Redlands Conservation Center – A Magical Zoo Like No Other
Sloth – Such a Cutie Pie
My family and I experienced a remarkable two-hour interactive tour at the Redland Conservation Center, a zoo that houses more than 100 different animal species from lemurs to jaguars. The Center is dedicated to educating the public while conserving and protecting wildlife. These critters, fortuate enough to find refuge here, are insanely loved and adored by founder Jacob Feder, his family and staff.
The Wildlife
First up was the fabulous tamandua or lesser anteater. Fun fact: They have prehensile tails that are used more as as an achor for standing or climbing. We spent quite some time with this lovely anteater, feeding him his favorite foods and scratching his belly. This guy loves avocado but they typically eat ants and termites. We could use more anteaters in South Florida.
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- Hungry Anteater
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- Belly Rubs for Anteater
And then there were the lemurs with their sweet expressions and velvety hands. Native to Madagascar, they are now one of the most endangered group of mamals due to loss of habitat. We couldn’t get enough of them. Jacob also cares for a pair of civets, nocturnal animals found in African and Asia. One of his civets is a special needs cat – blind and dealing with digestive issues.
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- Lemur Love
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- Say hi to Ruby
Lots of time was spent with the Galapagos Tortoise gang who munched enthusiastically on hand-fed romain lettuce. They actually enjoy having their shell scratched. So we scratched. And everyone had a chance to support the gorgeous owl- who is hootingly heavy.
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- Galapagos Tortoise
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- Iguana
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- Jacob, Me and Owlie
The grand finale of the tour was the sloth house. Slow moving and intriguing, these arboreal herbivores are too cute for words. By the way, they’re in the same order as the anteater.
I highly recommend taking your family and friends here for an unforgettable educational tour and personalized animal encounter. While expensive, the proceeds support the care and conservation of the animals. Thank you Jacob and Kim for sharing your knowledge and family of cats, birds, reptiles, amphibians, primates, sloths and anteaters. What a day!