Going Up at Naples Zoo Brings Guests Face-to-Face

Feeding the giraffes at Naples Zoo has long been a guest favorite. Now, that experience has a beautiful facelift.

Naples Zoo is taking you and your family to new heights with an elevated giraffe feeding experience and viewing area for a face-to-face encounter with the world’s tallest animal!

The upgraded area debuted to the public November 21, 2020, and it’s been a resounding success.

The Zoo’s giraffe exhibit and feeding experience represents the half way point of a visit for most Zoo visitors. The new design features an elevated viewing and feeding platform to allow more interaction between guests and the giraffes.

Instead of a chain link fence blocking most of the view of these tall animals, guests can now have an unobstructed view of the whole exhibit and the five male giraffe that live there, allowing guests to truly appreciate the size of these gentle giants.

The pathway to the giraffe exhibit is now paved and much wider, allowing for a more inclusive experience. The renovated space also includes a new restroom and a small cafe with seating overlooking Lake Victoria and the Primate Expedition islands, which is one of the most stunning views in the Zoo.

The giraffe feeding station is open daily from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. It costs $5 to feed. Face masks are required to feed the giraffes for everyone ages two and up.

At Naples Zoo, we believe this experience is extremely important for guests and the conservation of the species. When people connect with an animal, they will want to save that animal. In just the last 30 years, the giraffe population in Africa has declined by 30 percent.

Naples Zoo supports the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) in their work to save the species in the wild. We fund the annual salary of Dr. Sara Ferguson, Uganda Wildlife Coordinator for GCF.

As a wildlife veterinarian, she is regularly involved in saving the critically endangered Nubian giraffe from poacher’s snares. One way that guests can help is by purchasing a wristband at the feeding station that says “I Stand Tall for Giraffes.” One hundred percent of the sales from these wristbands go directly to GCF and Dr. Ferguson’s efforts.