Madi is a Ring-Tailed Lemur born March 3, 2018. Madi was captive born and is an ambassador for conservation and education. He is the face of his non-profit, Madi’s Mission. He loves to go around and teach about reforestation in Madagascar, his native country, as well as empowering children to follow their dreams and make a difference. Madi loves to play with his troop at home and his favorite stuffed penguin toy. His #1 snack is a few licks of a lollipop.
Gizmo is a Greater Galago, or African Bush Baby born May 31st, 2014. Gizmo is a nocturnal primate which means she is up primarily after dark. Bush Babies can jump over 6 to 8 feet in one leap! Gizmo is an omnivore and has two tongues to help her peel her food! Her favorite meal is mealworms with a side of whipped cream! Gizmo has since passed away but her legacy lives on in all of us.
Blue is an English Angora rabbit born April 30th, 2015. Angora rabbits originally come from Ankara, Turkey which is where their name comes from. An Angora rabbit’s hair can grow to be over 6 feet in diameter! Blue gets her name from the color of her beautiful hair once spun into yarn. Blue loves to spend time eating Romaine lettuce with Tiny and racing him every day! Her favorite snack is Captain Crunch cereal! Blue passed a few years ago but is still a part of our troop in spirit.
Ponche is a Red Blood Python from Malaysia. She was born October 30, 2014. Her fat body and stubby tail may look unbalanced; however, the compact body size is a survival strategy for overpowering and consuming large prey. Ponche and Rayna are roommates here in Florida, just like in the wild where Blood and Reticulated Pythons can occasionally inhabit the same forest.
Rayna was born June 22, 2013 and is a Lavender Albino Reticulated Python and native to Asia where this species inhabits rainforests and wetlands. She is currently 13 feet long, but Reticulated Pythons hold the record for the longest snake in the world with lengths exceeding 30 feet and weighing well over 300 pounds. Rayna has the albino gene which explains her beautifully unique coloration. This morph gives Rayna the perfect opportunity to teach about the beauty of being different and not looking like everyone else. Rayna enjoys curling up on her favorite rock way up high in her enclosure.
*CAUTION – Reticulated Pythons are Nonnative to Florida. In their native range of Asia this species inhabits ecological zones similar to many habitats we have here in the state of Florida. Released or escaped Reticulated Pythons adapting to the Florida landscape is a threat to not only native wildlife but also costly on the Florida economy. In addition, their large size combined with their ability to generate tremendous strength creates a potential threat to human health and safety. Madi’s Mission takes great pride in respecting the adaptability and power of such a magnificent species by following strict husbandry and security protocol.
Sheldon, born September 8, 1989, and Tiny, born March 18, 2017, are Sulcata Tortoises which are found in the southern edge of the Sahara desert in Africa . Sulcata tortoises are the third largest tortoise species and both Sheldon and Tiny will grow to be over 150 pounds, living to the ripe old age of over 100. Sheldon loves to hang with his girlfriend while Tiny loves to spend time with his dog friend. Sheldon’s favorite snack is prickly cactus pads, while Tiny prefers green beans.
Wally was born April 6, 2016 and is an Asian Water Monitor native to the southeast region of Asia. Water Monitors are fantastic swimmers but can also climb trees easily with their crazy sharp claws. Wally loves to sun himself and swim in his pond. Though Wally is a carnivore and an amazing hunter he likes to be hand fed his favorite food, shrimp.
Tsiky was born July 14, 2015 and is a Dumeril’s Boa found in the Spiny Forest of Madagascar. Her beautiful pattern helps camouflage her amongst the forest floor to increase her hunting success while avoiding predators. Look closely…the marking on Tsiky’s head mimics a smiley face which is how she got her name since Tsiky is the Malagasy word for smile.
Serena is a Linnaeus's two-toed sloth born July 27, 2023. She came to us as an unexpected surprise after her mother attacked her the first day she was born. Not knowing if she was going to survive or not we took her into our care to give her love and keep her comfortable. She surprised us all by being a fighter and continues to get stronger each day. She is lovingly called Toothless since part of her injuries include a split lower lip and no bottom jaw. Two-toed sloths are nocturnal animals that are leaf eaters and use those sharp toes (claws) to help them hang in their trees. Sloths can spend up to 20 hours just hanging around and live in the same one to two trees their whole life. Deforestation is the biggest threat to these animals and we are trying to find a way to help them in the wild. Though sloths are normally found high up in trees, if a sloth had to swim they can hold their breath for almost 40 minutes by slowing their heart rate down to one-third its normal rate!
Suzie is an American striped skunk born March 1, 2021 that came to us as an owner surrender. Though her original family thought they were spoiling her, she was way over fed which can cause problems for their little legs and heart. After being put on a modified diet, Suzie has lost weight and is much more active than before. Skunks, on average, live to be only two or 3 years old in the wild, but can live to be over 10 in captivity. Being nocturnal and mostly blind they rely on their awesome sense of smell to navigate where to find their food. Skunks are omnivores and opportunistic eaters, meaning they will eat whatever they have the chance to! Suzie's favorite foods are walnuts and almonds, string cheese and eggs. Even though skunks have a bad reputation they are great pest control for our gardens, eating all the bugs and grubs we don't want near our plants! But watch out- if you scare these guys they can spray almost ten feet as a distraction so that they can run away!
Angel is a curly haired chinchilla born July 30, 2021. Angel was used in a summer camp program and needed to find a permanent home after camp was over. She joined our troop that summer but still enjoys going back every year to teach children about why the fur trade is bad. Unlike a rabbit that you can shave to use the fur- in order to have a chinchilla fur coat they kill the animal. Due to the softness of their fur they are highly sought after, and it takes from 150-300 chinchillas to make 1 fur coat making them endangered due to the over hunting for their fur. Being rodents, chinchillas require lots of things to file their ever growing teeth back. Angel LOVES loofah and cuttlebone and is a known troublemaker finding her way out of the most secure cages at night time to jump into bed for some extra cuddle time!
Rose is a Tri-Colored ruffed lemur born March 27, 2023. Her mother is a black and white ruffed lemur, while her dad was a red ruffed; giving Rose an amazing coat of many colors. Ruffed lemurs are critically endangered due to illegal logging, mining and hunting. Though they live on Madagascar they would be on different sides of the island opposite of Ring-tails. Lemurs live in troops that can have over 20 lemurs in it with females being dominant. Lemurs are fruit and veggie eaters with Rose's favorite snack being banana and passion fruit. Though part of the same family as ring tails there are many differences between the two species and we love watching her and Madi play chase together.
