Garbie Walkie’s monthly clean up efforts take place at various venues throughout Kingston. This time in particular took place at the picturesque Hope Botanical Gardens before visiting Hope Zoo. After collecting gloves, tongs, and a safety vest, groups split up to focus on different sections: the Chinese garden, the wild garden, and general garden. After about an hour & a half, everyone regroups to drop off their filled trash bags with plastic bottles separated from all other types of rubbish. Despite a generous number of trash cans and recycling bins throughout the gardens, over 15 garbage bags were used on this particular clean up.

It’s such a shame that our beautiful surroundings are constantly plagued with litter due to the laziness and dirty habits of people. Each person has a responsibility to help keep the environment clean. Nuh dutty up Jamaica!

Recycle and get a discount at Hope Zoo

Hope Zoo trades trash for treasure, providing a special of 50% discount at the time to enter and observe the animals.  During this special, family/friends can enter the zoo for a discounted price by donating at least 10 bottles (for a child under age 12) and 20 bottles for adults and young adults. Regular rates are $1,500 per adult and $1,000 per child. Help the environment and be rewarded with a day at the zoo? Sounds like a win-win to me!

Hope Zoo Tour

Through a guided tour of approximately 2 hours, I saw a greater variety of creatures there than what I remember from childhood days. This had more exotic creatures when compared to another animal-oriented attraction I enjoyed (well, it is a zoo), though the other was more interactive. This was a popular venue for birthday parties and family outings in the 90s, and its renovation over the last few years seems to be an attempt to recapture that nostalgic magic.

Knowledgeable tour guides provide backgrounds for the animals, and are clearly familiar with the personality of each as they try different techniques to make them more interactive. There are multiple bird species, my favourite being the “adopted Jamaican” blue & gold macaw and the dancing scarlet macaws (videoed below).

Bird-Friendly Zoo

As you stroll, you can look up at the trees to see some parrots flying about freely, who apparently escaped their cages during a storm and still stuck around! Hope Zoo has since suspended feeding structures within the venue for them. Besides the parrots, the capuchin and spider monkeys, as well as the ring-tailed coatimundi were among the most interactive animals at the time. The big cats (lions and bobcats) were all lying around as cats tend to do. There were also zebras, ostriches, and crocodiles, just to name a few!

Thank you Hope Zoo and Garbie Walkie, I really appreciated the nostalgia and environment-saving efforts. An increased care for the environment is 1 of many ways I believe regular travel has improved me.

When was the last time you visted the zoo?

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