Saving Whooping Cranes in the Wild

Recently, 13 Zoo staff participated in an overnight Saving Wildlife Training Opportunity with our partners at San Antonio Bay Partnership (SABP). Over the course of two days, we removed 65 filled bags, boxes, and crates of litter pollution from Matagorda and Espiritu Santu Bay. We estimate that were able to remove over 7,800 pieces of litter from the bay to help restore critical coastal habitat for sea turtles, whooping cranes, and other marine life.

During this coastal cleanup, our team spent their days climbing in and out of airboats and bay boats, wading through every type of substrate imaginable. At times they stepped into pristine, crystal-clear water; other times they sank knee deep into a bog. It was always the luck of the draw.

But their hard work came with the reward of sightings of remarkable wildlife like bottlenose dolphins, great blue herons, blacktip sharks, alligators, cranes, jellyfish, ibises, wild hogs, and more.

Just by visiting the Zoo, you’re helping us make a difference for a healthier, cleaner Texas coast for wildlife.