Bear & Otter Habitats

NEW BEAR HABITAT- JUNE 2013

Meet Josh. Josh is an easy going 600-pound Black bear, who enjoys being around people. Josh has spent his youth, since he was a bottle-fed cub, working for a wildlife education program where he made appearances at schools, birthday parties and other events. 

Last year the facility lost their state permit to house Josh, who is now 13 years old and retired. Josh has since been living in Okeechobee at Animal Adventures, an exotic animal facility, while waiting for a new home. 

Josh is a healthy, happy bear, less than midway through his life expectancy, who is too tame to be released into the wild. Once fed by people, a bear is likely to walk up to humans expecting hand-outs of food and would be considered a threat.

Flamingo Gardens has been working hard to bring Josh back here to live out the remainder of his life in a new roomy and enriching environment with rocks, palm trees, and his own pool. 

Josh has spent his 13 years in a 20 by 20 foot enclosure- far from ideal for an animal his size. His new Flamingo Gardens exhibit will be 80 by 100 feet, allowing ample room to roam and run. He’ll be able to splash in his own 3’ deep pool, designed to resemble a pond, and play with an assortment of logs, balls, and other toys designed to stimulate him. Most importantly, Josh will be back among people who love and care for him. 

Construction has begun on Josh’s new home which is expected to open in June of 2013. While most of the money to build the exhibit has been raised, it will still take additional funds to feed and care for Josh each year. Josh’s food alone is estimated  to cost $8,000 per year. 

Flamingo Gardens is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization and relies solely on the support of the public for financing. Your donations will help bring Josh home to retire in South Florida, and help care for him in the future. 

Click here for Bear Habitat Gift Opportunities

Donate securely online:


Donate by check with the Bear Habitat Gift Form

NEW OTTER HABITAT- FALL/WINTER 2013

Fast Eddie is a North American River otter, and he is quite fond of the ladies! Fast Eddie was an orphaned cub that was rescued and hand-fed, so is now imprinted to trust humans and can no longer live in the wild. He came to Flamingo Gardens about 10 years ago to live with other otters.

Patches is our female otter, who was hit by a car. Although now rehabilitated, Patches is missing an eye and would have difficulty finding food in the wild; she would probably not survive. 

Fast Eddie and Patches are part of one of the most successful otter breeding programs in the United States. Otters at Flamingo Gardens have produced over 32 offspring since the program started in 1989. These otters have been released into the wild or sent to other breeding programs at sanctuaries across the US. Perhaps our program’s success can be attributed to the setting among all the other wildlife and our loving animal care; but maybe it’s just Fast Eddie! 

Fast Eddie, Patches, Spanky and Bella are looking forward to their new home at Flamingo Gardens. The new otter exhibit will be bigger, with a larger pond, better viewing, a hurricane-proof night house, and multiple areas for the otters to build dens. The new exhibit will further improve the success of our breeding program and result in more otters released into the wild.

Flamingo Gardens relies solely on the support of the public for financing. Your donations will help give Fast Eddie, Patches, Spanky, and Bella, a new and improved home at Flamingo gardens, and help provide for the otters’ future. 

Click here for Otter Habitat Gift Opportunities.

Donate securely online:


Donate by check with the Otter Habitat Gift Form



CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE OTTERS

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING OTTER HABITAT DONORS:

DEDICATION DONORS ($25,000 or more)
Batchelor Foundation
Pill Box Pharmacies & Medical Supply

PLATINUM DONORS ($10,000 to $24,999)

GOLD DONORS ($2,500 to $9,999)
Enterprise Rent-a-Car Foundation
Folk H. Peterson Foundation

SILVER DONORS ($1,000 to $2,499)
Andree Siracusa

BRONZE DONORS ($500 to $999)

ElizabethK Trust
Alina & Daniel Vogtner

EXHIBIT DONORS ($100 to $499)
Herb & Sandy Allenson
Lauren & Salomon Benchimol
Eugenia N. Bigelow
Jason & Lillibeth Bourque
Roberta Burke
Paul Burton
The Calaluca Family
Michael A. & Joan K. Crain
Hannah & Madison Duque
Joyce & Leslie Egyes
George Esper
Favis & Laura Fuentes
Marc & Jennifer Goldfarb
Teleckies Gorsky
Greg & Karen Goth
Elizabeth Griffiths
David & Andrea Hirschfeld
Beth Hirschfeld
Arlene & Theodore Horowitz
Helen Hunter
S. Kearney & M. Kearney
Gail & Lincoln Kiem
Constanze & Michael Krause
Aneesh Lakhani
Naomi Levy
Wayne & Allyson Linder
Gerhard Mangei
Carol & Bruce Marcus
Carolyn & Ed Maruggi
Robert & Anna Nograd
Emily K. Pigula
Israel & Laura Pressman
Janet Raymond
Leah & Steve Renzi
Dr. & Mrs. William Riley
James & Barbara Rogal
Zeff & Vicki Ross
Michael Ruggieri
Penni & Robert Schoner
Beth Schwartz
Randall Siller
Fern & Bernard Sloan
In Memory of Sally Spiegler
Melissa Tuttle
In memory of Leonard and Gloria Velo
Craig & Jaana Weiner
Sharon A. White
Laura Wyatt
Violet Patch of South Florida
Gold Coast Miata Club

If your name is misspelled, in the wrong catagory, or missing please email Keith at development@flamingogardens.org or Claudia at admin@flamingogardens.org or call (954) 473-2955.