Good News: We are Saving Houston Species From Extinction

We hope you enjoyed an exclusive behind-the-scenes of our Houston Toads building and the life-saving work our team is doing to save this species. This local, Texas species is so special to the Houston Zoo as we’ve worked for more than a decade to try to save it from extinction.

You probably didn’t get to hear them, but they’re also beautiful singers. Have a listen here.

Historically, the Houston toad hopped across central and east Texas, but changes (a drought and urban expansion) to where they lived and thrived in the 1960’s saw the population decline. Today, there are only four small habitat areas left, and unfortunately, its namesake–Houston, isn’t one of them, except for our toad facility at the Houston Zoo.

The Zoo maintains a 1,200 square foot Houston toad quarantine facility that serves as a location for captive breeding and rearing of Houston toads for release into the wild. In 2019, we released 985,000 Houston toad eggs. Thanks to your support of the Zoo, this collaborative program is saving this rare and important Texas toad from extinction.

In addition to protecting Houston toads in the wild, the Houston Zoo works to save other Texas species like the Attwater’s prairie chicken and several sea turtle species. Through our partnership with KPRC Channel 2, we had the opportunity to highlight our work with a ‘Saving Wildlife: Texas‘ special that aired last summer.

We cannot continue to save Texas wildlife without you. With our gates closed, your support is more critical than ever. Please support the Zoo’s Emergency Zoo Fund to help us continue our work to connect communities with animals, and inspire action to save wildlife.