Single Vision Inc.

About Single Vision Inc.

Single Vision Inc. is a wildlife education facility at 8185 Forest Hills Road in Melrose, Florida. It describes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on conserving endangered species and educating the public about preserving ecosystems. It is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and visits are by booked tour rather than general admission.

The organization's website frames its work around three themes: interaction, which it describes as enriched environments with daily interspecies play and human interaction; education, including talks about the conditions many exotic species face; and protection, which it describes as a forever home for animals in need. Its animal categories are bears, big cats, hyenas, primates, reptiles, and small animals.

History

According to the founder's biography on the organization's website, Carl Bovard lost his sight in an accident in 1985 at age 14 and regained vision in only one eye, which inspired the name Single Vision. The biography says he earned a biology degree from Indiana University and began his career at Sea World in 1995, working with endangered species such as sea turtles and manatees. He later worked as a carnivore keeper at Jungleland Zoo, where he encountered a Bengal tiger named Chuffer.

The biography says Single Vision, Inc. was established on July 1, 2005, after tiger cubs were born to offspring of the tiger that had inspired Bovard. The biography names those cubs as Baby Bali and Baby Amira, born to a three-year-old tigress named Janda, and states that the facility was built in memory of his grandfather, Eugene Weiler, with support from the Bovard family.

Exhibits and habitats

The tours page names several species that visitors may interact with on the interactive tour: bobcats, caracals, servals, a kinkajou, a coatimundi, lemurs, and reptiles. Premium add-on meet-and-greets are listed with a Eurasian lynx and baby servals. The organization's animal categories also include bears, hyenas, and other primates and small animals.

Conservation and programs

Single Vision offers on-site tours, off-site educational programs, field trips, and gift certificates for tours. It lists several ways to give support: donations, sustainer memberships, volunteering, animal sponsorships, wish-list contributions, and event sponsorships.

Planning your visit

As listed on the organization's website, tours are offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and last about one hour. Tours open for booking on the website 60 days in advance, and booking requires a deposit, with the remaining fee due at the visit. Ticket details are on the website.

There are two main tour types. The general tour is an educational walk around the grounds with no animal interaction. The interactive tour includes entering enclosures, petting, and feeding certain animals. Participants or their guardians must sign a liability waiver before animal interaction. The website recommends closed-toed shoes and long pants, asks guests to be on time or lose tour time, and notes that there are no public restrooms on site and that the facility is not handicap accessible. It also advises following the website's directions rather than GPS.