The El Paso Zoo is a 35-acre zoological park in El Paso, Texas, tracing its roots to 1910 when local donations of deer and a gray wolf formed the basis of what was then known as the Washington Park Zoo. Over the following century it grew into a full-scale municipal zoo organized around four geographic sections: Animals of Africa, Animals of Asia, Animals of the Americas, and Animals of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Today the zoo is home to more than 200 species, including Malayan tigers, Sumatran orangutans, African lions, and Mexican gray wolves, the last a species the zoo participates in breeding programs to help save from extinction. Located near the Rio Grande and the Bridge of the Americas connecting El Paso to Ciudad Juárez, the zoo has become a fixture of the borderland community and, in 1980, was accredited as the 34th zoo nationally under what is now the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: El Paso, Texas
- Opened: 1910 (as Washington Park Zoo)
- Size: About 35 acres
- Species: Over 200 animal species
- Annual Visitors: Hundreds of thousands (exact current figures not publicly reported)
- Famous For: Mexican gray wolf breeding program and its Africa, Asia, Americas & Chihuahuan Desert sections
Four Regions Under One Roof
The zoo’s layout is organized geographically rather than taxonomically. The Animals of Africa section, opened in March 2010, features African lions, meerkats, giraffes, zebras, and eight species of antelope. The Asia section houses Malayan tigers and Sumatran orangutans alongside an indoor Asian Forest Complex for smaller mammals and birds, while the Americas and Chihuahuan Desert sections showcase native species such as jaguars, mountain lions, and Mexican gray wolves.
A male Indian rhinoceros joined the collection in December 2023, adding one of the zoo’s largest and most striking residents to the Asia section.
A Community Institution
The El Paso Zoo has weathered significant change since its founding, including a 1980 accreditation that placed it among only a handful of accredited zoos in Texas at the time. In 2012, El Paso voters approved $50 million in bond funding for a Master Plan aimed at modernizing exhibits and infrastructure. The zoo also emphasizes conservation education, running programs tied to endangered species survival plans for animals like the Mexican gray wolf.
Explore more: Explore more Zoos & Aquariums.
El Paso Zoo FAQs
How big is the El Paso Zoo?
The El Paso Zoo covers about 35 acres in El Paso, Texas, and is home to more than 200 animal species.
When did the El Paso Zoo open?
Its origins date to 1910, when it began as the Washington Park Zoo following donations of deer and a gray wolf to the city.
What are the main sections of the El Paso Zoo?
The zoo is organized into four geographic sections: Animals of Africa, Animals of Asia, Animals of the Americas, and Animals of the Chihuahuan Desert.
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Photo: Dimples915 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.