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The Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo is a zoo in Gainesville, Florida. As part of Santa Fe College, It is the only zookeeper training facility in the United States with its own Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoo on grounds. Students spend 18 months learning about animal husbandry, breeding, nutrition, medical care, physiology, taxonomic relationships, conservation, enclosure construction, proper zoo sanitation, and other topics through classwork and actual work as keepers in the zoo.
The zoo houses 80 animal species and about 250 individual animals, including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and birds, including Lar Gibbons (Hylobates lar), Matschie's Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei), and Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). The SFC Teaching Zoo also participates in several AZA Species Survival Plan (SSP) programs, for Lar Gibbons and Matschie's Tree-kangaroo as well as for Oriental Small-clawed Otter (Amblonyx cinereus), Red Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia rubra), and Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis).
The SFC Teaching Zoo was established in 1970. It comprises 12 acres (49,000 m2) of forested land on the west side of the Santa Fe College main campus. The zoo is a popular destination for both local residents and tourists. The zoo hosts several events open to the public throughout the year, including S.T.A.R.S (Sea Turtles At Risk) and the "Boo at the Zoo" (BATZ) Halloween festival. Guided tours led by zookeepers and students are available at the teaching zoo for a fee ($4 for adults, $3 for children).
The students of the Zoo Animal Technology Program are known as Zooies.
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