Lorikeet
Brevard Zoo
For the past few years, we’ve made going to the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida a must visit. With grandson Theo along, the zoo is interesting not just for the animals but for the interaction of a young person and animals he otherwise would never get to see.
The Brevard Zoo has been around for a long time, we took Marsha when she was young to the zoo but in the 1990s, the zoo was quite small and not all that exciting, although as a community zoo it was still fun to see. In the last number of years the zoo has improved, and in 2025, the zoo was ranked as the #6 Best Zoo in the U.S. by USA Today. The zoo is nonprofit and is recognized for its unique, immersive exhibits—including kayaking through wetlands—and its strong commitment to wildlife conservation.
As an educational zoo, the Brevard Zoo is unmatched, with many volunteers standing ready near the animals they know best to help people understand what they are seeing. I know that zoos are a tad controversial, but zoos like Brevard are the best of the lot – being centered on conservation (almost all the animals are wildlife rescues), education and in displays where most times the people feel more captive than the animals.
The image is of a Lorikeet, a great example of the zoo’s ideals, in the enclosure where people roam inside a gigantic aviary and the birds can be observed as they fly around, nest or get fed. A wonderful experience, and not just for the young!
