About
Education Department Programs at Gladys Porter Zoo include activities such as Summer Safari, Starlight Safari Sleepover, and a Summer Teen Program. The programs also include options for school groups and access to the Soaring Eagle Zipline.
• Schedule: Monday - Sunday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
• Price: Admissions Prices Ranges: Adults: $17.00 – $21.00; Children (2-13): $11.00 – $15.00; Children under 2 free; Seniors (over 65): $15.00 – $19.00 (Prices vary depending on the day of the visit.) Soaring Eagle Zipline Price Range: $8.00 – $12.00
The Gladys Porter Zoo is a visitor-oriented zoological and botanical park divided into four zoo geographic areas: Africa, Asia, Tropical America and Indo-Australia. It includes a Herpetarium, Aquarium, Tropical America Free-flight Aviary, Macaw Canyon, Bear Grottos, a Komodo dragon exhibit, and Small World, which features a nursery and an animal contact yard where children can touch and interact with domesticated animals. The zoo covers 31 acres with lush tropical plants and about 1,600 animals, and in a ¾ mile trek a visitor will encounter 377 species of animals and 225 species of plants. The zoo is known for its successes in breeding endangered species of wildlife and serves as the principal wildlife rehabilitation unit for the Rio Grande Valley.
The Gladys Porter Zoo opened to the public on September 3, 1971, and has been an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1978. Gladys Porter Zoo’s Director Emeritus, Don. D. Farst, D.V.M., serves as a member of the Board of the International Rhino Foundation, and the Zoo’s General Curator, Colette Hairston Adams, serves as a member of the Board of the International Iguana Foundation. The zoo’s mission states that it is dedicated to the preservation of nature through education, conservation, healthy outdoor recreation and research. The Animal Health Department is actively involved in wildlife rehabilitation for the Rio Grande Valley, assists US Fish and Wildlife Services with ocelot health monitoring at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, and contributes funds to conservation and research programs, including field projects for Galapagos tortoises, Matchie’s tree kangaroos, and several species of rhino. Staff from the Department of Herpetology work with the Philippine government and the Philippine National Recovery Team.
Last updated July 22, 2026.
• Schedule: Monday - Sunday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
• Price: Admissions Prices Ranges: Adults: $17.00 – $21.00; Children (2-13): $11.00 – $15.00; Children under 2 free; Seniors (over 65): $15.00 – $19.00 (Prices vary depending on the day of the visit.) Soaring Eagle Zipline Price Range: $8.00 – $12.00
The Gladys Porter Zoo is a visitor-oriented zoological and botanical park divided into four zoo geographic areas: Africa, Asia, Tropical America and Indo-Australia. It includes a Herpetarium, Aquarium, Tropical America Free-flight Aviary, Macaw Canyon, Bear Grottos, a Komodo dragon exhibit, and Small World, which features a nursery and an animal contact yard where children can touch and interact with domesticated animals. The zoo covers 31 acres with lush tropical plants and about 1,600 animals, and in a ¾ mile trek a visitor will encounter 377 species of animals and 225 species of plants. The zoo is known for its successes in breeding endangered species of wildlife and serves as the principal wildlife rehabilitation unit for the Rio Grande Valley.
The Gladys Porter Zoo opened to the public on September 3, 1971, and has been an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1978. Gladys Porter Zoo’s Director Emeritus, Don. D. Farst, D.V.M., serves as a member of the Board of the International Rhino Foundation, and the Zoo’s General Curator, Colette Hairston Adams, serves as a member of the Board of the International Iguana Foundation. The zoo’s mission states that it is dedicated to the preservation of nature through education, conservation, healthy outdoor recreation and research. The Animal Health Department is actively involved in wildlife rehabilitation for the Rio Grande Valley, assists US Fish and Wildlife Services with ocelot health monitoring at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, and contributes funds to conservation and research programs, including field projects for Galapagos tortoises, Matchie’s tree kangaroos, and several species of rhino. Staff from the Department of Herpetology work with the Philippine government and the Philippine National Recovery Team.
Last updated July 22, 2026.
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