Happy National Veterinary Technicians Week to all the amazing vet techs out there, but especially our 4 rock stars! To close out the week, we’re featuring Deborah Chase who has been at the zoo for almost 21 years. Where were you before coming to Dallas Zoo?  ​ I was at UT Southwestern’s Animal Resource Center in Dallas.  What does it take to become a vet tech? ​You need to have a strong interest in veterinary medicine and a love for working with animals as well as people.  ​To become a licensed veterinary technician – a requirement to be hired by the Dallas Zoo – you mus ..read more

Hailing from Burnsville, Minnesota, Laurel Walosin has worked as part of our hospital staff for almost 6 years. Read on for a Q&A with her in honor of National Vet Tech Week! Where were you before coming to Dallas Zoo? Before coming to the Dallas Zoo, I worked as a zookeeper at the Minnesota Zoo and a veterinary assistant at a small animal practice in Eagan, MN. What does it take to become a vet tech? While acquiring an associate’s degree in veterinary technology may only take two years in an accredited program, becoming a zoo veterinary technician took a bit of ext ..read more

Meet Cassandra Reid! Cassandra grew up right here in Dallas and has been one of our vet tech superstars for 12 years now. Where were you before coming to Dallas Zoo? I worked in a small animal practice for 7 years before coming to the zoo. It was a big change because I had daily interactions with patients and was always able to have direct contact with the animals. I could get all the cuddles from a puppy or dog that I wanted. We can’t cuddle tigers, no matter how much we might want to! But it is just as amazing to work with all the zoo animals. Describe a typical day at “the off ..read more

In honor of National Veterinary Technician Week, we’re introducing you to our 4 incredible vet techs! Vet techs truly make the zoo world go round. They do everything from helping monitor animals under anesthesia and collecting blood samples, to placing IV catheters and performing endotracheal intubation. Not to mention filling hundreds of prescriptions, laboratory work, and assisting our veterinarians during procedures. Our $3.75 million A.H. Meadows Animal Health Care Facility consists of five licensed techs, three full-time veterinarians, hospital keepers, and records administration ..read more

With research and contributions from Conservation Interpreter Grayson Ponti Hadiah enjoys some sunshine on a warm day. This month is all about tigers at the Dallas Zoo! The Zoo is home to five magnificent Sumatran tigers: Suki, Melati, Manis, Hadiah, and Kuasa. From Melati’s enviably long whiskers to Kuasa’s sheer size and Manis’s characteristically short, stocky legs, each one has their own unique traits and personality. Pro tip: You’ll only ever see one tiger out in the habitat at a time when you visit the zoo. That’s because they’re solitary by nature and only come together for bre ..read more

Dallas Zoo guests enjoy the park while utilizing the sensory sensitivity equipment. Texas’s oldest and largest zoo is now certified as “sensory inclusive” for guests who may need a quieter and more secure environment while visiting the 106-acre park. The Dallas Zoo is partnering with KultureCity to ensure its programs, events, and campus are all sensory inclusive. To become certified, staff members were trained by leading medical professionals on how to recognize guests with sensory needs, and how to handle a sensory overload situation. Sensory bags, equipped with noise-canceling he ..read more

Tim and Thom DeWitt meet a Dallas Zoo ambassador penguin up close. In the 12 months since Tim and Thom DeWitt made a gift to the Dallas Zoological Society to create an endowment for the Dallas Zoo’s College Internship Program, more than 100 students have benefited from their generous donation. The initial gift has helped defray operating costs for the program, and the hope is to grow the endowment so it allows the internship program to become self-sustaining. This funding will ensure that for years to come, students can take part in the immersive internship learning environment at the Dalla ..read more

Vultures are known as “nature’s clean-up crew” because they rid our environment of toxic animal carcasses. (White-backed vulture) Vultures play a critical role in the environment and are beneficial to all animals, including humans. They consume carrion (or dead animals), which rids the environment of potentially deadly carcasses. “Without vultures, we would quickly be up to our necks in diseases that could severely impact our health,” says Dallas Zoo Bird Supervisor Kevin Graham. “It takes all vultures working as a team to fully clean a carcass.” Ruppell’s vulture have long necks that h ..read more

It’s that time of year again at the Zoo—Dollar Day! This annual summer day is our way of giving back and saying “thank you” to our amazing community that supports us year-round. While Dollar Day is one of the most exciting days at the Zoo, it’s also one of the busiest. So here are a few tips to help you make the most of your Zoo day: GET HERE EARLY. Parking lots open at 7 a.m. and gates at 9 a.m., but lines will begin forming at the entrances well before that. TAKE THE DART RED LINE RIGHT TO OUR DOOR. Parking is limited, and with the attendance we expect on Dollar Day, public transportation i ..read more

Reptile supervisor Bradley Lawrence guest-blogs on ZooHoo! We’ve encountered this beautiful western diamondback rattlesnake recently at RPQR Ranch! This guest-blog is part of a series. Click to read Part I and Part II! As much as we all love Texas Horned Lizards, I’d like to take some time this week to talk about another small part of our work at the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch…RATTLESNAKES!!! We love rattlesnakes at the Dallas Zoo, and they are such a vital part of our ecosystem. Rattlesnakes were historically hunted heavily in the area around the ranch for “round ups.” Th ..read more