Animal Art

Holiday Ornaments

It’s time to deck the halls with our one-of-a-kind holiday ornaments, sure to please even the hardest to buy for family member. Each ceramic ornament is painted by one of our talented animal artists and comes with a printed photo. It’s sure to be a keepsake for years to come. 

Please note: We are not able to ship ornaments internationally at this time.

Asian Elephants

Our Asian elephant herd loves to paint, and they each have their own unique style. To make their signature elephant kisses, our elephants (with the help of their keepers) gently press their noses to the canvas leaving the special heart shaped print behind. Everyone gets in on the fun- even our patriarch Thailand. Painting is a great way that our animal care team creates meaningful relationships with each of our elephants and we love to see what creations they come up with.

Western Lowland Gorillas

The Keepers at the Houston Zoo work to enrich the lives of the animals in their care every day by adding interesting and complex activities to the animals’ daily routine. Enrichment activities are fun for both animals and keepers, and painting is an engaging activity that our Gorillas enjoy. Mike is known for leaving his signature circular wisps on the canvas, while Chaka sweeps his paint brush across the canvas from side to side filling the space with his bold strokes. These art pieces are unique, just like our Gorilla family.

Sea Lions

Our Sea Lions are pro painters, and love to work with their keepers to create beautiful art pieces! Using their noses, our sea lions gently press their faces into a canvas leaving heart shaped kisses behind. They also use a modified paint brush that they can hold in their mouths to swipe paint across the canvas with enthusiasm! This activity provides one-on-one interaction time with their animal care team and strengthens the relationship between the sea lions and Zoo Keepers. Plus, it results in a totally adorable painting for you!

Black Bear

Belle and Willow came to the Houston Zoo in 2013 from California where they were being fed by patrons of a restaurant and appeared to be orphaned. US Fish and Wildlife rescued them and asked the Houston Zoo if we could offer them a home. Belle, the larger of the two, can often be seen playing in the pool and rough-housing with Willow. Willow is the mastermind behind the brawn of Belle. She is smaller and enjoys engaging with her enrichment. Their artwork is dramatic and eye-catching, with paw prints that can be seen across the canvas.

Red Pandas

Li Ming and Také have lived at the Houston Zoo since 2010. They create their works of art by walking across the canvas. Thick fur covers red panda’s entire bodies, even the soles of their feet, which means you’ll see imprints of all that fur in every Red Panda paw print masterpiece. Their favorite activity, besides interacting with the Zookeepers, is sleeping. Red pandas can sleep 16-18 hours a day! They need to rest from being so cute. 

Orangutans

Our orangutan family enjoys painting and each work of art represents the temperament of the artists. Rudi loves to paint and often stops for “inspiration breaks” to enjoy his favorite treats. Kelly is observant and has incredible patience. Cheyenne is smart, strong-willed and though she is the oldest orangutan at the Houston Zoo, she is the youngest at heart. Whether using gentle brush strokes, bold finger marks or occasionally various mixed mediums – their artwork is guaranteed to be one of a kind. 

Cheetahs

It’s not unusual to see Dash & Dinari enjoying early morning walks with their animal care team before the Zoo opens to the public. One-on-one interactions like these walks, along with opportunities to create one of a kind art pieces, strengthens the relationship between Dash & Dinari and their Zoo keepers. Beginning with a blank canvas, the brothers walk through the non-toxic paint and create dynamic paintings with their large paws (and the occasional tail swipe). 

Okapi

Kwame is 20 years old and has lived at the Houston Zoo since 2002. He loves attention from his animal care team and has never met a stranger. He is generally very curious about new people and enjoys participating in behind the scenes encounters. Kwame participates in painting by gently rubbing his face (and sometimes tongue) in the paint on the canvas, creating beautiful swirls of color. 

Chimpanzees

Our chimpanzee family enjoys painting and each work of art represents the temperament of the artists. Charlie is the oldest of the group, and a talented artist. Kenya may be tiny, but she has strong opinions. Scooter loves to play with the other chimpanzees in the group, while Maizey loves trainings with her keepers and trying new foods. Whether using gentle brush strokes, bold finger marks or occasionally various mixed mediums – their artwork is guaranteed to be one of a kind.

Denver the Blue and Gold Macaw

Denver is one of the most active Ambassador Animals and enjoys getting personal attention from his trainers. This colorful painter has a personality as bright as his feathers and can often be heard calling to his keepers throughout the day. Denver uses a paintbrush and, holding it in his beak, moves the brush in long, sweeping strokes to create his masterpiece.

Cougars

Celebrate your University of Houston fan with a painting made by our Cougar’s Shasta and Haley! Like their counterparts in the wild, our Cougars loves to climb and can often be seen high up on the rocks basking in the sunshine. Their unique relationship and trust in their animal care team makes for dynamic paintings, full of movement, paw prints and swirls. 

Tapir

Our talented Tapir, Noah, has created some one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Noah was born in Nashville, TN, but has been at the Houston Zoo since 2011. Baird’s tapirs, like Noah, are currently endangered. There are only about 5000 Baird’s tapirs left in the wild. Noah has played an important part in saving his species by fathering two calves at the Houston Zoo. He creates his paining’s by using his dexterous nose to move paint around on a canvas for some very expressive artwork. 

Clouded Leopards

Tarak and Suksn came to the Houston Zoo in 2012 and as natural climbers can often be found high up in their exhibit. They are pros at painting with their paws to make unique shapes and patterns. Their delicate paw prints can be seen in every piece of art they create. 

Giraffes

From the tallest animals can sometimes come the most beautiful art pieces, and each painting is a reflection of the giraffes gentle nature. Our giraffe family loves to paint, and they each have their own unique style. Using their long tongues, the giraffes gently lick the non-toxic paint creating swirls of color across the canvas. A perfect gift for the giraffe fan in your life. 

Lions

Each piece of art reflects the personality of our lion pride and their special bond with their animal care team. Mattie, largest of the sisters, loves swimming in the moat and playing with enrichment. Uzima is the feisty one in the group and she likes to start games of chase with her sister. Hasani is our 5 year old male, and the protector of the pride. With their unique style of painting, it’s not unusual for these masterpieces to have paw prints, tail swipes and the occasional lick mark from their tongue. 

Jaguar

Tesoro came to the Houston Zoo in 2015 from the Living Desert in California. His name is Spanish for “treasure”. To make his beautiful art creations, Tesoro’s animal care team spreads non-toxic paint across his bedroom floor, and then he walk across the canvas. The results include incredible pawprints and the occasional tail swipe. After each painting session, Tesoro is rewarded with one of his favorite treats- goats milk!