Alameda Park Zoo

About Alameda Park Zoo

Alameda Park Zoo is a municipal zoo run by the City of Alamogordo, New Mexico, at 1021 North White Sands Boulevard, at the south end of Alameda Park. The city's zoo pages describe a 12-acre site with an education center, a picnic area, a playground and a gift shop, with sidewalks running between the exhibits. Wikipedia gives the size as 13 acres.

The city's own pages give two different animal counts: the About the Zoo page says the zoo is home to nearly 200 animals representing 90 species, while the Plan Your Visit page says nearly 170 animals from 70 species. A report on an April 2026 city meeting states that the zoo receives approximately 60,000 visitors a year.

The local visitor bureau calls it the oldest zoo in the Southwest. Wikipedia notes that the claim depends on how the Southwest is defined, since the Dallas Zoo (1888) and Denver Zoo (1896) are older and those cities are sometimes counted as southwestern.

The city states the zoo's mission as promoting education in the environmental fields of study, conservation, recreation and biological research, connecting people with animals "through audio, visual and tactical experiences."

History

According to the city, the zoo was founded in 1898 as a deer park at its present location, to entertain train passengers while they waited for the train to refuel. Wikipedia reports that in its early days the zoo received gifts of exotic pets such as raccoons, skunks and birds from local residents, and that its early cages were made of chain-link fencing, gradually replaced beginning in the 1970s and 1980s.

Wikipedia describes a decline in the 1970s, quoting a 1987 interview in which the zoo director said that in the mid-1970s "the zoo was a dilapidated menagerie." The zoo had become a hangout for loiterers and drug dealers, and the city chose to upgrade it rather than close it; a perimeter fence was added in 1986 to control access.

The zoo became a captive management facility for Mexican gray wolves under the Species Survival Plan. Wikipedia, citing the Alamogordo Daily News, reports that three Mexican gray wolf pups were born at the zoo in 1994 and seven in 1995.

Exhibits and habitats

The Education Building at the north end of the zoo houses snakes, lizards, saltwater fish and a six-banded armadillo named Meatball, according to the city. It hosts reptile education shows and exhibits on the zoo's conservation work and history, and the city lists a new reptile viewing area as coming soon.

The April 2026 meeting report lists several recent and ongoing projects: back quarters for the Mexican gray wolf exhibit, completed with state infrastructure capital improvement funds; a primate exhibit now housing mandrills; a donated reptile house; and upgrades under way to the duck pond and the bear exhibit. Visitors may feed only the ducks at the duck pond, using coin-operated food dispensers, according to the city's rules page.

Wikipedia lists the White Sands pupfish, a fish native to the region, along with Hawaiian geese and ring-tailed lemurs, and says the zoo receives injured, non-releasable birds of prey. Those entries rely on newspaper reports from the 2000s, so current residents should be confirmed with the zoo.

Conservation and programs

The city describes the zoo as a Species Survival Plan Captive Facility for the Mexican gray wolf. Its pages list guided tours, a docent program, lectures, an annual Earth Day celebration, concerts, a Christmas Zoobilee and other events. During the summer the Education Building serves as the classroom for the Junior Zookeeper program, where young participants learn about biology, conservation and zookeeping. The city also has a field trip information form for school groups.

The April 2026 report describes recent operational changes: a new perimeter fence meeting U.S. Department of Agriculture standards, the Species360 records system, and improved veterinary schedules, vaccination programs and medical record-keeping. It names Holloman Big Give support for education and sensory exhibit work. The same report says staff plan to submit an accreditation application in spring 2027.

Planning your visit

The city's zoo pages list seasonal hours. In January and February the zoo is listed as closed Mondays and Tuesdays; from March through December it is listed as closed Tuesdays, with a later evening opening on Wednesdays. The zoo is closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, as listed on the city's website. Hours on the city site have changed recently, so check them before visiting.

Visitors may bring their own food, but glass containers and alcohol are not allowed, and the zoo sells only small concession items. Guests may leave and re-enter the same day. Pets are not allowed because the zoo is treated as a quarantine facility; certified service animals are allowed. Smoking, vaping, drones, and guns or other weapons are prohibited. The lost and found is at the gift shop.

The city's zoo page lists phone numbers of 575-439-4100 and 575-439-4290, along with memberships, birthday parties, a zoo map and a gift shop. Ticket details are on the city's website.