) between a male lion and a female tiger. ...

Guests can come "face-to-beak" with more than 200 parrots and macaws in the Manu Encounter, the world's only aviary replicating the clay cliffs of Manu, Peru.

The magic of Parrot Jungle Island really comes alive in the Parrot Bowl, where guests delight in the park's world-famous bird shows, featuring the hilarious and amazing antics of talking parrots, flying cockatoos and other breathtaking feathered friends.

The Everglades Habitat remarkably recreates South Florida's unique "river of grass" and its wildlife. The park's huge collection of reptiles and amphibians, including an extremely rare albino alligator and one of the world's largest crocodiles, are housed in the Serpentarium.

On December 2, 2003, Parrot Jungle Island celebrated the birth of twin orangutans, Peanut and Pumpkin. This was the first recorded birth of orangutan twins in nearly twenty years. The non-identical babies have since starred in an episode of "The Simple Life," in which Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie were faced with the task of caring for the baby apes. Season 1 DVD cover The Simple Life is the name of a Fox reality television series originally broadcast in 2003. ... Paris Hilton (Photo: Art Streiber) Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American celebrity whore, known primarily for her partying ways and her television shows. ... Nicole Richie Nicole Richie (born Nicole Camilla Escovedo on September 21, 1981) is a socialite best known for her role in The Simple Life and sometimes by her former friendship with heiress Paris Hilton. ...

History

Walt Disney isn't the only man to leave a legacy of his dreams in Florida--Austrian-born Franz Scherr did too. Owner of a feed and supply store in Homestead, he had a few birds in the store. He noticed how friendly and easy-to-train they were. After talking with his friend Joe DuMond of Monkey Jungle in Miami, he decided to start his own jungle. Walt Disney For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ...

He rented 20 acres of hammock land south of Miami for $25.00 per year, moved to the area and started developing the attraction. His family had little faith in this venture. They were sure the birds would fly away, but Franz had more faith in nature.

He had a winding trail dug through the coral rock and hammock land, leaving the natural flora untouched. An entrance building was built. And, finally, a shipment of 25 Macaws arrived from Laredo, Texas. The birds adapted to their new home quickly, and on December 20, 1936, about 100 curious visitors paid 25 cents admission to see and listen to Franz Scherr describe his birds, trees, and flowers.

The attraction, that a romance with nature started, continued to grow, even after the death of Franz Scherr in 1973. It eventually housed 1,100 tropical birds and 2,000 varities of plants.

Although Parrot Jungle remained a part of the Miami community since 1936, the original facility located on what is now known as the Pinecrest Gardens was closed November 3, 2002 in order to relocate to the new Parrot Jungle Island which opened June 28, 2003. And, although it is now privately owned by aviculturists and business people, Franz Scherr would be proud that others are still trusting in nature.

Official Website: [1]