Dallas Zoo

Dog Days is getting a spooky little makeover! Our first-ever Dog Days: Costume Edition is happening Oct. 30, and your four-legged bestie is invited to join the fun. Dress them up in their favorite Halloween costume, or coordinate your looks for a day at the Zoo together. Grab your tickets and get ready for a howling good time: bit.ly/4iUwvPl

P.S. We still have limited tickets for our Dog Days on Oct. 9!

CARING FOR CHOLULA: Over the last few days, our animal care team noticed changes in our female African painted dog, Cholula. She was more lethargic than usual, wasn’t eating, and her abdomen appeared distended. Further examination showed that she had fluid in her abdomen and needed surgery.

During surgery, our veterinary team found that Cholula had developed a closed pyometra, a serious infection of the uterus. With this type of infection, it becomes trapped inside the uterus and cannot drain naturally. In Cholula’s case, it had become severe enough to cause her uterus to perforate, allowing the infection to spread into her abdomen. Because the infection was in her uterus and had already spread into her abdomen, removing the uterus was necessary to address the source of the infection. The surgery went well, and Cholula is now recovering.

This isn’t the first time Cholula has dealt with pyometra. Last year, she developed an open pyometra, which meant the infection was able to drain naturally and could be treated with antibiotics. Pyometra is something our veterinary and animal care teams are particularly mindful of in female African painted dogs. The species is considered especially susceptible to the condition, with estimates suggesting it can affect around 20% of females.

Cholula is now back with Mzingo and recovering. Our teams are keeping a close eye on her and taking things day by day. And Mzingo has been staying close throughout it all. He hasn’t wanted to leave her side while she rests!

We’re so grateful to the animal care and veterinary teams who moved quickly and got Cholula the care she needed. She still has some healing ahead, but she’s resting, recovering, and has Mzingo by her side!

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at your Dallas Zoo! From Oct. 4-7, join us daily at 11 a.m. for a special Spanish-language presentation of our Wonders of the Wild show. Meet some of our incredible animal ambassadors and learn more about the animals in our care during this special celebration for our community.

¡Celebra el Mes de la Herencia Hispana en el Dallas Zoo! Del 4 al 7 de octubre, acompáñanos todos los días a las 11 a.m. para una presentación especial en español de nuestro espectáculo Wonders of the Wild. Conoce a algunos de nuestros increíbles animales embajadores y aprende más sobre los animales que están bajo nuestro cuidado durante esta celebración especial para nuestra comunidad.

Anyone else wake up this morning and feel a little bit of fall in the air? We’re taking it as a sign to make plans for Dog Days! Tickets are going fast, and limited spots remain for Oct. 9. Hurry and grab yours for you and your pup now: bit.ly/3V5JuUq

The cutest family photo you ever did see. 🥹🐘There’s nothing quite like watching this herd grow together, especially with little Matope right in the middle of it all.

P.S. Don’t miss your opportunity to help support baby Matope and the rest of our elephant herd through a limited-time Adopt-An-Animal package. Hurry — these special levels are only available through September 30, 2026. Adopt now: bit.ly/4hLLlXI

SAVING OUR STATE REPTILE – PART 1: We’re working to help save one of Texas’ most iconic native species: the Texas horned lizard. And saving them starts in the wild.

Since 2010, we have worked with our partners, Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and other zoos to monitor wild Texas horned lizard populations. Each year, over the course of several months, our team heads into the field at Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch to find individual lizards and collect important information that helps us track them over time.

Some of the lizards we find are fitted with a tiny PIT tag, a microchip about the size of a grain of rice that allows researchers to identify individual lizards if they’re found again. Returning to the field and finding those same individuals over time gives us valuable information about the population.

While monitoring the population, our team also looks for gravid females, or females carrying eggs. These females are an important part of our Texas horned lizard breed-and-release program. We carefully collect gravid females from the wild and bring them back to the Zoo to lay their eggs. After they lay, the females are returned to the same areas where they were found. This fieldwork is the first step in our breed-and-release program.

Over the next few weeks, we're taking you with us to show what Texas horned lizard conservation looks like in action, from finding and collecting gravid females to raising and releasing the next generation back into the wild. Stay tuned for more!

DOG DAYS: Our rescheduled Dog Days event is happening Oct. 9, and we still have limited tickets available for you and your pup! Hurry, grab yours now and get ready for a day at the Zoo together before they’re gone: bit.ly/3V5JuUq