Parrot Jungle Island

Austrian born Franz Scherr came to America in 1911, and 25 years later, he started a most unusual tourist attraction, Miami's Parrot Jungle.

 

Franz introduced himself to the beauty of this country by working at his trade, carpentry, at many scenic spots as he crossed the nation from New York to California. It was his dream to someday be involved with nature. He returned to Chicago, started a family, and pursued a career in construction. It was a brief stay in the Midwest, for he soon moved the family to Homestead, Florida, during the land boom of the twenties. The depression touched the Scherr Family as it did others throughout the nation, and they lived off the land in Florida preparing tropical fruits and vegetables for market. Later, Franz purchased a feed and supply store in Homestead.

 

This is where the idea began, building an attraction where birds would "fly free". Franz had a few birds in the store, and he noticed that the birds were friendly, and easy to train. So, after talking with his friend, Joe DuMond, of Monkey Jungle in Miami, Franz decided to start his own Jungle. 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 was sure that the birds would fly away, but Franz had more faith in nature.

 

A winding nature trail was dug through the coral rock and hammock land, leaving the natural flora untouched. An entrance building was built on Red Road. It was nearing time for the official opening of The Parrot Jungle, and the first 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.

 

From this rapport with nature, Franz Scherr created a most unusual attraction. Parrot Jungle is now the home for 1,100 tropical birds, 2,000 varieties of plants and flowers, and the best trained bird show in the world. It is a place where exotic birds "fly free" everyday.

 

Franz Scherr passed on in 1973, but the attraction he started from a romance with nature is still a very special place for his birds and visitors alike.

 

The Animals of Parrot Jungle Island- Miami

Hanna

Hanna was born on the July 9, 1997. She was named after Jack Hanna, who she met as an infant and was instantly smitten. The two made several television appearances together, including Good Morning America. In personality Hanna is a leader by nature, loves to show off and has a great sense of humor. Her favorite foods include Mangos, Plums, Grapes and Garlic !

Jake

Jake was born on the March 5, 2000. He was named after the city of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, from where Orangutans originate. In personality Jake is a deep thinker, extremely observant, and is a very affectionate Orangutan. His favorite foods include Grapefruit, Oranges, Mangos, rice and Jake loves to drink Coconut water.

Watson

Watson was born on January 18, 2002 and was named after Watson Island, the new home of Parrot Jungle Island. He loves to be groomed and is very affectionate and playful. Unique characteristics of Watson include playing tag with humans and fellow gibbons. Watson is noticeably light in color for a White-handed Gibbon due to is genetics. His favorite foods include pears, grapes, and peanuts.

Ray

Ray is a Hyacinth Macaw who has been living at Parrot Jungle since 1988, he is a crowd favorite at the entrance to the park where he plays with the public and is one of our friendliest Macaws. The Hyacinth Macaw is the largest of all parrots, measuring up to 1 meter in length from his beak to the tip of his tail. Ray's favorite foods are Brazil and Macadamia Nuts.

Boomer

Boomer is a hybrid Macaw, as were both of his parents being descended from a genetic combination of both the Scarlet Macaw and Blue & Gold Macaw. Boomer was hatched at Parrot Jungle in January of 1981 and is one of our quietest and most gentle macaws. Boomer resides in the Posing area of the park where you can be photographed with him when you visit. His favorite foods are Pine nuts and Sunflower seeds.

Godzilla

Godzilla is an Asian Water Monitor who has particularly unique and attractive yellow body coloration. He was hatched in 1994 and has been regularly handled throughout his life, making him one of the tamest lizards that we have living at the Jungle. Today he measures over 6 feet in length and weighs about 40 lbs. Godzilla's favorite activity is swimming in the Serpentarium pool and his food is adult Rats.

Hercules

A Liger is a hybrid where the Male is a lion and the female is a tiger. If the situation is reversed where the female is a lion and the male is a tiger, he would be called a tigon. The Liger is the world largest feline and can weigh over 900 pounds and stand almost 12 feet tall. The liger has both stripes and spots. The stripes are inherited from its tiger parent and the spots from the lion parent. Our Liger, Hercules, enjoys drinking out of baby bottles filled with milk as special treats. He can be seen at the new Liger exhibit that is adjacent to our Jungle Theater- "Wild Encounter Show"

Crocosaurus

Crocosaurus is a Saltwater Crocodile who measures nearly 20-feet long and weighs nearly 2000 pounds. At three feet in length, his jaws house seventy razor sharp teeth capable of crushing his prey. He is the largest crocodile under the care of humans in the United States, possibly the world. Crocosaurus was hatched in Thailand in 1988 and he is still growing !!!! His favorite activity is sun bathing and his favorite food is whole Chicken.

Peanut Butter & Pumpkin Pie

Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Pie, twin girl orangutans were born on December 2, 2003. Parrot Jungle Island's primate specialists have been caring for them since their mother stopped producing enough milk for both babies. They are non-identical twins and show some personality traits that make them individual. One is slightly larger. She is a little more independent, has a stronger appetite and sleeps for longer periods during the night. The other is slightly smaller, a little more active and inquisitive, and likes to nap in the day rather than sleep consistently at night. The last recorded occasion of an orangutan giving birth to twins was in 1985 at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. The first-ever twin birth took place in 1968 at Seattle, Washington's Woodland Park Zoo. Orangutans are the largest arboreal (tree-dwelling) animals in the world. They originate from the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia where they are endangered due to habitat loss caused by logging and palm-oil plantations.