This photo provided by Zoo Miami shows Zoo Miami’s “Zoofari” monorail system in Miami. The “Zoofari” monorail system was decommissioned after four decades of service. Zoo officials made the announcement Friday, April 1, 2022. The monorail opened in 1982 and consisted of three trains that took passengers on an elevated 2.2-mile ride around the zoo. (Ron Magill/Zoo Miami via AP)
PA
MIAMI
Zoo Miami’s “Zoofari” monorail system has been decommissioned after four decades of service, officials said Friday.
When the monorail opened in 1982, it consisted of three trains that took passengers on an elevated 2.2-mile ride around the zoo. Additional trains were added in 1987 after the New Orleans World’s Fair.
The monorail was damaged in 1982 by Hurricane Andrew, and it took several months to complete repairs, according to a news release.
The original manufacturer went out of business and replacement parts became unavailable, the statement said. In 1987, the zoo began using one of the trains for spare parts to move the others.
But it eventually became prohibitively expensive to maintain the system, and authorities took the decision to shut it down.
The monorail track will be removed from the zoo, possibly by the end of the year, officials said.
The zoo has several other means of transport, including regular tram tours and safari bike rentals.
