About the African Forest

Your adventure begins as you enter the African Forest, trekking down a path that emerges into a village trading outpost. You explore the small, round huts that surround a fire pit. As you wind your way into the forest, drums pound in the distance, and you find an indoor chimpanzee study site with a huge glass wall for observation. The chimps enjoy watching you as much as you study them. As you depart, you walk through a rocky tunnel, and a clearing suddenly emerges. You see white rhino relaxing in the sun. As you walk further, your stomach rumbles, and luckily, there’s a restaurant just around the corner. As you eat, you observe elegant Masai giraffes, zebra, and ostriches.

Behind the Scenes

Meet Alissa
Alissa has been at the zoo since 2001. She has worked with our chimpanzees since the first day they arrived.

Meet John
John is a Ranger at the Houston Zoo. Look for John and other Rangers (the ones dressed in red) at the giraffe feeding platform daily.

Meet Kim
Kim has been a Hoofed Stock keeper at Houston Zoo for almost 6 years, but has been a zookeeper for 10.

Did You Know?

A male giraffe is called a bull, a female is called a cow, and a baby giraffe is called a calf.

Rhino Webcam

The African Forest features webcams that allow you to see our gorillas, chimps, giraffes, and rhinos in their habitats at the Houston Zoo.

All About Giraffes!

African Forest Fun Facts

• The word rhinoceros comes from the Greek rhino (nose) and ceros (horn).
• Rhino horns are made of keratin, the same material that makes up your hair and fingernails.
• The scientific name of the giraffe is ‘Camelopardalis’. The etymology of this name can be traced to a belief that a giraffe was a cross between a camel (height) and a leopard (coat pattern).