Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, Educational zoo in Gainesville, Florida.
Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo is a 10-acre zoo on the west side of Santa Fe College's main campus in Gainesville, Florida. It holds over 200 individual animals representing more than 70 species, including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and birds, kept in outdoor enclosures on forested land. Students in the Zoo Animal Technology program work as keepers there.
The zoo opened in 1970 as part of the college campus with an educational mission from the start. Thirty years later, in 2000, it became the first college-based zoo to receive accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Students in the Zoo Animal Technology program work directly with the animals every day and often stop to talk with visitors about what they are doing. The result is a place where learning happens out in the open, not behind closed doors.
The walking trail through the grounds is short and easy to follow at a relaxed pace, though a few sections have gentle slopes. On warm days, bring water and sun protection since much of the path is outdoors and exposed.
The source calls it the only college zookeeper training facility in the United States, not a zoo run entirely by students. Students in the Zoo Animal Technology Program, known as Zooies, spend five semesters on husbandry, breeding, nutrition and medical care while working as keepers.
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