We are inspiring a generation to appreciate nature.

Here at the El Paso Zoo our Education Team of Education Specialists and Area 6 Zookeepers has a combined experience working at the Zoo of over 60 years!   Every year we present conservation education experiences to school groups and people of all ages at informal programs like Wild Encounters in the Wildlife Amphitheater, Sea Lion training demonstrations in the El Paso Electric Sea Lion Amphitheater, Rhino training encounters and Zoo Adventure curriculum programs for school groups.

Our Zoo Adventure programs always include up close and personal experiences with our collection of educational animals and on some occasions opportunities to meet keepers and some of the animals that they care for like Taja, our greater one-horned rhino pictured above. To sign up your school group field trip visit our website here.
If you would like the zoo to come to you, we can also bring animals to your school by requesting an Education Specialist visit to your classroom here.

Our Education Specialists, Zookeepers and volunteers also offer informal animal encounters at some of our featured zoo exhibits and education animals on both a scheduled and unscheduled basis especially on weekends and also on weekdays during the busy spring and summer season. To see the scheduled informal programs check our website here.

Fostering Nature Education

Zoo education is critical because it bridges the gap between abstract scientific concepts and real-world conservation action. By reaching over 700 million annual visitors globally, including millions of students, zoos serve as vital “living classrooms” that foster empathy and environmental stewardship.

Many people in El Paso are increasingly removed from nature. Visits to the El Paso Zoo provide a sensory, direct connection to wildlife that digital media cannot replicate, which is proven to increase a visitor’s “connection to nature” scores—a key predictor of pro-environmental behavior.

Programs like the Zoo’s Zoo Adventure Program align with school curricula to teach complex topics like ecosystems, genetics, and adaptation through hands-on observation of real animals.

Seeing animals up close—especially through interactive “add-ons” like keeper talks—creates emotional bonds that inspire people to care about species they might never encounter in the wild.

Education programs move beyond facts to teach “citizen conservation,” showing visitors how simple daily choices—such as choosing sustainable palm oil or recycling electronics—directly protect wild habitats.

Research shows that the knowledge gained during zoo visits is often retained for months or even years, helping to lay the groundwork for lifelong interest in wildlife and science.

Photos by Rick LoBello