A Naples Icon: PAST and FUTURE by Tim L. Tetzlaff

by Tim L. Tetzlaff, Director of Conservation,
Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens

You’ve seen it happen. You’ve done it yourself. A moment that has to be remembered. Everyone clusters together. Children are lifted onto shoulders and others maneuvered in front of the lens. A stranger is enlisted to help to get everyone in the photo.

Here at Naples Zoo, that moment regularly happens in front of the iconic giant toucan just outside our entrance. My office is nearby, so I’m often the stranger allowed into that moment. But if you’ve been in Naples more than twenty years, you know there’s history in that photo. You’ll remember when this same toucan sat atop a billboard-sized sign along U.S. 41.

This toucan has been a constant in Naples, and in my life. When my family arrived in 1969, the toucan had already been perched there for more than a decade. Created by Julius Fleischmann, it towered over the quiet two-lane highway, pointing the way to the Caribbean Gardens attraction. Back then, the town was still centered around Fifth Avenue. Early brochures listed the garden’s location as “two miles north of Naples.”

In those days, there was a small pond beneath the giant sign, and flamingos were often walked from the gardens up to the sign for the day. A different era, to say the least —and the flamingo walks couldn’t last. By the time my parents later introduced the exotic animals, Naples was already growing fast. And after one too many cars wound up in that pond, even that was filled in. But the toucan remained, quietly keeping watch.

Over the decades, the giant sign weathered numerous storms – from 1960’s infamous Hurricane Donna to 2005’s Hurricane Wilma, whose twisting winds finally forced the sign to show its age. A few were glad to see a roadside landmark removed. But there were also tears shed. For them, it wasn’t an out-of-place eyesore—it was a symbol of their hometown, of memories walking garden paths and special family moments known only to them.

Gratefully, the famous toucan survived, remaining part of the garden the community chose to keep. The toucan began a new era welcoming guests from inside the gardens it had faithfully pointed to for half a century. Now at ground level, those family photos began in earnest. Back then, I was carefully handed Nikons or the once-ubiquitous disposable film cameras. Maybe one of yours.

I think about all those kids I’ve taken pictures of. I’ve probably taken photos of a few of them with their own children now, standing in the toucan’s new spot near the entrance, a smartphone passed into my hand. Who knows what today’s grandchild will pass on to a stranger decades from now, when they’re holding up their own grandchild. But I’m grateful that a certain toucan will still be there, looking over their shoulders and faithfully pointing the way inside where another generation’s memories are waiting.

Tim L. Tetzlaff,

To see the full schedule, visit NaplesZoo.org/speakers Contact me at tim@napleszoo.org To learn more or support these efforts, visit NaplesZoo.org/conserve

Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit caring for rare species and welcoming families in a century-old historic garden. Since 2015, the zoo has invested more than $4.5 million in saving plants and animals in the wild and fully supports 34 field conservation staff working in seven countries.

To learn more about how you can invest in a better future for people and wildlife, email tim@napleszoo.org.

Together, we can create a brighter, more resilient future for people and wildlife.