ZooTampa Nominated For Best Zoo In America; Fans Urged To Vote Daily

TAMPA, FL — ZooTampa at Lowry Park is in the running once again for the best zoo in America.

ZooTampa is among 20 zoos across the country nominated by a panel of travel experts and industry professionals for the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.

The panel nominated zoos based on the care and enrichment provided to zoo animals and efforts to facilitate interactions between animals and zoo visitors.

The top 10 zoos in the country will be determined based on the most votes. ZooTampa fans can vote once a day between now and when voting ends on Monday, March 6 at noon.

The 10 winning zoos will be announced on Friday, March 17.

The 56-acre nonprofit ZooTampa is home to endangered, threatened and vulnerable animal species from Asia, Africa, Australia and Florida.

"This is one of the most amazing zoos in America," 10Best expert panelist Nikky J said.

Nikky J is a theme park super fan, author of "The Solo Theme Park Traveler’s Guide" and founder of ThemeParkHipster.com.

"Not only do they have a mission of rescue and rehabilitation, but they're also always hosting events to bring the community of Tampa together," she said, pointing to the zoo's Day of Discovery, a low-sensory morning for people with autism spectrum disorder, and Speakers of the Wild, a series that features discussions of wildlife and wild places.

Other zoos nominated include:

• Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Louisiana
• Brevard Zoo in Melbourne
• Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Illinois
• Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in Sanford
• Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Columbus, Ohio
• Denver Zoo in Denver, Colorado
• Fort Worth Zoo in Fort Worth, Texas
• Houston Zoo in Houston, Texas
• Indianapolis Zoo in Indianapolis, Indiana
• Memphis Zoo in Memphis, Tennessee
• Nashville Zoo at Grassmere in Nashville, Tennessee
• Oakland Zoo, Conservation Society of California in Oakland, California
• Oklahoma City Zoo, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska
• Philadelphia Zoo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• St. Louis Zoo in St. Louis, Missouri
• San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California

In addition to its nomination for the best zoo, ZooTampa has been nominated for the best zoo exhibit for its David A. Straz Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center.

The David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center of ZooTampa at Lowry Park has been helping manatees since it was founded in 1991. It was the first manatee critical care center ever built specifically to care for manatees who are injured or ill. Guests can observe the rehabilitation process in the recovery pools of Manatee Mangrove.

ZooTampa fans can also vote for the critical care center every day until noon, March 6, by clicking here.

Read the official Readers' Choice rules here.