As the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season begins, the Houston Zoo isn’t taking any chances. Staff have rolled out detailed emergency preparedness plans designed to protect over 6,000 animals, from elephants to tiny reptiles. Kevin Hodge, Vice President of Animal Programs, confirmed that the staff are refreshing and reinforcing hurricane protocols throughout the 55-acre facility.
Zoo teams are running emergency drills, verifying backup generators, topping off fuel supplies, and trimming overgrown trees to reduce storm hazards. Crews are also clearing storm drains and securing habitats to prevent flooding. While the law doesn’t require animal disaster planning, the Houston Zoo treats it like a non-negotiable duty.
Fortified Buildings and Ride-Out Crews Keep Animals Safe
Several key buildings on the property are hurricane-hardened and equipped with life-supporting systems such as air filtration and water circulation units powered by backup generators. If a storm threatens, animals like birds and primates are relocated to these secure zones.
When a storm does hit, the zoo activates a “ride-out team” — a group of specially trained staff who stay on-site to care for the animals until conditions are safe again. These teams sleep in the zoo’s facilities and maintain feeding, cleaning, and monitoring schedules through the event, no matter how intense it gets.
Anticipating an Active Hurricane Season for 2025
Forecasters expect an above-average hurricane season in 2025, with predictions calling for 17–19 named storms and up to five major hurricanes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warns that the Texas Gulf Coast could face landfalling storms this year, increasing the urgency for organizations like the Houston Zoo to stay prepared.
Zoo officials say they take each forecast seriously. Even if a hurricane veers off course, the planning and preparedness remain essential to protecting animals and people alike. “It’s not just about weathering the storm,” said Hodge. “It’s about being fully operational during and after it.”
Lessons Learned from Past Storms
Houston Zoo’s emergency plans are rooted in past experiences. During Hurricane Harvey in 2017, for example, the zoo successfully protected all its animals without a single escape or injury. That storm served as a blueprint for the protocols now in place.
Staff continue to review what worked—and what didn’t—after each storm. They’ve updated fencing designs, relocated critical equipment to higher ground, and added extra layers of redundancy to electrical systems. Those lessons, combined with new technology like wildlife cameras and mobile alert systems, keep the zoo on the leading edge of animal disaster planning.
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