Being as we spent three weeks in Florida this year (technically part of last year and this year) we had more time to explore the natural wonders of the State. I’ve always enjoyed the scenery in Florida and it was a treat to see more of it during this trip.

The Brevard Zoo – Melbourne, Florida

A nice attraction that we visited gave us a chance to walk amongst the natural habitat of the State while also seeing many indigenous species up close. The entry fee was reasonable and they offered family rates. The excelling factor about this zoo over others is that the enclosures are carved out of the existing Florida landscape instead of simply being manufactured concrete bunkers. One could see the advantage to the well-being of the animals.

As I walked around I couldn’t help but be reminded of Discovery Island at Walt Disney World. This attraction is long gone thanks to the building of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but for this then-6 year old boy, it left a lasting impression. My cherished memories came flooding back to me and made me miss that little island in the man-made lake!

Especially when I saw this guy:

Solitary Flamingo with no Yo-Yo

The strongest memory I have from my one visit to Discovery Island is the Flamingos. To this day I remember the pathway around the pen and how I felt at seeing so many birds pushed in together. Years later, the memory prompted me to write this poem:

One Song

… the night is touched by many a call / of sunken spirit, not yet willing to fall…

Walking only waters of controlled flow / it stands on one leg and then the other / a beauty on its own but never so… / a bird of beak, claw and clipped feather.

Pink Flamingo

Imagining times of plentiful streams / where flocks summered together in splendor, / is hard when roaming free is a passing dream / that keeps getting harder to remember.

Pink Flamingo

No release in sight brings thoughts of despair / from which few can hope to escape, / but in the odd one… a distant stare, / seeing some far away, majestic landscape…

… one Pink Flamingo sings.

Very beautiful birds

Of course the zoo was filled with many other animals and was divided up into three main sections. You could also zip line and walk among the tree tops, which we didn’t do this time around.

I have to go see a man about a Wallaby

A good view of an animal in his habitat

Like most attractions now, they have a train that circles the zoo and takes you through the inner habitats not viewable from the paths of the zoo proper:

This had the feel of Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, although on a much smaller scale.

Camel Contortions… Ouch!

So the next time you travel to Florida for a Disney vacation, remember there is more to the State than just Mickey and his friends. But don’t tell him I told you!