Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
The place behind the detail.
A zoo of 1922, a park in the heart of Houston and decades of conservation work offer several ways into the zoo’s story.
On this page
A zoo in Hermann Park
The Houston Zoo opened in Hermann Park in 1922 and now covers 55 acres. Its Reptile and Amphibian House of 1961 is the oldest exhibit building still in use.
Since 2002 the zoo has been run by the non-profit Houston Zoo, Inc., and it is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Habitats for a new century
New habitats have reshaped the zoo since 2008, from the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat and the African Forest to South America’s Pantanal and the Galápagos Islands.
Today the zoo cares for more than 4,300 animals of around 575 species.
Conservation beyond the gates
The zoo has bred Attwater’s prairie chickens since 1994 and worked on Houston toad recovery since 2007, and it supports conservation projects in many countries.
This history belongs to the place and the people who shaped it. The History page offers a longer introduction, and the timeline gives a short route through selected milestones.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
