The attraction, in Biscayne Bay, between Miami and Miami Beach, began as “Parrot Jungle” in a different location 76 years ago.
An Austrian named Franz Scherr rented some dry, densely wooded land for $25 a year and started displaying and lecturing about his favorite birds.
Guess what was on that land before he got hold of it?
Not orange trees. Not alligators. A colony of 1,200 nudists. No doubt there was general agreement that the birds were better looking.
Among the small roadside attraction’s array of exotic birds was Pinky, a high-wire bicycle-riding cockatoo.
Today at Jungle Island, which actively supports Florida’s ecology movement and hosts several environmental events, members of the parrot family strut and climb and chatter with visitors.
Others fly freely in a huge, walk-through aviary and raise a racket whenever a cat sneaks in or a stray hawk circles overhead.
About a decade after Parrot Jungle opened, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited and met Pinky, the bicycling cockatoo. (Wikipedia Commons)
They don’t seem to mind when visitors affect a parrot voice and ask that stereotypical parrot question:
“Polly want a cracker?”
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25