Wildlife Encounters
The Florida Keys are home to remarkable neighbors, from dolphins and sea turtles to butterflies, Key deer, and countless native and migrating birds. Here you can visit rehabilitation centers, aquariums, and sanctuaries that care for injured wildlife while offering visitors a chance to learn and connect. Hand-feed giant tarpon, watch butterflies drift by, or join a charter to spot marine life in the wild. We invite you to meet these creatures, fall in love with them as we have, and help us keep The Keys clean and healthy so our wildlife can thrive for generations.
Filters
Islamorada
Crustacean Plantation
Crustacean Plantation Inc. is a nonprofit sanctuary in Tavernier dedicated to conserving native Florida Keys hermit crabs—known as "Purple Pinchers"—through habitat support, education, and community outreach.
Key Largo
Morning Star Sailing Charters
Morning Star Sailing Charters offers personalized sailing experiences in the Florida Keys, including captained and bareboat charters, sunset cruises, and snorkeling tours.
Key West
Monroe County Sheriff's Office Animal Farm
Keys Animal Farm is a non-profit sanctuary established in 1994, offering a permanent home to rescued animals in the Florida Keys.
The Lower Keys
National Key Deer Refuge
National Key Deer Refuge protects the endangered Key deer and native ecosystems in the Lower Florida Keys — a sanctuary of nature you can explore via trails and observation points.
Key Largo
Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF)
Explore ocean conservation with REEF's citizen science, education, and marine programs.
Islamorada
Mote Islamorada Coral Nursery
Mote Marine Laboratory’s Florida Keys Research Campuses are dedicated to coral reef science and restoration.
Key Largo
Mother Ocean Fund
Mother Ocean Fund – A Florida Keys-based nonprofit restoring coral reefs, rescuing marine life and training adaptive divers for aquatic therapy.
Key Largo
Coral Restoration Foundation Exploration Center
The Coral Restoration Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring and protecting coral reefs through science, innovative technology, education, and community involvement.
The Lower Keys
Mote - Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration
Mote Marine Laboratory’s Florida Keys Research Campuses are dedicated to coral reef science and restoration.
Key West
Key West Wildlife Center (24 hour rescues)
Rescue and rehabilitate native wildlife in Key West to protect nature.
Key Largo
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Established in 1980, Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge protects tropical hardwood hammocks, mangroves, and salt marsh habitats as part of the Florida Keys NWRs complex.
The Lower Keys
Blue Hole Observation Platform
Visit the trail and observation deck at Blue Hole, a cenote-like pond that is the largest body of fresh water in the Florida Keys.
The Lower Keys
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge
Protected sanctuary in the Florida Keys for wading birds, sea turtles, and marine life.
Key West
The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory — a tropical glass-domed haven where hundreds of free-flying butterflies, exotic birds, and flamingos enchant visitors in the heart of Key West.
