Houston Zoo up for national title of best zoo

The Houston Zoo is in the running to be named the best zoo in the United States, based on a current poll by USA Today and their travel advice site 10Best.

Houston's 55-acre animal attraction nestled in the Texas Medical Center is just one of two Texas zoos in the running, with the Dallas Zoo also up for the title.

Poll runners looked at figures offered up from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on annual attendance, total acreage, admission fees, recent awards, continuing contributions to conservation efforts, and the strength of their supporting members to gather the list of 20 nominees.

The other 19 zoos from around the country on the ballot won't be much of a surprise. The Bronx Zoo, the San Diego Zoo, and Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando are all vying to be the best in the US too.

For the zoos it's really all about bragging rights among each other, says spokesman Brian Hill with the Houston Zoo.

"All the nominees are among the top accredited zoos in the country and we’re excited and honored to be nominated," said Hill on Tuesday. "But we’d also like to win."

Hill said that right now his zoo is ranked third in the voting, just ahead of the Dallas Zoo.

 The Houston Zoo recently teamed with the Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital next door let a handful of young patients tour the grounds and see the zoo with the help of Google Glass, all from their hospital beds. The private, virtual tour focused on animals that were able to be more closely approached than others.

Voting for the best zoo continues until May 19 and is open to everyone, although you may only cast one ballot per day.

Houston Zoo Homepage

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