Cajun Christmas lights up ZooWorld

PANAMA CITY BEACH — ZooWorld is offering guests an opportunity for a Southern-themed holiday experience with its first-ever Cajun Christmas celebration.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily through Sunday, Dec. 24, visitors can take a free photo with Santa Claus and hold his baby (3-feet-long) alligator. In addition, artist Dawson List with New Orleans-based Ice Dragon Ice Sculptures will demonstrate his art using a chainsaw on Saturday.

"It was kind of a last-minute thing, but when we finally got Santa confirmed, we thought what better place than to set him in our Cajun shack by our alligator exhibit," said ZooWorld director Kayte Hogan. "And our ice carver is really fun. He puts on a fantastic interactive show. Obviously, you can't get up close, but he blows snow on the kids and you can go up and touch the carving when he's done."

Hogan noted that List wouldn't reveal what he plans to carve on Saturday.

"In order to keep things interesting, I usually don’t tell anyone what I’m carving," List said in an online post. "In fact, I tell the audience that I don’t know what I’m carving … yet. This works out well, because if I screw up what I meant to carve, I have a decent shot at changing it into something else and no one is the wiser. But I do encourage guessing because it makes the demo much more fun. And sometimes, the guesses are one of the best parts."

General admission costs apply to enter the zoo, located at 9008 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach. Admission is $16.95 for adults; $11.95 for seniors age 65 and older; $12.95 for children ages 2-12 years; and free for children under 2 years old. Military personnel and Bay County residents receive 20 percent off general admission (must present valid I.D.). For details, visit the website ZooWorldPCB.com or call 850-230-1243.

ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS

Guests are invited to get up-close and personal with zoo animals through a series of available encounters. Pet a sloth for $35; go eye-to-eye with a giraffe for $35 each, which includes a private moment on the feeding tower and three lettuce leaves; snuggle with an endangered Lemur for $35; hold an alligator in your hands for $35; walk through the budgie aviary with hundreds of colorful and exotic birds, and feed them budgie sticks at $1.50 per stick or four sticks for $5.

However, guests will not be able to feed the gators in the new exhibit, as the cooler weather decreases the reptiles' intake. Feeding will recommence in March, Hogan said.

"We have 67 very large alligators — the smallest is over 6 feet long, and the largest is over 8 feet," Hogan said. "They're permanent residents."

Once temps increase in the new year, the public will be allowed to feed the Allapattah Swamp Alligators for $10 per feed bucket. Meanwhile, the ZooWorld staff has welcomed an ark’s worth of new animals over the last several months, including hands-on animals in the farm yard, two binturong and three capybara. The new "Farm Friends" include a miniature zebu heifer, a kunekune pig and three African pygmy goats.

Kunekune pigs, originally from New Zealand, were once kept only by the native Maori people, according to information on the ZooWorld website. Kunekunes are multicolored versions of the more familiar pot-bellied pig and are known for having sweet docile natures. Zebu cattle, indigenous to South Asia, are characterized by large fatty humps and are considered sacred by some cultures. The boisterous African pymgy goats are often kept as pets and can be used as milk goats.

Three young capybara and two binturong have settled in nicely to their new surroundings, officials said. Capybara are the world’s largest rodent, resembling a giant guinea pig. They are semi-aquatic and spend quite a bit of their day in the water. When full grown, these animals can weigh more than 150 pounds and can be found in groups numbering as many as 100. Binturong, a rarely seen civet from South Asia, are said to be the "best smelling animal" in the zoo, as they have a gland that produces an aroma often described as resembling popcorn or corn chips.

In 2018, ZooWorld plans to have a grand opening celebration for a new lion exhibit that will allow the public an interactive experience. The anticipated opening date is sometime in April.

When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Dec. 22-24

Where: ZooWorld, 9008 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach

Admission: Adults $16.95; seniors (65 and older) $15.95; children ages 2-12 $12.95 (children under 2 years old free); military and Bay County residents receive 20 percent off general admission (must present valid I.D.)

Details: ZooWorldPCB.com or 850-230-1243

CAJUN CHRISTMAS

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