Sarasota Jungle Gardens now has over twenty-five animal exhibits in addition to the American Flamingos that roam freely in the “Open Gardens”. These Flamingo are wide-spread and abundant. Sarasota Jungle Gardens is one of the few zoos in the United States that allows their flock of flamingos to roam freely. The American Flamingos are native to the Caribbean and small pockets in Central and South America. A small colony migrates to South Florida during the Spring of each year to breed and nest. Sarasota Jungle Gardens has been granted special permitting by the Federal and State governments to collect the eggs each year until their flock peaks at 50 birds. When the eggs are collected (10 at a time) they are incubated here at the Gardens, hatched and hand-raised by the Gardens’ zoo keepers until they are old enough to join their adult cousins in the Open Gardens.