We had such a horrible experience. We are from out of town, and I had always heard about this zoo and wanted to visit. We were genuinely excited to come, but it ended up being one of the biggest disappointments.
Very few animals were out during our visit, making it impossible to justify spending over $150 for admission. It honestly felt like more effort and money had been put into the dinosaur displays than into creating an enjoyable zoo experience. Maybe instead of investing so much into the dinosaur attractions, those funds could be used to improve the animal habitats, add more shade, or create environments where the animals are more likely to be active and comfortable. If visitors are paying to see animals, they should actually have the opportunity to see them.
If the majority of the animals are typically not visible after a certain time because of the heat, then guests should be informed before purchasing tickets or the zoo should reconsider its operating hours. A zoo shouldn’t be open in the hottest part of the day if guests have little chance of seeing the animals they came to visit.
My husband is disabled, and we made the effort to come and enjoy this zoo together. That effort, along with the money we spent, felt completely wasted. When someone has a disability, outings like this take extra planning and energy. We expected an experience worth that effort, and unfortunately, it wasn’t.
What disappointed us most was the response from customer service. We explained our concerns and asked if there was anything that could be done. The employee simply said, “I don’t control the animals. If they come out, they come out.” While we understand that animals can’t be forced to appear, that response was dismissive and unprofessional.
She offered us tickets for the train, but that wasn’t a solution for us. My husband is disabled, and sitting in a small train isn’t something he can comfortably do right now. We had already spent over $150 to visit the zoo—we weren’t looking for another attraction. We simply wanted the opportunity to experience the zoo we had paid to see.
A return pass for another day would have shown that the zoo values its guests and wants them to have the experience they paid for. That’s what good customer service is about: making an effort to leave customers with a positive impression instead of a bad taste in their mouth. Instead, we left feeling like our concerns didn’t matter.
A zoo’s responsibility isn’t just taking care of the animals. It’s also taking care of the people whose admission fees make it possible to care for those animals, maintain the facility, and provide jobs for the employees. When customers spend a significant amount of money and leave disappointed, there should be a genuine effort to make things right.
From our experience, it felt like there was no interest in making sure we left satisfied or wanted to return. If that’s how customer concerns are handled, it’s no surprise people leave disappointed. Unless the expectation is that visitors should simply accept a poor experience, there should be a much greater effort to ensure guests actually leave feeling they received what they paid for.
Sadly, we will never recommend this zoo to anyone. If you’re looking for a zoo in South Texas, I highly recommend Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville instead. We have had a far better experience there. This visit was a complete disappointment and not one we will ever repeat.
