Hello, From Parrot Jungle

Parrots rule the Miami imaginary. Anybody who’s been here since the 90s (or before) will remember the Parrot Jungle. Founded in 1936 by Austrian farmer Franz Scherr and his wife Louise, it was one of Miami’s most famous roadside attractions. Having worked with proprietors of other roadside attractions like the Monkey Jungle, Scherr saw that people gravitated towards those exotics which were harmless. He acquired a hardwood hammock which had previously served as the home to a nudist colony, and transformed it into a tropical paradise. In his book, Miami’s Parrot Jungle and Gardens: The Colorful History of an Uncommon Attraction, Cory H. Gittner writes, “Like a postcard that has come alive, the Parrot Jungle is permanently perched beside the orange, the alligator, and the bathing beauty as the exotic ideal of a Florida vacation.” At Parrot Jungle, folks could have their photos taken with macaws and cockatiels, proving to their friends that they had fun in the sun. The birds were sometimes caged but often allowed to come and go as they pleased. Many came back. Eating was good at this manufactured Parrotopia, after all. When it closed in 2002, many of the parrots scattered throughout the city. Their presence is almost always welcome to this writer.