On our trip to Alabama, we visited the Gulf Coast Zoo in Gulf Shores, Alabama. This is a little zoo with about 300 animals. It was a great place to visit with a little boy who likes animals.

The zoo had only recently reopened after having been closed for 18 months due to hurricane damage. The zoo took the brunt of by three hurricane strikes over the course of 14 months. Each time they were close to finishing reconstruction, they were hit by another hurricane. The zoo staff had to evacuate all of the animals to higher ground each time.

The zoo has been the focus of a television series on the channel Animal Planet entitled “The Little Zoo That Could“. The series chronicles the zoo’s efforts to rebuild after the hurricane damage.

My understanding is that the zoo’s long-term plans are to relocate to higher ground.