As we start the New Year, many of us are making resolutions to increase our activity and get more steps. Bubba, the 27-year-old Komodo dragon who calls San Antonio Zoo® home, is doing the same, thanks to an innovative new procedure used on dogs to reduce inflammation in his arthritic joints. Bubba is the first exotic animal in the world to be treated with Synovetin OA, an innovative product introduced in 2019 to reduce inflammation in joints to break the cycle of pain and inflammation for up to one full year.

Java was born to parents JB and Josie on 12/15/2021, and is the newest addition to our San Antonio Zoo family! Native to Central and Western Africa, this species is classified as “Near Threatened” due to issues including habitat destruction and uncontrolled hunting for the bushmeat trade. Having babies like Java allows accredited Zoos and Aquariums to sustain healthy, genetically diverse populations in places where they’re safe from the problems affecting the wild populations.

After breeding critically endangered Puerto Rican Crested Toads, we’re proud to announce that we’ve released over 5,000 tadpoles back into their native Puerto Rican habitat! Once believed to be extinct, Puerto Rican Crested Toads have only one remaining population, fluctuating between 1,000 and 3,000 adult toads in the Guanica National Forest of southern Puerto Rico.

Since 2017, San Antonio Zoo has been the only AZA facility to successfully breed palm cockatoos, both by hand and parent rearing. They're just one of the many incredible animals we are helping secure a future for through participation in AZA Species Survival Plan programs!