The Houston Zoo is lowering our water usage by collecting rainwater to irrigate our plants. This cistern holds over 2,000 gallons of rainwater. This Earth Day, Houston Zoo shows its commitment to sustainability and conservation efforts with a series of groundbreaking initiatives aimed at reducing its environmental footprint. Houston Zoo’s brand-new headquarters building (HZHQ) has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, the second-highest level of achievement in the world’s leading green building rating system. The building has been designed to use 24% l ..read more

We’re heartbroken to share that our elderly North American porcupine has passed away from age-related health conditions. Ernie was born at Houston Zoo in September of 2007 to his parents Cody and Kendall. From the moment he arrived, he made an impact with everyone he crossed paths with. Once he was old enough, he moved into an ambassador animal role. As an ambassador, he helped form connections with guests and animals just like him in the wild. He was very smart and learned several different behaviors that helped him to connect with the guests he crossed paths with, including a fan-favor ..read more

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A Year Marked by Remarkable Achievement Houston Zoo is carving out a historic legacy as a premier wildlife conservation organization while making a palpable impact within the Houston metro community. Houston Zoo’s success has played a pivotal role in bolstering the local economy, contributing a staggering $310 million and creating 2,119 job opportunities in the Houston-Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan region in 2023 alone. The transformative year was marked by a series of incredible achievements; most recently receiving a perfect inspection by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a ra ..read more

Houston Zoo Releases 10 Green Sea Turtles Back Into the Wild Twelve green sea turtles are back home in the Gulf of Mexico after spending a month and a half under Houston Zoo veterinary care. The sea turtles ranging in size from five to 50 pounds were released by the Zoo’s sea turtle team, alongside Texas A&M University Galveston Campus’s Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research and were sent off by a crowd of more than 300 people. The sea turtles were found cold stunned in Galveston and Matagorda Bays during the subfreezing temperatures in January. After treating and monitoring the green sea tu ..read more

Spring break is here, and we have the 411 on what you need to know before your visit to the Zoo! March and April tickets are now available to reserve online, which means it’s time to grab your tickets before they sell out. We’re staying open an hour later from March 9-17! Our daytime hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with the last entry at 5:00 p.m. Check out our pro-tips below to prep you for your visit!   1. Buy your tickets early for the best price With Flex Pricing, the earlier you buy your tickets the better the price. It gives you more options to plan a Zoo visit that best fits ..read more

Warning: Graphic image below.  Recently one of our scaly residents, western gaboon viper (Bitis rhinoceros) “Cookie,” was taken to Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists for a CT and ultrasound. Cookie had not eaten since April of 2023 and had not been acting like her usual self. While 10 months of not eating sounds alarming, adult gaboon vipers can go almost a year without food if they have good hydration and appropriate temperatures! The Houston Zoo’s veterinary team wanted to get a close look at her follicles (egg cells) that were present during her radiographs a couple of months prior. A ..read more

Happy First Birthday Pickles Triplets! Valentine’s Day is three times sweeter at Houston Zoo this year as world-famous, critically endangered, radiated tortoises turn one year old. Dill, Gherkin, and Jalapeño have grown almost six times their original size—now weighing about 116 grams. Guests can see the adorable trio and wish the Pickles triplets a happy first birthday in their new home inside the Reptile and Amphibian House. A year ago, the tortoises became viral sensations as the offspring of 90-year-old first-time father, Mr. Pickles. The birth of these radiated tortoises came as a surpris ..read more

If you’ve visited the Bug House before, you may have spotted our Peruvian jumping sticks, which are actually stick-like grasshoppers. Recently, one of our female Peruvian jumping sticks went through molting (typically this happens around 6 months old) and shedding of her exoskeleton. However, after the post-molt process, Julie, one of our entomology keepers noticed that she had a crease/weakened area around a non-joint area of the “neck,” which is actually her thoracic region but resembles the neck. Since these grasshoppers spend most of their time climbing and being up in tree branches, it wa ..read more

Looking out over the Kathrine G. McGovern Texas Wetlands exhibit at Houston Zoo, you can’t help noticing the complex system of wildlife fluttering overhead and bubbling at your feet. Minnows darting just beneath the water’s surface, the plop of a bullfrog among the reeds, the hum of insects, the sparrows flitting between the branches of the cypress trees. Wetlands are the most diverse habitats on Earth. They can be seasonal or permanent, freshwater or saltwater, tropical or temperate. They support hydrophytic (“water loving”) vegetation and a staggering amount of species. Invertebrates, fish ..read more