Gladys Porter Zoo ensures safety for all visitors

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An accident at the San Antonio Zoo is receiving a lot of attention after a tree limb fell on seven people including children, sending them to the hospital.    

Some people visiting the Gladys Porter Zoo expressed their thoughts on safety when visiting the local zoo.

“I think the zoo is a really safe place, I have been here a couple of times, it’s super fun.”

“I do look around for things that could be dangerous like a tree falling on you,” said Lynda Edgar, a Gladys Porter Zoo visitor from Canada.

“I was thinking about it, I said oh my gosh now from now on I’m going to be concerned and look around for safety, especially for the kids,” said Hilda De La Fuente, a zoo visitor from San Benito.

Gladys Porter Zoo officials said safety is a top priority.  

“We take safety very seriously, especially with trees and limbs, things like that. Obviously, it’s windy right now. That is always a concern,” said Clint Guadiana, the chief safety officer at the Gladys Porter Zoo.

Guadiana said a team of experts ensures the safety of visitors and animals when it comes to trees on the zoo grounds.

“We have a wonderful horticulture and grounds department here and so if it needs addressing, we’ll do some trimming as needed,” he said.

He explained when a tree is reaching its end of life – it is taken down and repurposed.

The zoo features several structures over pathways and entrances that Guardiana said are also inspected by all staff during their daily routine inspections. 

“We inspect everything as we’re going along every day, for sure, multiple times a day,” he said.

He said any issues reported are addressed immediately.

Guadiana said they are always trying to improve and after incidents like the one at the San Antonio Zoo, they will be extra cautious.

“We’ll take a little bit more of a hard look at some of our structures and our trees and things like that just to make sure nothing like that happens here.”

Guardiana reassures visitors that the zoo is safe and said they are always open for feedback on any concerns.