GALAPAGOS TORTOISE ENCOUNTER

Come face to face with the largest terrestrial turtles in the world and the oldest residents at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. In this Encounter, you will enter the habitat of our tortoises to feel a 100-year-old tortoise shell and learn about the importance of this species and their unique home on the Galapagos Islands.

ENCOUNTER INFORMATION:

Time: 11:00 am, 3:00 pm
Days: Tuesday – Sunday
Price: $40 per person in addition to zoo admission
Note: Encounter runs 15-20 minutes. There is a 6-person maximum per time slot.

Children two and under are not permitted during encounters or tours. All participants must be paying guests or members of the Alligator Farm or must receive permission from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm’s Education Department, in order to participate. All tickets are non-refundable/non-returnable. We are unable to issue exchanges or refunds after a purchase has been made including but not limited to lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed tickets. However, these encounters take place in the homes of our animals due to safety, we reserve the right to cancel encounters without advanced notice due to emergency. In the event of a cancellation that occurred on behalf of the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, a full refund for the encounter will be offered.

MAXIMO ENCOUNTER

In this dramatic encounter, you’ll have an up-close view of Maximo’s incredible feeding process as the 15-foot, 1,250-pound croc leaps from the water to retrieve his dinner. A saltwater crocodile, or “Saltie” as his species is called in Australia, Maximo hatched from an egg collected by Aboriginal people along an Australian riverbank. He was brought to the Alligator Farm in 2003, and since then has been the zoo’s largest and most beloved Saltie. During the Maximo encounter, you will be permitted to accompany our zookeepers and educators atop Maximo’s feeding platform, where you’ll hear a short presentation about saltwater crocodiles’ diets, behaviors, and habitats, and about the role the Alligator Farm plays in their conservation. You’ll then experience the feeding session from our elevated platform that will give you a new perspective to our top predator.

ENCOUNTER INFORMATION:

Time: 12:00 pm
Day: Saturday
Price: $25 per person in addition to zoo admission
Note: Encounter runs 15-20 minutes. There is a 6-person maximum.

This encounter requires all participants to be able to walk up a set of stairs leading to the feeding platform. You are strongly encouraged to read about Saltwater Crocodiles before your Maximo Encounter to make the most of your experience. Photography is permitted and encouraged, but no food or drink are allowed in the Maximo Encounter. Participants must stay with our zookeepers and educators at all times in order to ensure the health and safety of our animals.

Children two and under are not permitted during encounters or tours. All participants must be paying guests or members of the Alligator Farm or must receive permission from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm’s Education Department, in order to participate. All tickets are non-refundable/non-returnable. We are unable to issue exchanges or refunds after a purchase has been made including but not limited to lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed tickets. However, these encounters take place in the homes of our animals due to safety, we reserve the right to cancel encounters without advanced notice due to emergency. In the event of a cancellation that occurred on behalf of the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, a full refund for the encounter will be offered.

RAINFOREST SLOTH ENCOUNTER

Interact with the zoo’s most charismatic mammals—our Hoffman’s two-toed sloths, Teddy, Grizzly, and Winnie! The Rainforest Encounter places you up close and personal with the sloths, even providing opportunities to touch these shy animals. A brief introduction will provide an overview of the species’ habitats, behaviors, and diet, and you’ll also learn about the conservation work being done at the Alligator Farm to protect sloths throughout the world. You’ll then have a 15 to 20-minute physical encounter with the sloths, as our staff facilitates your feeding of our sloths their favorite fruits and veggies.

ENCOUNTER INFORMATION:

Time: 2:30 pm
Days: Thursday – Sunday
Price: $55 per person in addition to zoo admission
Note: Encounter runs 15-20 minutes. There is a 4-person maximum.

You are strongly encouraged to read about Hoffman’s two-toed sloths before your Rainforest Sloth Encounter to make the most of your experience. Photography is permitted and encouraged, but no food or drink are allowed in the Rainforest Sloth Encounter. Participants must stay with our zookeepers and educators at all times in order to ensure the health and safety of our animals.

In following our veterinarian’s recommendations to keep our animals healthy, we are requiring all guests who participate in the encounter to follow these simple guidelines:

• All guests will be required to wash their hands immediately prior to the encounter. Our staff will ask your entire party to visit the restrooms before to do so.
• Your party will then be asked to use hand sanitizer when debriefing inside the habitat.

Children two and under are not permitted during encounters or tours. All participants must be paying guests or members of the Alligator Farm or must receive permission from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm’s Education Department, in order to participate. All tickets are non-refundable/non-returnable. We are unable to issue exchanges or refunds after a purchase has been made including but not limited to lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed tickets. However, these encounters take place in the homes of our animals due to safety, we reserve the right to cancel encounters without advanced notice due to emergency. In the event of a cancellation that occurred on behalf of the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, a full refund for the encounter will be offered.