San Antonio Zoo and Aquarium is widely recognised as one of the most forward-thinking and innovative of zoos, not only in Texas and the US, but in the world. While it started small in 1914 – with just a pair of lions, four bears and a smattering of monkeys, deer and buffalo – the man behind the zoo, George Brackenridge, was constantly looking for ways to improve and expand. He introduced the first bar-less bear enclosures, made it one of the first to have an integrated aquarium, and in 1966, experimented with a 'simulated rain forest', complete with tropical birds.
That innovation continues to this day. In the field of conservation, few zoos have had as successful a track record as San Antonio Zoo. It has successfully bred black rhinos, African lions, Andean condors and even komodo dragons. With major efforts put into scientific research, this is a small zoo that punches above its weight.
Birds are a big part of the zoo's mission. One of its most popular attractions – the Hixon Bird House – is home to one of the largest collections of birds in the world. They are housed in separate enclosures, which mimic their natural environment while being open to the sky. Some birds are free to fly around the Zoo, like the white cranes. But at the Lory Landing exhibit, you'll get even closer to some of the zoo's feathered denizens.
It is home to one of Australia's most friendly and intelligent birds – the vibrantly-coloured, nectar-loving lorikeets. Buy a cup of nectar for them to feed on, and you'll find yourself the centre of their playful antics. Another chance for a fluttering encounter can be had at the butterfly house – Butterflies! Caterpillar Flight School – a lush tropical hot-house filled with as many as 20 different butterfly species at any one time.
But probably the most exciting exhibit at the Zoo is its newest – Africa! Live – which is being installed in three phases. The first aims to reproduce the beauty and drama of Africa's Rift Valley lakes. Mammoth tanks, viewable from below, are home to hippos, Nile crocodiles and brightly coloured fish.
A rocky enclosure will house African wild dogs and colobus monkeys, while another exhibit will have the big beasts of the savannah – elephants, zebras, giraffes, and rhinoceroses. San Antonio Zoo and Aquarium is a zoo not content to rest on its laurels, it would seem.
