FORT WORTH (1080 KRLD)- The Fort Worth Zoo has finished renovations of the "Mountains and Desert" section of Texas Wild! The exhibit highlights the habitat and types of animals native to different parts of the state.
"Many of the animals in this building are often overlooked or unappreciated yet play important roles in our shared ecosystem," says Senior Curator of Ectotherms Diane Barber.
Mountains and Desert includes 30 species of ectotherms, which are cold-blooded animals.
"After all, it is the zoo's mission to strengthen the bond between humans and animals, including the not-so-cuddly ones like snakes, dung beetles and toads," Barber says.
The zoo says Mountains and Desert and all of Texas Wild! can show people animals' native habitats and how animals interact with each other in the wild. The exhibit includes a 13,000 gallon river which includes species that would be found in the Rio Grande. The exhibit has also recreated more arid climates for snakes and lizards.
"Many of the animals are often overlooked or unappreciated yet play important roles in our shared ecosystem," Barber says.
Curators are available to answer questions, and the Fort Worth Zoo says it hopes giving families the opportunity to go "nose-to-nose" with new animals can spark a kid's interest in learning more.
"It just sparks that curiosity," says the Zoo's Avery Elander. "Even more, when you're having these dialogues, you're working on your communication skills and your research skills. It's more than just coming in and looking at some animals."
"It's awesome. I love it. I love that they want to be out here instead of in front of a TV screen," one dad said while his kids were looking at a Texas horned lizard.
Mountains and Desert is home to the zoo's "Texas Nature Traders." The program was started in 2013 to encourage kids to explore the outdoors.
Kids can find fossils, rocks, plants and other items, bring them to Texas Nature Traders and receive points. The zoo says kids can then interact with curators who can answer questions; kids can also redeem points to exchange items found by other children.
"A lot of kids, five year olds, they'll start going to Zoo Camp next year. Then once they go through Zoo Camp, they'll go through middle school camp, then high school camp," says Robin Doege, assistant curator of aquatic ectotherms. "Eventually, those kids might become interns and take jobs here."
She says one of the zoo's current keepers started out with Zoo Camp as a child. Doege says recreating animals' natural habitats leads to more questions, and she enjoys that curiosity.
"It's exciting to see people passionate about the things you're passionate about and appreciate all the time and effort you put into conservation programs," she says. "Conservation programs in our ectotherms department range from Louisiana pine snakes, kangaroo rats, freshwater mussels, pickett's pupfish, Texas horned lizards."
She says the exhibit can also show how the zoo works to rebuild populations of threatened and endangered species so they can be reintroduced to the wild.
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