Building Better Communitites

New Zoo Exhibit

One of the most ambitious Building Better Communities projects to date is the Miami Metrozoo's newest exhibit, Amazon and Beyond, which opened to rave reviews in late 2009.   The 27-acre takes visitors on a journey through the tropical Americas where they can view more than 100 species of wildlife including exotic fish in a giant 40,000- gallon tank.

The Amazon exhibit is the first in a multi-phase program that will invest $87 million of bond monies in Metrozoo improvements over the next decade. 

The Amazon and Beyond is the largest exhibit of tropical flora and fauna in this part of the world.  The vast wildlife collections include jaguars, crocodiles, snakes and endangered species such as river otters and harpy eagles.

"One of the most exciting things about Amazon and Beyond is how it immerses you into the ecosystems of this region of the world,"  says Metrozoo's Ron Magill.

The interpretive exhibit encourages interactive activities.  Push a button to hear the roar of monkeys; walk through a rain forest to feel wetness of the jungle; touch barbed tail stingrays and maybe even feed them.