9/1/2023 0 Comments Stingrays gladys porter zooOverall, Gladys Porter Zoo is definitely worth a visit! At 26 acres, She was helpful in pointing visitors to areas of the zoo with rare, endangered animals or other animals of special interest. Our docent didn’t seem especially knowledgeable, but she was very pleasant, said “cool” a lot and the younger kids on the train seemed to enjoy her talk. The 45 minute ride is well worth the small extra fee ($2 for adults $1 for children), but I’d recommend riding it at the beginning of a visit to GPZ to get an overview of the zoo layout, rather than at the end. We rode the zoo train at the end of our visit (to cool off and rest a bit) because we arrived before the train began its daily runs. There are three aviaries, a butterfly house, different species of apes, monkeys, lizards, kangaroos, crocodiles, a herpetarium and a number of rare, endangered species for visitors to enjoy. GPZ has lions and tigers and bears for kids of all ages to enjoy! The gorilla exhibit is particularly well done. New exhibits areas, including a marine exhibit building, are under construction and scheduled to open in early 2012. Animal areas are separated mostly by water and walls sculpted to look like natural rock and stone, rather than by cages and bars. GPZ was one of the first zoo’s to implement “cageless” animal exhibits. Zoo officials have been in touch with the AZA Accreditation Commission, and as part of its commitment to meeting the highest standards in animal care and welfare, the Zoo will remain in touch throughout the completion of its investigation.Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, TX, celebrated its 40th anniversary is September, 2011, but GPZ doesn’t feel like an “old” zoo. The Gladys Porter Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). Using both internal and external expertise will help ensure that there are no unnecessary future losses.” “The Gladys Porter Zoo is deeply committed to every animal in our care, and if there is something we need to do differently, we will do it. “At present, we are concentrating our efforts on determining the cause of this incident, and at this point are hoping that the diagnostic labs that will be looking at water and tissue samples will give us a clue as to what may have occurred,” said Patrick Burchfield, the Zoo’s executive director. The system, which is also monitored externally by the installing controls contractor, has worked flawlessly. Over the past year, the Zoo has thoroughly evaluated and upgraded all of the electrical systems in the Russell Aquatic Ecology Center, and engaged the services of outside technicians to install an alarm system to relay pump failure messages, via email and text messages, to all aquarium and night keeper staff. As soon as further details are available, the public will be informed. As is routine for diagnosing the cause of animal death, tissue samples will be sent to a veterinary diagnostic lab for further evaluation. The Zoo’s veterinary staff performed necropsies, and found them all to be in good body condition, with some changes that could have taken place post mortem. Water chemistries were performed immediately, but did not provide any information that would help determine the reason for their demise. All life support systems were fully operational, and it was confirmed by an externally monitored alarm system that their pump and filtration system had operated properly throughout the night. The loss was noted on the morning of January 16 by aquarium staff. An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of their passing. Brownsville, Texas (Jan 17, 2023) – Zoo staff are deeply saddened to share the unexpected loss of five stingrays at Stingray Landing in the Russell Aquatic Ecology Center.
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