EVEN THE ANIMALS SEEM GLAD THE ZOO IS OPEN.
THE HOUSTON ZOO HAS REOPENED FOR BUSINESS.
When the Houston Zoo announced it would reopen after 11 weeks of closure in accordance with city guidelines, it released a new timed-ticket system to regulate crowds.
In response, the public attempted up to 10,000 times per minute to reserve slots, causing the system to crash. Twice.
The system is now running smoothly, and one reason for the high demand might be the zoo’s newest resident, Nelson.
Clocking in at 326 pounds, the baby elephant was born in May, while the zoo was still closed. His mom is 29-year-old Asian elephant Shanti.
Now more than 400 pounds, Nelson romps and frolics daily with his sister Joy, almost 3 and weighing 2,000 pounds, and Shanti, 8,000 pounds.
If he’s not napping in the barn in the afternoons, visitors might see Nelson in the elephant habitat, which is part of the new one-way path the zoo has established.
The path guides visitors past other popular viewing points, including sea lions, whooping cranes, giraffes, rhinos and chimps. With the system, guests choose a two-hour period during which to arrive and then can stay as long as they wish.
Indoor buildings remain closed, along with other hightouch areas such as the children’s carousel.
Trunk show
Daryl Hoffman, the zoo’s curator of large mammals, says Nelson plays outside most days between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Guests might see him nursing from his mom or using the pool and water features to cool off.
Nelson already is a fan favorite, Hoffman says, garnering ahhhs from the crowd for his downright cuteness.
“He’s learning to use this trunk,” he says. “It’s really cool to see him trying to figure out what this thing is that’s stuck to the end of his face and how to make it move.”
The herd is learning how to care for Nelson, who is beginning to wrap his trunk around the trunks of the other elephants, which is an act of playfulness.
“There’s never a dull moment,” Hoffman says, watching Nelson “figuring out life in general … what mud puddles are and what these piles of sand are.”
Reunited with zoo friends
Krystal Davis happened to be at the zoo with her twins, Elizabeth and Jonathon Davis, 10, the last day it was open before shutting for the stay-at-home order.
Frequent visitors and zoo members, the Davises jumped on the chance to return, Davis says, choosing the earliest Saturday time slot.
She felt comfortable with the crowd level, she says, and was “pleasantly surprised” with how many animals were on view and active.
Her son was glad to again to see the bald eagle, and the family enjoyed watching the sea lions yawn and roll around on the ground.
The gorillas, too, were “extremely active,” Davis says, delighting her kids by throwing food at one another and interacting with humans.
In fact, she says, the gorillas seemed more social than usual. “It was almost like they were happy to see people in the zoo.”
Before they left, the family had the chance to see the elephants submerging themselves in the pool.
“That was something we’ve always wanted to see,” she says of the group swim. “They were super playful … the kids thought that was the funniest thing they’ve ever seen.”
Brittney Brooks is also a zoo member. For her part, she felt her visit on a recent Thursday afternoon felt more crowded than the zoo did before the shutdown.
She says the one-way path became clogged at certain viewing points.
Her kids were disappointed the children’s zoo remains closed, she says, but they enjoyed the new temporary “Dragons” exhibit, where animatronic creatures flap their wings and roar.
Another highlight for Lydia Brooks, 2, and Finley Brooks, 4, was spotting Nelson.
“That’s one of the biggest reasons we wanted to go,” she says. “He was adorable.”
The family had a great view of Nelson and his mom, and the kids “didn’t want to leave,” she says.
At one point, Brooks pulled out her phone to record Lydia who, with wonder, kept repeating the same sentiment.
“He’s so cute. He’s so cute. He’s so cute.”