A true definition of digest: The Official Houston Zoo Blog

The Houston Zoo Blog is a digest, in the true definition of the term—a collection of condensed information about the day to day happenings at the Houston Zoo.

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Jan
27

Big Cats Don’t Make Good Pets, Part 3

Posted by in Carnivores,Keepers,Mammals,Zoo News

Big Cats Don’t Make Good Pets, Part 3

A student at Texas A & M University at Galveston where she studies marine biology, Kaitlin McGraw interned at the Houston Zoo last summer. “When I came to the Zoo, I heard stories about the animals, and where they came from,” said Kaitlin. “I was surprised to learn how many of the animals in the [...]

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Jan
25

Introducing Jeffery, and a New Contest That Will Take You Around the World!

Posted by in Birds,Contest,Spotlight on Species

So maybe the title is a little misleading.  I am introducing a puppet named Jeffery, but this contest won’t literally take you around the world; you’ll have to use your imaginations for that!  DISCLAIMER: You cannot win around the world tickets in this contest! As many of you know, the keepers at the Houston Zoo [...]

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Jan
23

There’s No Such Thing as Too Many Chicks!

Posted by in Babies,Birds,Endangered

For the bird department, 2011 was a very busy and productive year, and 2012 is shaping up to be the same.  That’s why you’re getting this rundown of our significant hatches and adorable baby birds of 2011 in late January of this year…we’re pretty busy, with more babies!    Last year our department hatched 40 [...]

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Jan
14

Big Cats Don’t Make Good Pets, Part 2

Posted by in Animal Info,Carnivores,Keepers,Mammals,Zoo News

Big Cats Don’t Make Good Pets, Part 2

A student at Texas A & M University at Galveston where she studies marine biology, Kaitlin McGraw interned at the Houston Zoo last summer. “When I came to the Zoo, I heard stories about the animals, and where they came from,” said Kaitlin.  “I was surprised to learn how many of the animals in the [...]

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Jan
13

First Ever “Crowd Curated” Exhibit!

Posted by in Crowd Curated Exhibit,Mammals,Primates,Wortham World of Primates

Hi All.  Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays! On our exhibit front, bad news on pudu. Currently there are none available, and it doesn’t look like there will be any time soon. Many species in North American zoos have what is called a Species Survival Plan(SSP). This is a management group that is under the umbrella of the [...]

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Jan
13

Houston Zoo Featured in The Biodiversity Project

Posted by in Photography,Zoo News

National Geographic magazine contributing photographer Joel Sartore has been working on a personal initiative, the Biodiversity Project, which has taken him around the world to document a wide range of animals. Over the last six years he has created a collection of striking images of nearly 1,800 species. In December, Joel visited the Houston Zoo [...]

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Jan
12

Houston Zoo Welcomes Baby Bongo

Posted by in Babies,Hoofed Stock,Mammals,Zoo Births,Zoo News

Our new baby is Brody, born December 6, 2011. Brody weighed in at 18.3 kg (just over 40 pounds) at birth. He’s a big healthy boy with a good appetite as evidenced by his current weight 5 weeks later – 42 kg (just over 92 pounds). Brody can be seen every day (weather permitting) on [...]

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Jan
09

Wolves at the Houston Zoo!

Posted by in Carnivores,Events,Just for Kids,Mammals,Memories

One wolf in particular. On Sunday, January 15, the Houston Zoo is proud to partner with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra and InterActive Theater Company to present two performances of the children’s classic, Peter and the Wolf. With the intent to “cultivate musical tastes in children from the first years of school,” this beloved story [...]

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Jan
05

Big Cats Don’t Make Good Pets

Posted by in Carnivores,Keepers,Mammals,Zoo News

Big Cats Don’t Make Good Pets

Houston Zoo Intern’s Videos Tell the Real Stories A student at Texas A & M University at Galveston where she studies marine biology, Kaitlin McGraw interned at the Houston Zoo last summer. Through the ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program, Kaitlin spent 8 weeks working with the Zoo’s carnivore staff. Kaitlin has a special appreciation for [...]

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Jan
04

Mangabeys Munching

Posted by in Primates

Mangabeys munching are a fun sight to see at the Houston Zoo. We have Red-capped mangabeys, native to central Africa; they are the most colorful of the mangabey species with a bright red “cap” on the top of their heads. These are very social animals that usually live in a harem, which consists of one [...]

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