Wanda Renae Huber has been coming to the Abilene Zoo since the 1970s. Her favorite memories are from the lion’s exhibit.
“My sister lives right over there on canterbury trails and we could come over here and we could hear ‘em all the time. They’re just my favorite,” Wanda said.
Today she’s watching the lemurs play since the lions’ habitat is undergoing a multi-million dollar rebuild.
Also new, the Abilene Zoo welcomed an ant-eater to its grounds as part of the 60th birthday celebration.
“I’m excited that it it’s birthday,” Wanda said.
The Zoo pulled out all the stops to celebrate sixty years, kids crafted birthday hats as giant bubbles floated overhead. Staff also handed out, free cake and ice cream, and offered plenty of close-up encounters with animals.
For many, this day was about celebrating a place that's been part of their lives for decades. London Childress remembers special events like this from when she was a kid.
"I grew up coming to the zoo, doing these kind of things,” Childress said.
Childress is now the Zoo’s Development Manager.
“So it's really fun to be on the other side—to actually execute the events and create those community moments that I was so lucky to experience as a young girl,” London said.
Childress says creating those community experiences takes the entire zoo team.
"This is something we do annually, but because it's such a big birthday we wanted it to feel a little more special... Every team kind of assists and builds what they're good at, and it creates a really cohesive and wonderful celebration for the guests to enjoy,” Childress said.
Since opening its gates in 1966, the Abilene Zoo has welcomed generations of West Texas families, growing alongside the community while introducing visitors to wildlife from around the world.
During one of the day's animal encounters, families gathered in Red Oak Plaza as volunteers held a ball python, a blue-tongued skink and baby armadillo. Children reached out to touch the animals while Animal Ambassador Keeper Crystal Hunt answered questions and shared facts about each species.
For Hunt, those moments come full circle.
“I've lived here pretty much my whole life... I've came to the zoo since I was really tiny, tiny. And now I get to do the same thing with my son,” Hunt said.
At the zoo, making memories is always about the animals.
“What’s your favorite animal you saw today?” asked Diaz.
“Um, giraffe” “I like the sloth bear,” “Giraffes,” “I like capybaras and giraffes,” “The crocodile,” “A sea turtle,” “Giraffe” “The fish and the crocodile,” “The bears,” “My favorite animal is that crocodile.”
As the afternoon wound down, families crowded around the alligator exhibit. Children squeezed up to the fence, waiting for feeding time.
Before Albert the alligator’s birthday feeding, visitors sang "Happy Birthday" to both the Abilene Zoo and one of its longest residents—the alligator who's lived there since 1966.
When the singing stopped, families scattered across the zoo once again. Some added to left with memories stretching back decades.
Others left with new ones they had just begun to make.
Sixty years after opening its gates, the Abilene Zoo continues to connect generations of West Texans—not just through the animals they come to see, but also the moments they share together.