Tell the City of Miami to end taxpayer support for Jungle Island
June 14th, 2012 by admin
Jungle Island has struggled since it moved to downtown Miami in 2003. Due to disappointing attendance, the attraction has been unable to pay back a $25 million government loan that was secured to build its new facility. A Jungle Island spokesperson told NBC Ch. 6 this week that they can’t afford to make any more payments.
On Tuesday, June 19, the Miami City Commission will hold a special meeting to discuss the future of Jungle Island. Jungle Island is hoping that the city will agree to restructure its debt. (In addition to the government-backed loan, Jungle Island owes the city millions of dollars in property taxes and rent.)
Jungle Island is a depressing attraction that has become known for its irresponsible breeding of animals such as white tigers and “ligers” (tiger/lion hybrids), exploitive animal shows and photo-ops, special events featuring circus elephants, and dangerous animal escapes. Jungle Island teaches irresponsible and harmful lessons about conservation and how people should interact with wild animals.
The good news is that the City of Miami does not appear willing to help Jungle Island. Earlier this year, Mayor Tomas Regalado told Miami Today newspaper, “We cannot continue with the policy that it’s ‘too big to fail’ and keep subsidizing Jungle Island.”
Please contact the Mayor and City Commission and let them know that you do not want to see another dime taken out of taxpayer’s wallets to support Jungle Island.
Mayor Tomas Regalado
E-mail: tregalado@miamigov.comCommissioner Wifredo Gort
E-mail: wgort@miamigov.comCommissioner Marc Sarnoff
E-mail: msarnoff@miamigov.comCommissioner Frank Carollo
E-mail: fcarollooffice@miamigov.comCommissioner Francis Suarez
E-mail: fsuarez@miamigov.comCommissioner Michelle Spence Jones
E-mail: mspence-jones@miamigov.com
Visit ARFF’s website to learn more about Jungle Island.