The Best Experiences At Brevard Zoo

The Brevard Zoo is the only zoo in the country to offer guided kayaking tours around an animal exhibit. Seen here is Expedition Africa.

For the Love of Wildlife

On a sunny winter day, I had the chance to meet Kibibi and Uzuri, two gorgeous female white rhinos, up close at Brevard Zoo. I was visiting the area on a trip arranged by Visit Space Coast and had specifically asked to cover space- (the previous day) and animal-related attractions. The itinerary was all I imagined and more.

I’ve had the good fortune to take part in behind-the-scenes animal tours before, but the Rhino Encounter was special. White rhinos are one of the world’s largest mammals, but Kibibi and Uzuri were sweet and friendly, content to let me stroke their skin, brush them and gaze into their big, beautiful eyes. They never made any attempt to move away from the small group who came down to their enclosure to meet them. It was one of those experiences you never want to end—I could have stood on the other side of their fence for hours.

Someone asked me afterwards if the enclosure was smelly, but I didn’t notice, or care—
I was in the zone, at one with nature. I made a connection, and that was the most important thing.

It’s something that impacts our well-being, mentally and physically. It’s well known that interacting with animals lowers cortisol, the stress hormone, and increases dopamine, the happy hormone.

And who doesn’t want more happy hormones?

Special encounters abound at the Brevard Zoo. Interact with white rhinos, stingrays and okapi.

Do animals get as much from us as we do from them? I’d like to think so, but that’s a question for the experts.

I do know, however, that the zoo’s animals receive expert care—it’s the top priority in their mission statement. I also witnessed the commitment to animal wellbeing firsthand on my experience—on my walk through the zoo, hearing keepers talking to visitors about the animals and recounting stories about their enrichment and habitats.

The zoo, which is home to more than 800 animals representing 170 species from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia, is currently celebrating 30 years of connecting animals and people while keeping an eye towards the future.

The Legacy Campaign will build a 14-acre aquarium and conservation facility on Port Canaveral’s shoreline to expand upon the conservation work and education the zoo has spearheaded in the area, to provide medical and research facilities for rehabilitating sea turtles and manatees.

Since Brevard County’s beaches are among the world’s most important nesting areas for sea turtles and, with 72 miles of shoreline, among the largest in the United States, the zoo opened its Sea Turtle Healing Center in 2014. The Healing Center sees about 100 animals found with injuries and illnesses each year. It also regularly releases rehabilitated sea turtles to the wild—always a popular draw. Keep abreast of all the goings-on through its Facebook page, facebook.com/BrevardZoo.

Special encounters abound at the Brevard Zoo. Interact with white rhinos, stingrays and okapi.

Another way to view the majestic rhinos and also giraffes, lemurs, ostriches, zebras, impalas and klipspringers (small antelopes found in eastern and southern Africa) is to kayak through Expedition Africa. Guests meet in Wild Florida’s Wetlands area to board kayaks in this guided excursion. And thanks to a grant from the Reeve Foundation, accessible kayaking is available via a transfer bench. This kayaking experience is the only one of its kind in the country.

Did you know that the stingray is also known as a “sea pancake”? Oh, the fun facts you uncover at the zoo! Have you ever had the opportunity to feed one? You can here, at a daily feeding encounter inside the Paws on Loop. Sign up early!

In general, you’ll want to get to the zoo early (opens at 9:30 a.m.) to make sure you see all the animals and line up special experiences. Should anyone in your party want to cool off in the Indian River Play Lagoon, bring your swimsuit: all ages are welcome. There’s a special area for younger guests with shallow water and a bubbling manatee sculpture.

Don’t leave, however, without heading over to the giraffe platform to get a gander at their long eyelashes and perhaps feed them a piece of lettuce. This is where you can get a good look at the beautiful okapi, one of my favorite zoo animals. The okapi is the only living relative of the giraffe and has seen its numbers dwindle due to habitat loss and civil unrest. Typically a shy animal, this beautiful creature has brown or plum-colored fur and zebra-like stripes on their legs­­­—another one I could stare at for hours.

The zoo has an okapi encounter, which was full on my visit (another reason to book early), but it’s on the bucket list for my return. With so much going on at Brevard Zoo, return trips are a necessity. In addition to its interactive encounters, there are many fun painting events—with human and animal artists—happening throughout 2025. This month, an Adult Paint & Sip event takes place April 3 from 5:30-7 p.m.; tickets include all art supplies, an up-close animal encounter and a complimentary drink ticket.

Plan your visit at brevardzoo.org.