Why are some people passionate about saving wildlife and protecting the natural world and the complex ecosystem that holds everything together, while others are not? Matt Kowalski of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation hit the nail on the head when he was quoted in the September, 2022 issue of National Geographic. He says “If you don’t know it, you don’t love it” and “If you don’t love it, you won’t try to protect it.”

Ever since my days attending William Jewell College when I majored in biology I have spent countless hours learning the names of animals and plants. When I was a park ranger part of my job was identifying almost every living thing visitors saw on nature hikes. Getting to know what I was seeing helped me value all the parts of the ecosystem. As a result today I am passionate about protecting our natural world. Kowalski’s words are pretty much the experience of most people who are advocating for sustainability and conservation.

To live a greener life and become a conservation advocate the Zoo is a great place to get started. On your next visit spend time reading our graphics and learn more by reading our Walking Tour on your phone. Protecting and conserving wildlife and the world’s ecosystems is what the El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens is all about. We will never know how many people come to love our animals and then take action when they go home, but one thing is for sure. Zoos like the El Paso Zoo are making a difference and you can get involved. It really is not hard to share a social media post, talk to your family and friends about wildlife topics, write letters to the editor, speak out to the media and contact your elected officials.

The El Paso Zoo is a great place to get to know not only your own backyard in the Chihuahuan Desert Exhibit, but also to connect with animals in other parts of the world including wildlife from South America, Africa and Asia.

To help encourage our guests to support our conservation programs we have installed a Conservation Kiosk at the Zoo entrance and as you walk into the Zoo towards the Passport Cafe, a new graphic encourages people to pick and animal and then take action to help that animal.

Rick LoBello, Education Curator