Fort Worth Zoo habitat gets new look & new animals as part of Texas Wild! renovation
The Fort Worth Zoo’s Mountains and Desert habitat reopened to the public Thursday after being closed since July 2022 for renovation.
The redesigned space houses 30 species of ectotherms, including the diamondback rattlesnake, alligator gar and Pecos pupfish.
“It’s all animals that you’ll find here in Texas and you can encounter on a road trip or on your next journey,” said Avery Elander, the Fort Worth Zoo’s director of marketing and public relations. “So I think it’s just important that we appreciate who we’re coexisting with.”
Mountains and Desert is just one of the areas that’s part of the Texas Wild! exhibit, which opened in 2001. The other habitats include Brush Country, High Plains and Prairies, Pineywoods and Swamps, and the Gulf Coast. They will all eventually be redesigned, according to Elander.
The building used for the original Mountains and Desert habitat stayed the same, but the inside was gutted and given a brand new look. The dark cave-like experience was replaced with well-lighted exhibits. Thirteen new species, including the Texas horned lizard, were added to the 7,200-square-foot facility.
Billy Martin, the zoo’s assistant director of education, said they used to get a lot of questions in the old building about why there were no horned lizards, especially considering the zoo’s close proximity to Texas Christian University.
“We’ve always had the (horned lizards) breeding program for the past several years, but we’ve never had them on exhibit ... until today,” Martin said.
Another one of the zoo’s conservation projects, the Texas kangaroo rat, is also on display for the first time, according to Elander. The kangaroo rat is the only mammal in the Mountains and Desert habitat.
An entire wall in the building features photos and information on various Fort Worth Zoo conservation projects across Texas and how the public can be involved.
“I think that’s probably one of the most important parts about this building is not only are you seeing the animals, of course, and learning about them, but you get to learn about their counterparts in the wild,” Elander said. “How some of these populations are declining, continuing to decline. And that ultimately, the Fort Worth Zoo and other zoos and individuals, private landowners and government officials are helping to bring these populations back.”
The redesigned space is also home to Texas Nature Traders, the zoo’s program that encourages kids to explore nature. The program has been around since 2013, but it was located in a remote corner of the zoo. Now it’s the first thing visitors seen when they enter the Mountains and Desert building.
The walls are covered with sea shells, coral, fossils and other artifacts of all shapes and sizes. Large letters on the wall encourage children to “Come on in & explore,” and other signs by the artifacts read “Please Touch.” A naturalist is on duty to answer questions and engage with visitors.
“We’re wanting to put a renewed focus on that,” Elander said. “And kind of you know, inspiring this next generation of conservationists, researchers, scientists and zookeepers.”
This story was originally published June 20, 2024 at 5:14 PM.
