We are looking at finding ways to be fully accessible to people with special needs throughout the Zoo.” The playground was built with features for those who are visually impaired. “So in 2008 we built the Butterflies, Bugs and Blooms exhibit on that property, and then we added a handicap accessible playground in 2010 with misters. “When the railroad switch yard left the City of Brownsville, the City gave us a piece of property where the tracks used to run,” said Garza-Galvan. Once cleared they are slowly introduced into their new environment. Upon coming to the Zoo, all animals are monitored for a period of time to make sure they don’t have any sort of diseases that would spread to the other animals. Garza-Galvan explained that these animals were new to the Zoo, and that they were going through their quarantine period. Although reluctant to give it a try, I did eventually put my hand in the touch tank full of stingrays - Alisha was happy to just observe.Īs we walked through the Herpetarium, passing by various snakes, lizards and turtles, we noticed that there were a few displays that seemed empty. We didn’t see any, but Garza-Galvan told us that occasionally a mermaid appears in one of the tanks for birthday parties and special events. One tank is even representative of what you would see if you were at the Jetties on South Padre Island. The keeper wasn't kidding about holding on tight!Īt the Russell Aquatic Ecology Center, large tanks depicting various ecosystems you find in the area and in the Gulf of Mexico are featured. The giraffes clearly knew the drill, because they were very quick to come to the fence and snatch the vegetation right out of our hands. Once a young male becomes old enough to have a family of his own, we transfer him somewhere he can do that.” We were then handed what looked like giant sprigs of parsley and told to hold on tight by the keeper. “The only thing we do is swap out the males occasionally. “This is our family of giraffes,” said Garza-Galvan. We’re taking this opportunity to highlight wildlife trafficking to try and create awareness,” said Garza-Galvan. We will continue monitoring his health before he goes to his permanent home. “He was only 8 weeks old, left in a duffel bag on the south side of the border wall, overheated and dehydrated. While he can’t be pet like the other Small World animals, the tiger that was discovered by the Border Patrol is currently being housed in that area. The Small World Nursery is a hit with the kids because it includes a petting zoo. “We introduced a new male into the family recently, so we’ll probably have some babies soon.” Some other popular exhibits are the Herpetarium (which was renovated fairly recently), the giraffe feeding (only on weekends and during weeks like spring break), and the Small World Nursery is popular with the smaller children. “We are known for our gorillas - we have three generations,” said Garza-Galvan. "We are trying to incorporate more air-conditioned exhibits so it helps to keep people cool as they go throughout the Zoo," said Garza-Galvan. Right now they are landlocked, so they are focusing on improving existing areas and exhibits. The Zoo represents Tropical America, Africa, Asia, and Indo-Australia, and there are 47 or so endangered species. In display space, the Zoo covers 32 acres and there’s a resaca that runs right through it. Sams Foundation, many things were done for the City - Dean Porter Park, the Camille Lightner Playhouse, Sams Memorial Pool, Camp Lulu Sams, and Sams Stadium. Porter donated the zoo to the City of Brownsville, but it is operated by the Valley Zoological Society (a nonprofit). She wanted everyone to have access to the zoo, which is why it was built in the middle of town. Through her travels, she saw the plight of wildlife and how certain animals were becoming endangered, and she wanted to build a zoo in Brownsville, TX that focused on endangered species. Sams, who was the first person to ever work for JCPenney and the founder of the Earl C. The Gladys Porter Zoo is a visitor-oriented zoological and botanical park, dedicated to the preservation of nature through education, conservation and research. If you're visiting South Padre Island, we highly recommend taking a day trip to the Gladys Porter Zoo while you're in the area. It was a day of many firsts - not only was it the first time either of us had been to the Zoo, but it was also the first time either of us had fed a giraffe or a flamingo. Alisha Workman and I (Jamie Whetstone) recently visited the Gladys Porter Zoo to take a tour and chat with the Director of Marketing, Cynthia Garza-Galvan.
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