Conservation Message For All

MOODY GARDENS RAINFOREST PYRAMID SHARES IMPORTANT CONSERVATION MESSAGE FOR ALL

GALVESTON, Texas – Guests to the Moody Gardens Rainforest Pyramid are able to engage with a tree-top canopy entrance, exciting animal exhibits and more than 1,700 exotic plants as a breathtaking tribute to the world’s vanishing rainforests and its inhabitants. Guests to the Rainforest Pyramid experience the spectacular wonders of life in a way few other U.S. attractions offer. As they begin their journey through the pyramid, they are greeted by curious and playful members of the largest otter species — the Giant Amazon River Otters — a critically endangered species found in captivity at only a handful of other zoos in all of North America. Guests enter the heart of the rainforest at treetop level as they venture across a 300-foot-long walkway for a closer look at the plants and animals that thrive in the rainforest canopy. On this canopy bridge, which elevates guests to 35 feet above the ground, they encounter a variety of animals including Rodrigues fruit bats, free-roaming White-Faced Saki Monkeys and dozens of bird species including the Scarlet Ibis, butterflies, a cloud forest amphibian exhibit and much more. At ground level, guests will follow lushly landscaped trails through the Asian, American and African regions of the rainforest. Here guests see even more animals like the Giant Anaconda, Vampire Bats, Ocelot, Blue Duikers and Komodo Dragons, and if they look close a Two-Toed Sloth, in their native habitats. In 2010-2011, the Rainforest Pyramid completed more than $25 million in improvements following damage caused by Hurricane Ike. While the redesigned pyramid is certainly entertaining, it also conveys an important message about protecting the rainforest. Around the world, this indispensable ecosystem is vanishing at alarming rates. More than 12 million acres of rainforest lands are lost each year due to cattle farming, logging and other trade and development. Rainforest guests can easily see how deeply deforestation impacts the lives of millions of rainforest plants, animals and people. This unique attraction is essential in fulfilling the Moody Gardens conservation and education missions and is a token of gratitude to the disappearing rainforests of the world. “Anyone who has seen this exhibit before will be amazed at the transformation,” said John Zendt, president and CEO of Moody Gardens, who added that visitors continue to share appreciation for how the rainforests is interpreted as a fun and educational experience. “These enhancements have created a richer experience and a deeper understanding of the role of rainforests in our world.” For more information call 409-744-4673 or visit www.moodygardens.org. Moody Gardens® is a public, non-profit, educational destination utilizing nature in the advancement of rehabilitation, conservation, recreation, and research.

###