WILDLIFE & CONSERVATION
Hardee County Wildlife Refuge
Hardee County · Central Florida
A county-run refuge at Zolfo Springs for native and exotic animals that were surrendered or rescued and cannot go back to the wild.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
The Hardee County Wildlife Refuge is at 650 Animal Way in Zolfo Springs. Every animal here arrived because somebody gave it up or it was rescued, and because it could not survive on its own if released. Some are native Florida species and some are exotic animals that were kept as pets and outgrew the people who bought them. The refuge is not a breeding operation and not a holding stop on the way somewhere else: it provides permanent care, feeding, shelter and enrichment for the rest of each animal's life. Visitors walk an elevated boardwalk that runs through enclosures built to resemble the habitats the animals would have lived in. Guided tours can be arranged by appointment, and a guide is worth asking for, because each animal has its own story of how it got here and that is most of what there is to learn. The refuge grew out of a smaller operation at Pioneer Park and moved into its present site in 2001. It opens from 10 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, Wednesday through Monday, and closes on Tuesdays. Admission is modest, with yearly passes available and children under five free with an adult
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