JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Have you ever wanted to go behind the scenes at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens? Well, you’re in luck. The zoo does offer behind-the-scenes experiences that you can purchase when you go. Recently, News4JAX got an exclusive first-time behind-the-scenes experience at the newly renovated warthog exhibit.
When you visit the Jacksonville Zoo, you can see tons of animals, from ones that you’ve maybe never heard of before to some of your favorites. News4JAX visited the zoo on a rainy and overcast Monday afternoon and got a chance to hang out with the warthogs.
Tracy Fenn, curator of mammals for the zoo, said Mateo and Nasura are a new breeding pair for the warthog exhibit.
“Nasura, the female, is actually pretty genetically important to that population. She’s the fifth most genetically valuable female in that population. So we really would like to have successful births here, and we’re hopeful that that can happen with Mateo and Nasura,” Fenn said.
Warthogs aren’t listed as endangered but Fenn says their populations in the wild are decreasing so they’re doing what they can to keep the species alive.
“They occur in about 40 different countries on the continent of Africa, and they have gone extinct in one of those countries already. So even though they’re not listed as officially endangered or threatened, we want to be ahead of the game, and make sure that we have that insurance population healthy to serve as sort of a backup plan,” Fenn said.
Now you might think that a rainy or overcast day wouldn’t make sense to go to the zoo, but Derek Mock, the Interpretive Engagement Supervisor for the zoo, said otherwise.
“A lot of times, it’s really comfortable for our animals and the animals that we have on habitat here. So for example, our rhinos on the rhino overlook, they kind of love the overcast weather. You’ll see them playing in the water, wallowing in the mud, and even kind of showing a little more activity,” Mock said.
The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is more than 100 years old and as time has gone on, the work they do has transformed to focus on conservation of wild animals. A percentage of every admission ticket goes to their conservation program that supports initiatives around the world.
MORE | Jacksonville Zoo nominated for USA Today’s Best Zoo in the US
“I think making a connection with nature is not only important for people to feel inspired to act and contribute to conservation behaviors and support our natural, you know, protecting our natural world. But also, I think it’s great mental health therapy for humans to just get outdoors to see animals that they can’t just walk into their backyard and see,” Fenn said.
There’s plenty of behind-the-scenes experiences you can sign up for when you visit the zoo, but that’s not the only option for educational opportunities.
“We have programs spanning generations for every audience. We have early childhood programs for our toddlers and parents, up to adult education programs and a graduate degree program. So there’s something for everyone and something for everyone in the community to be involved in,” Mock said.
And if you can’t make it to the zoo that’s no problem. They can bring the zoo to you.
“We have educators that go out and they can take animals and teach curriculum and programs to schools, libraries and assisted living facilities, just to name a few. But we can go pretty much anywhere, and we want to try to spread our message of conservation and education to every corner of Jacksonville,” Mock said.
The behind-the-scenes experience for the warthog exhibit is not available just yet, but it will be available soon. So if you want more information on other experiences that are available right now, you can go to the Jacksonville Zoo website.
The zoo is also nominated for USA Today’s Best Zoo for their 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. You can go to USA Today’s website to vote for them through March 10.
The zoo is also offering a special discount code for viewers that is good for Tuesday. Just use 4ZOO at checkout for $5 off!