“It all started with the monkeys in 1923.” It is the sentence that begins the first chapter of the Central Florida Zoo, which has over 100 years of history in Sanford.
As the story progresses, the rhesus monkeys – the same variety found in Silver Springs – was presented by the Travel Circus to the Elks Club in Sanford. The Monkey quickly moved to the Sanford Fire Station, where more animals were joined and became an attraction for the following weekend.
By the early 1940s, the animals had relocated to the several acres of zoo where Sanford City Hall stands today. When the city decided to stop funding the zoo in the 1960s, a group of worrying citizens united and formed and fundraised for the Central Florida Zoological Society.
On July 4, 1975, Central Florida Zoo Park, on 106 acres of land leased from Seminole County, first opened its doors to a crowd of 10,000 people. Some of the original attractions and animals are no longer in the zoo, but the footprints remain largely the same.
Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens will celebrate their 50th anniversary on July 4th-6th and celebrate discounted tickets.
“We’re looking forward to seeing you in the process of exploring the world,” said Richard Glover, CEO of the zoo. “This is part of their lives and it’s really beautiful to hear what the zoo means to them.”
Visitors looking for more information about the history of the zoo can see the exhibition at the Wayne M. Densch Discovery Centre, featuring historical photographs and newspaper clippings. Additionally, the screen displays submitted photos and stories from 50 years of history that are continuously collected online.
Glover said he’d heard several quirky stories for decades.
“It appears at some point there was a monkey who was obsessed with Pepsi and cigarettes. We had parrots who listened to people,” he said. “I’ve heard crazy stories about the past.”
The zoo’s Jack Hanna, who later became known for her television appearances, served as the first director of the zoo before taking on a new role at the Columbus Zoo in 1978.
As a modern zoological institution, the nonprofit now cares about 350 animals representing more than 100 species of amphibians, birds, invertebrates, mammals and reptiles. Guests can experience a closed encounter with PJ The Rhino, give them giraffes, sprinkle zoo animals, and board miniature trains.
During this past holiday season, the zoo welcomed 120,000 out-of-hour guests for the Asian Lantern Festival.
Zoo outreach is expanding across Sanford’s border through work with the Orian Indigo Conservation Centre in Eustis. The program is run by a zoo and helps breed indigo snakes in the eastern part of the country and restore wild populations.
While thinking about the current reach of the zoo and plans for the future, Glover considers the humble beginnings and the grassroots efforts that have started it all.
“If the community wasn’t united and said, ‘I want this to exist,’ then this zoo wouldn’t exist,” he said. “Last year we had over 18,000 volunteer hours, without which we couldn’t have done.”
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If you’re going
Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens are open daily from 9am to 4pm at 3755 W. Seminole Blvd, to celebrate its 50th anniversary on July 4th and 6th. In Sanford. Discount tickets are available throughout the weekend. Visitors can submit historic photos and memories by visiting centralfloridazoo.org/share.
