A retirement home at the zoo? This Florida attraction just made space for the older set
We doubt there are shuffleboard games, mashed potatoes or Geritol, but life is good for older animals at the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida.
The popular attraction is creating a “retirement” home for critters to live out their golden years in relaxation and comfort.
According to the Brevard Zoo, an animal is considered “geriatric” when it reaches around 80 percent of its expected lifespan.
“As part of our preventative approach to animal care, our older animal residents receive routine quality of life assessments, specialized diets, tailored medications, enrichments and adjustments to their habitat,” the zoo says.
There will be three separate “homes,” or habitats, for three different species. Meet some of the seniors:
Flounder the bat, 29 years old: This so-called flying fox has lived at the zoo since 2001 and has “far exceeded” the median life expectancy of her species. Her digs include climbing structures to keep her active, as well as plushies to keep loneliness at bay. Most of Flounder’s days are spent napping, as bats do, but she can still be quite frisky at night. Fave food? Peanut butter.
Josie the tapir, 28: This nocturnal hoofed critter, not native to the Sunshine State, can be found by the public in the Wild Florida section. A resident since 1994, she has plenty of places to swim and play, and also gets to hang with members of the younger population. Watermelon apparently makes her happy.
Matilda the ring-tailed lemur, 15: This still-spry girl began life as a household pet and was donated to the zoo. “Now she’s ‘living the life’ behind the scenes with world-class veterinary care, nutritious food, ample room to explore and ropes to climb on,” the zoo says. Matilda’s ALF experience is even high-tech: Twice a week, she’s brought a touchscreen computer to see if she is intelligent enough to “assign value to objects.” Twenty-eight year-old Kamots, a fellow senior in the Expedition Africa pod, keeps her company.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 6:06 AM.
