Amarillo Zoo — Attraction in Amarillo

Neglect disguised as education.

What I saw at the Amarillo Zoo was heartbreaking. It wasn’t just bad — it felt wrong.

Animals are clearly suffering here, and the worst part is that the zoo keeps replying to every negative review with the same lazy excuse: “Did you talk to a staff member?” But when you walk the zoo, there’s no one around to talk to — and at this point, with this many reviews and past reports, it’s obvious they’ve heard all of this before. So the real question is: Why haven’t they done anything about it?

Here’s what I saw with my own eyes:

Donkeys looked injured — one limped, the other didn’t move much. No one checked on them.

Peacocks were missing huge patches of feathers, which can be signs of parasites, illness, or stress.

Prairie dogs, who in the wild dig huge tunnel systems and live in complex social colonies, were shoved in a shallow, flat box with maybe an inch of shredded cardboard. No soil. No hiding spots. No tunnels. That’s not just sad — it’s cruelty.

Melvin the parrot was trembling. Parrots are extremely intelligent, emotional birds that need social interaction and enrichment. Trembling is a sign of psychological distress — not entertainment.

The longhorns had no access to water. Their water tubs were upside down, bone dry. It was hot out. They couldn’t even try to drink.

Gas cans were laying out in public areas, completely unattended — a safety hazard to animals and visitors.

This isn't just a rough day at the zoo. It’s a pattern. In 2016, PETA filed a complaint against this zoo for things that sound exactly like what I saw: animals with untreated wounds, unsafe enclosures, no enrichment, no water. It’s almost 10 years later — why is this still happening?

It honestly felt like a prison for animals. Not a place for education or care.

And when the zoo brags that “our keepers spend more time here than with their families,” it’s not comforting. If this is the result of that time, I feel sorry for their families.

None of this reflects care. None of this reflects education. And none of it reflects compassion.

If you leave this zoo without feeling guilty, you weren’t paying attention.

#AmarilloZoo #AnimalNeglect #PetaFindings #ThisIsNotEducation #DoBetterAmarillo #FreeTheAnimals...

Your response, like all the others, is full of excuses and deflection — and several misspellings, which only adds to the feeling that you’re not really taking any of this seriously. But this isn’t about grammar. It’s about animals in your care showing clear signs of distress, while your team rushes to defend optics instead of taking responsibility.

Let’s be honest:

Parrots don’t tremble to cool down. Trembling in parrots is a well-known sign of stress, fear, or illness — not heat regulation. If Merlin was shaking in a hot building, that’s a red flag, not a normal behavior.

Peafowl molt, yes — but molting alone doesn’t explain patchy, damaged feathers unless you’re looking for a reason to ignore other possibilities, like parasites, feather-picking, or nutrition issues.

Saying rescued prairie dogs “don’t need tunnels” is misleading and dangerous. All prairie dogs — wild or not — require environmental stimulation. Denying them space to burrow or hide is psychological neglect, not rehabilitation.

Donkeys “just standing” is not a valid reason to ignore potential injury, especially when one is visibly limping. That’s not behavior — that’s suffering.

And the longhorns may have automatic water under a barn, but when guests see overturned tubs in plain view, and no water in sight, it creates a clear impression that the animals are being ignored — and that’s on you.

You expect people to ask questions while providing no on-site education, no visible staff, and no transparency. That’s not responsible — that’s evasive.

And you want us to believe that your staff "spend more time here than with their families"? If that’s true, then the conditions we saw reflect even worse — not better — on your priorities.

If I felt safe and welcome, I’d apologize to Merlin directly. But I don’t. And I won’t be back.

Instead, I’ll advocate for the animals — because someone has to. They can’t post reviews. They can’t file complaints. They can’t defend themselves from excuses dressed up as care.

If you’re truly proud of your facility, you wouldn’t be scrambling to rewrite what people saw with their own eyes. You’d...

This was seriously the saddest zoo I've ever seen, these animals are living in neglected conditions!! I've read the reviews on here and agree with alot of you. If I could give it a negative review I would! These animals don't deserve to be in this run down "zoo". I disagrees when I see responding comments saying they are complying with state and federal regulations, that is bullcrap. There was ZERO staff members to be seen anywhere! The camels humps were saggy and fur matted like they are dehydrated and uncared for, with no grass in sight for them or any other mammal. I understand its Tx and summers are hot and dry, but you cant expect to keep animals happy and healthy with these conditions. All the enclosures are way to small. The water in EVERY SINGLE enclosure had bright green algae bloom, like they haven't been filled or cleaned in a month. The donkeys were depressed and skinny like they havent ate a good meal in a while. The city of Amarillo needs to shut this zoo down. I have contacted several new channels in hopes that this is brought to the publics attentions. These poor animals don't deserve to live like this. Here are some pictures I got while there, as you can see the water looks disgusting (It looks the same as other peoples pictures that were here months prior to me) The camels humps are literally leaning to the side, the donkey is injured and the bandage looks like it's it's there for a solid month. The cows are reaching so hard for some green grass, beacuse they have zero food in their enclosure, I didn't even see water for them.. what a joke! I garnteuee you will leave here...