The facility is now back in the spotlight for less wholesome reasons.
On August 6, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) demanded that the U.S. Department of Agriculture investigate ZWF after staff and customers were injured by animals in a string of incidents at the Redland facility. Among the incidents were a capuchin monkey attack on child guests and a Gila monster bite that put the zoo director — exotic animal enthusiast and 1980s drug kingpin Mario Tabraue — in anaphylactic shock.
PETA claims the zoo engaged in "dangerous publicity stunts and hands-on encounters that have gone horribly wrong." The organization sent a letter to federal regulators, saying they should investigate the Miami-based zoo for potential violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) records obtained by the organization show that from January 2022 to May 2024, employees and visitors including multiple children have been bitten or clawed by captive animals at the facility.
In January 2024, a capuchin monkey named Romeo bit three children, one of whom was taken to Niklaus Children's Hospital. Four months later, a 17-year-old was bitten by the monkey, wound up in the hospital, and received a tetanus shot.
ZWF director Mario Tabraue went into anaphylactic shock after he was bitten by a venomous lizard.
Photo via FWC captive wildlife report
In February 2023, the zoo president Tabraue was bitten by a venomous Gila monster while treating the lizard.
"The Gila monster was able to bite Mario on his right ring finger for approximately 20 seconds before it let go," the captive wildlife report states. "Within approximately 20 minutes, he began to feel the effect of the envenomation and went into anaphylactic shock shortly after."
Tabraue was taken to the hospital in anaphylactic shock. He was hospitalized for five days, according to the FWC report.
One month before Tabraue's encounter with the Gila monster, a guest was bitten by another capuchin monkey named Abella after the animal got loose from her handler, according to the state records. The visitor said she had a severe bite on her thigh and the wound bled for more than a week.
"I was about 6 to 9 feet away from Abela, not interacting with her, and getting ready to leave for the day, when she jumped off the tree stump the handler had put her down on and raced across the ground and bit my inner thigh," the victim told the FWC investigator. "I am not sure why she was not secured by the handler."
She said the handler should have been paying more attention to the animal and the "medical response was totally unprofessional as they were completely unprepared for any incident."
"[The handler] seemed to think that telling me that people got bit all the time by animals would help. She started to show me the bite she got, and I tried to get her to focus on my situation," the woman recalled to the FWC.
Records reaching farther back show that in January 2022, an Endangered Species Act-protected jaguar lacerated a staff employee's finger while being fed. The employee received stitches at the hospital.
"While the jaguar grabbed the piece of chicken, one of the jaguar's claws came in contact with her right-hand ring finger and cause[d] a laceration the length of the finger," the captive wildlife report reads.
The FWC reports cited the facility for the incidents involving the injuries to visitors and ordered Romeo's removal from public interactions. Tabraue's Gila monster bite and the jaguar clawing did not result in citations in the FWC reports.
New Times has reached out to the Zoological Wildlife Foundation for comment.
Tabraue has a storied role in Miami's cocaine and pot smuggling history. He served 12 years of a 100-year prison sentence on drug and racketeering charges, and some have characterized him as the real-life inspiration for the Tony Montana character in Scarface. In his kingpin days, the Cuban American zookeeper was known for his affinity for big cats, and is said to have let spotted leopards roam his palatial estate in Coconut Grove. More recently, he was featured in the Netflix series Tiger King about the infamous Joe Exotic.
Tabraue returned to the exotic animal industry upon his release from prison in 2001.
The zoo's website says Tabraue "has more than 20 years of experience working with animals." It says he and wife bring "their passion into a foundation that is dedicated to educating the public about rare and endangered animal species in captivity and in the wild."
The zoo lists Bengal tigers, an African crested porcupine, flamingos, and a two-toed sloth as residents. It markets intimate interactions with its animals, including a "big cat feeding experience" ($150), owl encounter ($70), tug-of-war with a lion ($150), and primate encounter ($70).
In PETA's letter, the organization urges federal regulators to "ensure that ZWF is providing all animals with adequate veterinary care, shelter, space, food, and water and that the animals are otherwise handled in accordance with the AWA and its regulations."
PETA claims ZWF in west Miami-Dade has a "long and disturbing history of endangering animals and the public" that predates the recent string of incidents.
In 2014, a white tiger bit off a construction worker's thumb; six years later, a 40-pound chimpanzee purportedly bit a child, PETA says. Then, in 2021 and 2023, a lion cub bit guests during public encounters, according to the organization.
