WATER & COAST
Jungle Island
Miami-Dade County · South Florida & the Keys
An animal park on Watson Island whose land has been approved for redevelopment, so check before planning a visit.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
Franz Scherr opened it as Parrot Jungle in Pinecrest on December 20, 1936; about a hundred people came that first day and paid twenty-five cents each. The Village of Pinecrest bought the original site in 2002 to make Pinecrest Gardens, and the attraction moved to Watson Island on June 28, 2003, as Parrot Jungle Island, taking the name Jungle Island exactly four years later. It holds roughly three thousand animals including a thousand varieties of parrot, and runs wildlife shows, a petting zoo, an Everglades habitat, zip lines, waterslides, escape rooms and a private beach. In November 2024 Miami voters approved two mixed-use developments on Watson Island, with a public park of fifteen and a half acres, a waterfront boardwalk, homes, hotels and shops, and the park is to close as that proceeds. No closing date has been announced and the developers have said they will run it as long as they can. The animals are to go to sanctuaries
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