The Zoo has really changed since the started charging a fee and had more money other than that in the city budget. It is now rated in the top 10 in the country and about the seventh most visited. San Diego has fallen to number 4. And the no. 1 zoo in the country both in quality and most visited is the Columbus (OH) Zoo. Zoos can really change. It can't physically grow because of the confines of the park. Move it near Katy where there's land, then the centralized population lose out. Similarly, when the zoo was a small nothing but a bunch or cages and wrought iron fences, the Houston Museum of Natural Science with a few dinosaurs, and the Burke Baker Planetarium. Then fund raise, charge for admission, beg for donations and let it grow, it will become, as it is today, the SECOND-MOST visited museum of its kind in the country beaten only by the NY Natural History Museum. Were it not for the land constraints I am sure it would have been mor like the SD Zoo except for the weather. Sadly, the zoo will continue to improve but only in quality but not in size for more exhibits unless Houston Zoo 2 happens in Memorial Park. Still, Houston is a blesses city.
