3 Up-Close Animal Encounters at ZooTampa

A respected presence in the Tampa, Florida community, Jonathan "Jon" Yob has founded and led several businesses and serves as the president of the Yob Family Foundation (YFF). Through the foundation, Jonathan Yob sponsors programs and projects hosted by organizations such as the Florida Aquarium and A Kid’s Place of Tampa Bay. YFF also sponsors the Koala Photo Encounter at ZooTampa.

In addition to the koala encounter, ZooTampa offers other up-close encounters, including the following:

1. African Elephant Backstage - Offered on weekends and select weekdays, the African Elephant Backstage encounter allows guests ages 5 and up to see what goes into caring for the world's largest land animal. Visitors can also watch a live training session.

2. Southern White Rhino Backstage - ZooTampa has a rhino barn where visitors can experience massive white rhinos from a relatively close distance. Caregivers are also on hand to relay amazing facts about the animal.

3. Manatee Critical Care Center Backstage Encounter - Visitors at least 5 years of age and older can go behind the scenes at ZooTampa's David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center to see how caregivers work to rehabilitate injured and orphaned manatees. This center is the first of its kind in the US.

Brand Extension ZT Saves Announced by ZooTampa

Believing that protecting children from harm is an essential part of a well-functioning society, Jonathan Yob serves as the president of the Yob Family Foundation (YFF) in Tampa, Florida. Also the founder of several successful businesses, including JAY Management Corporation, Jonathan “Jon” Yob leads YFF in the support of several local causes via partnerships with organizations such as ZooTampa at Lowry Park. An organization dedicated to preserving and protecting wildlife, ZooTampa announced the launch of its ZT Saves initiative in August 2020.

ZooTampa, a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, participates in 115 programs that support the long-term sustainability of threatened, endangered, and vulnerable species. It also houses the David A. Straz Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center, one of four centers providing specialized care to manatees, and works with federal and state entities to provide Florida black bears and Florida panthers with essential medical care. In addition, ZooTampa supports efforts to save species like the Puerto Rican crested toad and the Eastern indigo snake via several partnerships with conservation organizations and field programs.

To better unify these efforts with the ZooTampa brand, the organization launched ZT Saves. This brand extension unifies the zoo’s identity and strengthens its commitment toward becoming a leading wildlife conservation entity in Florida. Partner organizations, member guests, and industry professionals all gain a better understanding of what ZooTampa is doing around the world to protect and conserve wildlife species through ZT Saves. ZooTampa hopes that making guests more aware of its conservation work will inspire them to join in this mission.