Shell Factory animals find new ‘forever homes’ in Bonita Springs, North Fort Myers
The Shell Factory closed months ago. But animal lovers can still visit some of the North Fort Myers attraction’s most popular animals here in Southwest Florida.
The Holstein steer Moo loves hanging out with sheep, chickens and cows at North Fort Myers farm Blossom & Brie.
Several Shell Factory birds spend their days happily munching fruit and bird feed at Bonita Springs’ Wonder Gardens.
And Lee County Jail inmates learn new skills every day caring for lemurs, coatimundi and other critters in the Nan’s Ranch program in North Fort Myers.
All three places offered homes to The Shell Factory & Nature Park’s animals when the Lee County tourist attraction announced in September that it was shutting down for good. It closed later that month.
Southwest Florida steps up to save The Shell Factory’s animals
The Shell Factory’s massive steer Moo mugs for the camera at his new home, Blossom & Brie in North Fort Myers.
For Kaitlyn Henry of Wonder Gardens, it was all about giving those animals a good home. But she also thought about The Shell Factory’s hard-working employees.
“What happened with The Shell Factory closing — I’m still in disbelief about it,” says Henry, director of living collections at Wonder Gardens. “I just feel for the staff that have been there so long and have been do dedicated to the animals. … I know that the staff were breathing a little easier knowing that (the animals) had a good spot to go to.”
Most of the nature park’s more than 350 animals went to venues outside of Southwest Florida, including Gatorama in Palmdale; Wilderness Trails Zoo in Birch Run, Michigan; and Grizzly Ranch in Hartford, Alabama.
But all three Southwest Florida venues said they wanted to help keep some animals in Lee and Collier counties, too.
“They put out this SOS to surrounding parks and sanctuaries asking for help…,” says Julie Sin, spokeswoman for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, which runs Nan’s Ranch. “We know how much Fort Myers loves The Shell Factory … so we wanted to be able to keep those animals here in town for our residents to still enjoy and be able to see.”
How are The Shell Factory animals doing?
Rita the keel-billed toucan used to live at The Shell Factory. Now she has a new home: The Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs.
Months after moving into their new homes, the animals seem to be doing great and getting along with visitors and their new “roommates.”
The massive, 13-year-old steer Moo has proven to be one of the more popular animals at Blossom & Brie. People often pose for photos with him.
“He’s such a giant,” says co-owner Stacey Poole. “He’s 1,600 pounds. He is giant compared to our other cows. But he’s also just the sweetest.
“You can rub his nose — if you can reach his nose! Not everybody can. He is just a joy to have around.”
The same goes for the animals at Wonder Gardens: Keel-billed toucan Rita, Moluccan cockatoo Dusty, a blue-crowned pigeon, a violet tiraco and five aquatic turtles.
This coatimundi from The Shell Factory hangs out in its new home at Nan’s Ranch in North Fort Myers.
Henry hates to assign human emotions to animals, she says, but the birds do seem happy. They’re eating well and paying close attention to visitors or their keepers.
“They’re interacting really well with the other birds,” she says. “They’re interacting with guests — very curious.”
At Nan’s Ranch, the animals joined the 80-plus other animals already there. Those Shell Factory animals include two ring-tailed lemurs, two coatimundi, a three-banded armadillo and a bare-eyed cockatoo named Sticky Buns.
Lee County Jail inmates work closely with the animals. And Southwest Florida residents can visit them there, too, by scheduling a tour.
“They’re doing really well,” Sin says about the animals. “They feel right at home.”
To learn more about the venues and how to visit, go to wondergardens.org (Wonder Gardens), sheriffleefl.org/nans-ranch (Nan’s Ranch) or blossomandbrie.com (Blossom & Brie).
Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 or email him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Shell Factory animals at Wonder Gardens, Nan’s Ranch, Blossom & Brie
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