Today I was taking a look at the wiki site for Pensacola, FL, Pensapedia.com.  I was looking at events from Pensacola’s history on August 22.  Not much happened on this date, but after taking a glance at the site’s front page news section I noticed that something rather signifigant happened on August 16, 2009.  The Zoo Northwest Florida, also know as the Gulf Breeze Zoo, or just The Zoo, closed it’s gates, perhaps for good.  It is yet another sign of the times in a world where small business struggles and now a new flock on employees are jobless.

I feel very lucky to have been able to take my girlfriend and her kids to the zoo this past June before it closed.  It was a really fun day.  We saw all the animals, took pictures, went to the petting zoo, and took the train ride.  The only downside of the day was the Florida heat, but it didn’t stop us from having a great family day at the zoo.  That is something we may not be able to do in this area for a while.

Our zoo was small by the standards of most.  It was only 300 acres or so and had a various, if small, selection of animals to see.  It suffered from all kinds of problems in it’s recent history mostly after sustaining a lot of damage from Hurricane Ivan in 2004.  A place that had been operating in the red since it opened in 1984, the zoo was only given $59,000 from insurance to cover the $600,000 in damage.

After the hurricane, the zoo suffered from a series of animal deaths in 2007, animal escapes, loss of accredidation, and a high school fundraiser scam.

If with its pitfalls, the zoo was still a great place to spend the afternoon.  Cool animal exhibits, cheap prices, friendly staff, and a great family atmosphere are what I will remember from the zoo.

I hope that it will come back soon, and if not, I hope that a new zoo will open in our area.

Pensapedia.com — The Zoo Northwest Florida >> http://bit.ly/HO0XW

Penapedia Twitter >> @Pensapedia

Official Website >> The Zoo Northwest Florida

Photos from @_Just_Tori_