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The Couch’s spadefoot toad undergoes an amazing transformation, changing from a tiny tadpole into a froglet, adapting quickly to desert life with remarkable speed and resilience.
The 13-foot Mexican gray wolf sculpture at the El Paso Zoo, titled “Persistencia,” was created by artist Andy Dufford seen here (of Chevo Studios). Unveiled in late 2019, the prominent sandstone sculpture welcomes visitors at the entrance of the zoo’s Chihuahuan Desert Experience. The wolf sculpture serves as a reminder of both loss and hope.
by Rick LoBello, Education Program Manager, El Paso Zoo
Discovering El Paso’s Greatest Natural Treasure at the EL Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens
The Chihuahuan Desert exhibit at the El Paso Zoo is one of the exhibits I am most proud of. Funded through a voter-approved $50 million bond program, this award-winning area of the zoo was created to help people discover and appreciate one of the most remarkable ecosystems in North America.
For much of my career, helping people understand and appreciate the Chihuahuan Desert has been one of my greatest passions. During the early master-planning discussions for the zoo, I advocated strongly for creating an exhibit dedicated to our desert. My belief was simple: if the Sonoran Desert was worthy of world-class interpretation at places such as the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, then the Chihuahuan Desert deserved the same recognition.
Too often, people overlook the beauty and importance of the desert around us. We see bulldozers replacing native habitat, wildlife corridors disappearing, and open spaces giving way to development. Our goal from the beginning was to help visitors understand that the Chihuahuan Desert is far more than what they see from the highway. It is one of the most biologically diverse deserts in the world and the largest desert in North America.
As you enter the exhibit, you’ll find graphics introducing some of the desert’s most common plants. The creosote bush, the most common shrub in the Chihuahuan Desert, is featured prominently. Visitors also learn about the incredible diversity of cacti found here. In fact, the Chihuahuan Desert is considered the global center of cactus diversity, with more than 250 species.
As you continue your journey, one of the first things you’ll notice is a sculpture of the Mexican wolf. This endangered predator once roamed throughout the Southwest before being driven to extinction in the wild. The El Paso Zoo has participated in Mexican wolf conservation efforts for more than two decades through the Species Survival Plan and captive breeding program. The wolf sculpture serves as a reminder of both loss and hope. While the species disappeared from the wild, conservation efforts have helped bring Mexican wolves back to portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. Our zoo’s Animal Curator has served on the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan, and I have personally spent more than forty years supporting wolf recovery efforts through nonprofit conservation organizations. The sculpture reminds visitors that while there is still time, we must continue working to save this remarkable animal from extinction.
Nearby visitors can also learn about two other endangered species that are part of the zoo’s conservation mission—the peninsular pronghorn and the remarkable Bolson tortoise.
The peninsular pronghorn is one of North America’s most endangered mammals. Native to the deserts of Baja California, this beautiful animal suffered severe population declines because of overhunting and habitat loss. Although it is not a Chihuahuan Desert species, it is closely related to the pronghorn found in West Texas and southern New Mexico. Through breeding and conservation programs, the El Paso Zoo is helping ensure the survival of this endangered subspecies and supporting efforts to strengthen wild populations in Mexico.
The story of the Bolson tortoise is one of the most fascinating conservation stories in North America. This giant tortoise remained unknown to science until 1959 when herpetologists exploring northern Mexico learned from a rancher that large tortoises lived on nearby ranchlands. Today, the species survives naturally only in a small region where the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Durango, and Zacatecas meet. Because the entire wild population exists in such a limited area, conservationists have long worried that disease, drought, or other threats could devastate the species. To help safeguard its future, the Turner Endangered Species Fund and its partners have worked to establish a second population in southern New Mexico. The El Paso Zoo has proudly supported these efforts and continues to play a role in helping secure the future of this ancient survivor from the Ice Age.
Continuing along the pathway, visitors encounter habitats for two of the desert’s most impressive predators—jaguars and mountain lions.
Most people associate jaguars with tropical rainforests, but they are also native to northern Mexico and historically ranged into the southwestern United States. Habitat fragmentation and barriers along the border continue to challenge their recovery. The El Paso Zoo participates in the Jaguar Species Survival Plan and supports conservation efforts such as the Northern Jaguar Project. The habitat is shared by a pair of rescued mountain lions. Although mountain lions are not endangered, they are among the most important predators in the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem and play a critical role in maintaining ecological balance.
Before entering the jaguar and mountain lion viewing area, visitors encounter one of the exhibit’s most unique educational features—a flash flood demonstration. Designed to highlight the dangers of desert flooding, this exhibit reminds visitors that even a dry arroyo can become a raging torrent during the summer monsoon season. It is an exciting and memorable way to teach an important desert safety lesson.
Further along the trail is a mixed-species exhibit featuring some of the desert’s most recognizable birds, including roadrunners, Gambel’s quail, and burrowing owls. The burrowing owl story is especially important. As development continues across the region, suitable nesting habitat has become increasingly scarce. Burrowing owls depend on underground burrows to raise their young and have even been found attempting to nest in drainage pipes when natural habitat is unavailable. To help this species, the zoo has partnered with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to support the construction of artificial burrows throughout the El Paso area.
Visitors can also observe some of the more common wildlife of the Chihuahuan Desert, including javelinas, while keeping an eye out for one of the region’s most secretive birds—the Montezuma quail. Often called the “Harlequin of the Desert” because of its striking appearance, this bird is rarely seen in the wild.
Across the pathway, visitors may also discover a family of coatis. These curious mammals are uncommon along the border but are more frequently found in Mexico and farther south into Central and South America. In recent years, several coati youngsters have been born at the zoo, giving visitors a chance to observe family behavior rarely seen in the wild.
As you explore the exhibit, take time to notice the many native plants identified along the pathways. Learning about the plants is every bit as important as learning about the animals because together they form the foundation of the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem.
The adventure does not have to end when you leave the zoo. We encourage you to continue exploring the Chihuahuan Desert by visiting places such as Franklin Mountains State Park, the Lost Dog Trail, Rio Bosque Wetlands Park, and other natural areas throughout the region. You can also learn more about desert plants and ecology at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, located near Castner Range National Monument, or by visiting the Chihuahuan Desert Garden at the Centennial Museum on the campus of UTEP.
The more you learn about the Chihuahuan Desert, the more you will come to appreciate its beauty, diversity, and importance. Our hope is that every visitor leaves with a greater understanding of this extraordinary landscape and a desire to help protect it for future generations.
The Chihuahuan Desert is one of El Paso’s greatest natural treasures. Discover it at the zoo, then continue your adventure by exploring the wild places, museums, trails, and natural areas that make our region so special. The future of the Chihuahuan Desert depends on people who understand it, appreciate it, and are willing to help protect it.
Photos by Rick LoBello