By Rick LoBello, Education Curator Many people in El Paso don’t realize how fortunate we are to have a beautiful Sumatran orangutan family living at the Zoo. Our 30-year-old female Ibu came to us from the Audubon Zoo in 1997 and has been here the longest. She was joined by a 36-year-old male named Butch…
Month: October 2021
How to avoid a climate disaster
3 words for you now – “Get the book” Bill Gates has written a powerful book on the most important question everyone needs to be asking – how can we avoid a climate disaster. No matter where you stand on what is happening to our climate and no matter if you call it global warming…
This week is Bat Week!
Last month the El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens hosted Bat Conservation International for a bat ambassador workshop. A group of two dozen participants completed an online training program that was followed by a bat walk at the Zoo. During the bat walk everyone learned how to use bat detectors. If you have never seen…
Zoo Spotlight: Haitian Giant Galliwasp
Haitian Giant Galliwasp Celestus warreni Status: Vulnerable Size: Up to 12″ in length Habitat: Mesic lowland broadleaf forest, dry forest, banana groves and cacao plantations At the Zoo: Reptile House The Haitian Giant Galliwasp is believed by many of the inhabitants of the Dominican Republic and Haiti to be venomous and is often killed on…
Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife: Gould’s Turkey
Gould’s Turkey Meleagris gallopavo Mexicana Status: Least Concern. Size: On average males weigh 8 to 30 pounds with females weighing 8 to 12 pounds. Habitat: Arid desert and mountain regions. At the Zoo: Mixed Species Exhibit in the Chihuahuan Desert to the right of the Wolf Exhibit. The Gould’s Turkey is the largest of the five subspecies of turkey….
Zoo Spotlight: Green-winged Dove
Green-winged Dove Chalcophaps indica Status: Least Concern Size: 9-10 inches in length Habitat: Tropical forests At the Zoo: Asia Forest Aviary Green-winged Doves historically lived over a large area of southeast Asia, but because of habitat fragmentation today their numbers in the wild are decreasing. They are related to the doves we have in El Paso, but look more…
Zoo helps save rare rattlesnake
By Jeff Jundt, Curator of Reptiles, Detroit Zoo You will generally find the massasauga rattlesnake in wet prairies, marshes and other wetlands. Because of its habitat, it has been termed the “swamp rattler” in some local areas. Historically its occurrence was from northeastern Missouri, eastern Iowa and lower Wisconsin in the west to western Pennsylvania,…
Zoo Spotlight: Matamata Turtle
Matamata Turtle Chelus fimbriatus Status: Least Concern Size: up to 37 inches in length Habitat: Slow moving freshwater streams. At the Zoo: Reptile House The matamata turtle has to be one of the strangest looking turtles in the world. They live in the Amazon River and Orinoco basins of South America. At first glance it looks like a piece…
Last chance for the panda of the sea
Its been over a year since we reported on conservation efforts to save the vaquita. For those on the front lines (watch the video documentar) and those of us advocating for conservation efforts, the story has been very disheartening. Will another amazing animal go extinct because of our unsustainable and illegal fishing practices pushing the…
Our wolf pack is back!
On June 10th I was very fortunate to see one of the six Mexican wolf pups born at the Zoo on April 20. Four of them were successfully placed in wild dens to be raised by their surrogate parents as part of a cross-fostering conservation effort. As you read this they are growing up with…
I dreamed I was in Africa… Part 2
Note: One way you can help save endangered species like many of our animals living at the Zoo is by supporting eco-tourism in places like Africa. Former El Paso Zoo Education Specialist Sarah Murphy shares her wonderful story of a recent trip to Kenya and Rwanda. (see previous post for Part 1). After four days…
I dreamed I was in Africa… Part 1
My Kenya and Rwanda EcoTour – August 2021 Note: One way you can help save endangered species like many of our animals living at the Zoo, is by supporting eco-tourism in places like Africa. Former El Paso Zoo Education Specialist Sarah Murphy shares her wonderful story of a recent trip to Kenya and Rwanda. On…
Local group advocates for biosphere reserves
The Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition has been an important education partner at the Zoo since 2004 when the group was formed at a meeting of conservation leaders from across El Paso. In response to the group’s efforts to promote biosphere reserves and transboundary conservation that we reported on here earlier, board member Kendra Jones has…
Conservation Education 