TEXAS — Condé Nast Traveler ranked two Texas zoos among the top 10 in the U.S.

Wild Australian cassowaries, a grotto of spectacled bears and Pride Plaza lemurs contributed to the San Antonio Zoo’s top 10 ranking.

Beginning in 1914, when Col. George W. Brackenridge donated animals to Brackenridge Park, the San Antonio Zoo was established.

With over 750 species (including some endangered or extinct in the wild), the San Antonio Zoo draws more than a million visitors each year.

The Fort Worth Zoo is also in the top 10 best zoos in the U.S.

The zoo is home to 542 species and has 68 endangered and threatened species on the state and federal levels.

In 1909, the Fort Worth Zoo opened with a single lion, a pair of bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock and several rabbits.

The zoo has opened 16 permanent habitats and support facilities since 1992.

Other zoos listed on the Condé Nast Traveler list include the Oakland Zoo in California, Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, The Bronx Zoo in New York, Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C., Brookfield Zoo in Illinois, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio, St. Louis Zoo in Missouri and the San Diego Zoo in California.

For more information on the San Antonio Zoo, head to this website.

To see more about the Fort Worth, head this website.