EDITORIAL: Texas Zoo needs community support to protect improvements, build new site

Oct. 28--The Texas Zoo is a happy place to visit once again.

After a year of cleaning, rebuilding and reconfiguring from damage caused by Hurricane Harvey and subsequent flooding of the Guadalupe River, the zoo has reopened as a brighter gem than it ever was.

The zoo, which opened in 1957, has long been a favorite place for families to take their children for an outing or an up-close experience with animals including groundhogs, otters, bears, ocelots, red wolves, goats, turkeys and deer.

Now it is even more inviting as visitors are encouraged to interact with chosen animals to help them learn more about the animals -- such as the red-ruffed lemur named Bright Eyes -- and as the knowledge grows, so will the visitor's quest to help conserve the animals and their native habitats.

Over the past year, the zoo staff, board and contractors were able to transform some of the facility to help with the goals of interaction, education and conservation -- which all work hand in hand.

The former Animal Kingdom building is now the Wildlife Education Building that includes the zoo's entry, a gift shop, on education room and a large exhibit room with animals -- armadillos, groundhogs and tropical birds that are part of the zoo's ambassador program. The room includes a small area for children to gather for story time and to learn about animals up close. A second area is available for people to go inside a closed room to interact with animals under the guidance of the animal care staff.

The goal of the interactive programs is to make people, young and old, interested in learning more about the animals so they want to work to conserve the animals.

The room and adjoining amenities can be rented for birthday parties or meetings.

While a lot of work has been done to get the zoo to this point in its recovery, a lot more work needs to be done to protect it from another flood and to protect the work that has been done.

Recently, the zoo announced it has been given 10 acres of land from the Bennett-Wood Interest Ltd., a Texas limited partnership, near the Victoria Regional Airport to build a new zoo -- far from the river.

But before either of those two projects can be accomplished the zoo and its board has to raise a lot of money -- millions of dollars.

The capital improvement campaign will be handled in two phases. The first phase will be to raise about $2 million to construct a protective barrier around the existing berm and to repair the gates to keep out flood waters. The berm has been breached many times over the years as the river has flooded. In the most recent flood, workers and volunteers waded in waist-deep water to rescue animals to get them to safety.

This is the more urgent of the two funding phases as the zoo must remain in compliance with its insurance and it must protect the animals in its care.

In addition, some infrastructure work needs to be done, including repairing drainage issues in some parts of the facility.

The second phase will be to raise money to build the new zoo. Right now, there is just land there with no infrastructure, so the facility will have to be built from the dirt up. Zoo officials see this as a five-year fundraising project.

While the zoo board had not determined what the fundraising mechanism will be for either phase, it is important that the Crossroads -- not just Victoria -- pitch in and make serious donations toward the projects.

The zoo has a lot to offer from educational programs to entertainment to interaction with animals or just a leisure walk through the exhibits.

It has partnered with conservation groups in South and Central America to help tell the story of many of the animals -- including the ocelot and lemur -- that have a connection to Texas as well as South and Central America.

It is well worth the time to visit the zoo and learn about the animals.

The zoo, which was voted best tourist destination in the 2018 Best of the Best voting, is a gem of a family destination that needs everyone's support to continue its mission of educating the public and conserving the animals that are being cared for.

We all know the zoo is one major rainstorm away from a flood, so raising these funds is an urgent need for the future of the zoo.

The zoo has entertained and educated families for six decades; it is time for the Crossroads to step up and help the zoo continue its mission.

This opinion reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.

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