Return of the Dinosaurs Exhibit Opens March 15 thru July 6

The Gladys Porter Zoo invites you to take a journey into the past. Visit prehistoric times at Return of the Dinosaurs. The exhibit features enormous, animated, robotic dinosaurs, static prehistoric reptiles , and dinosaur fossils. Highlights include a growling Tyrannosaurus Rex, a mother Maiasaura feeding her young and a pack of Deinonychus devouring a Triceratops. The Return of the Dinosaurs special exhibit will temporarily be available for the public to enjoy. See these amazing robotic dinosaurs before they become extinct…AGAIN!

Zoo Provides Sanctuary for Sea Lions

April 30, 2008 Facilities Director, Jerry Stones received word from a Point Defiance Zoo representative that it was time to make the trek to Tacoma, Washington to pick-up six sea lions. These male sea lions have been labeled a nuisance by wildlife managers in the Northwest because they are reportedly eating more than four percent of the Chinook salmon as they travel up the Columbia River to spawn.  Initially wildlife managers intended to cull a portion of the sea lion population, but a court order prohibited them from killing the sea lions and only permitted the removal of specific “troublemakers” for relocation.  The Gladys Porter Zoo, along with several other institutions across the country, have stepped up to provide homes for these hungry, so-called troublemakers.   

Once the travel orders were received, Zoo staff immediately rushed to make final preparations for the trip.  They loaded custom-built transportation crates onto two trucks and plan to depart this evening for the forty-plus hour drive.  Wildlife officials will begin trapping sea lions on Thursday and continue through Monday, if necessary.  If all goes well, Zoo staff will be back in Brownsville by Thursday, May 8th with six new sea lions.

Frog Exhibit Opens on Leap Day at the Zoo

On Leap Day, Friday, February 29th, the Gladys Porter Zoo will open a frog exhibit to kick-off 2008 as Year of the Frog. The exhibit will feature poison dart frogs, giant toads and African bull frogs. The Gladys Porter Zoo along with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums member institutions will highlight 2008 as the Year of the Frog to mark a major conservation effort to address the amphibian extinction crisis.

After thriving for 360 million years, one-third to one-half of the world’s approximately 6,000 known amphibian species could go extinct in our lifetime. This would be the largest mass extinction since the disappearance of the dinosaurs.

Amphibians are severely affected by habitat loss, climate change, pollution and pesticides, introduced species, and over-collection for food and pets. While habitat loss is the major threat, the most immediate cause is a parasitic fungus called amphibian chytrid, a disease that is deadly to hundreds of amphibian species. The disease infects the skin of amphibians, a vital organ through which many drink and breathe. Currently, the disease is unstoppable and untreatable in the wild. Read more about the amphibian crisis.

The exhibit is free with regular paid admission or Zoo membership.

Sign Up For an Adventure - Become a Zoo Docent

The Docent Council is a volunteer institution within the Zoo.  The council has been and will continue to be a great source of support for the zoo, both financially and with volunteer time. The Council is an army of a few trained community members and Winter Texans, always recruiting more individuals who have one or more hours a week. Through the past 36 years, the Council has given thousands of dollars and hours to the zoo.  It is a prime example of what a little bit of time, from each volunteer, can do for the zoo.

What can you, as a trained docent, do for the zoo? You choose:   

• Spend time at the zoo helping visitors.
• Help during special events.
• Care for animals.
• Conduct tours and presentations.
• Help raise funds.  

What can volunteer work do for you? 

• Get some exercise while roving the zoo.
• Learn more about exotic animals.
• Earn service learning hours.
• Hang out with people that enjoy giving to the community.