Daryl Hoffman was not a big fan of elephants when he first got into zoology.
The Buffalo, New York native recalls thinking the large mammals were stinky and wrinkly, noting that people who worked with elephants often smelled like them for hours afterward.
Almost 30 years later, however, Hoffman is known around the world for his work with the majestic animal — and they’ve become one of his all-time favorite species for their gentle nature and high level of intelligence.
Now Hoffman has brought his decades of experience to the San Antonio Zoo, where he is the new vice president of animal care. He officially began in the role last month, succeeding Alan Kardon, who held the position for 48 years before retiring last year.
Hoffman’s appointment comes at a transformative time for the San Antonio Zoo, which plans to reintroduce Asian elephants and open a new gorilla exhibit later this year, bringing gorillas back to the city for the first time since the 90s.
Hoffman, who served as the vice president of living collections for the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium from 2022 to 2024, also previously spent 16 years as the curator of large mammals at the Houston Zoo, and before that, spent 15 years at the Buffalo Zoo as a lead keeper for elephants, rhinos and sea lions.
“There are few places that would have gotten us to move so soon from Pittsburgh and away from family,” Hoffman said. “I have followed the progress of the San Antonio Zoo over the past several years and I am impressed with the progress and direction the zoo has been going. The zoo is very progressive, and I look forward to being a part of the team to help move the zoo forward and grow.”
Hoffman joked that his wife was also looking forward to getting back to Texas far away from the snowy winters in the Northeast.
But mostly, Hoffman says he is excited to work with Tim Morrow, the president and CEO of the San Antonio Zoo, who he’s known through his work with elephants. Morrow took over zoo operations in December 2014, after spending 24 years in the theme park industry, including Sea World San Antonio and Fiesta Texas.
Hoffman serves as a board member of the International Elephant Foundation and the executive director of the Elephant Managers Association.
“We are thrilled to welcome Daryl Hoffman and his extensive background to San Antonio Zoo as we continue to grow and improve,” Morrow said. “With the zoo’s current momentum and significant projects on the horizon, this is the perfect time to bring Daryl to San Antonio. His expertise will undoubtedly enhance the exciting future ahead for our zoo.”
Hoffman sat down to talk with the San Antonio Report about his new role and his goals at the San Antonio Zoo.
The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Q: When did you realize you want to work with animals?
A: So I went to school for something totally irrelevant to animals. Actually, I was in architectural design stuff which helps now, I can read blueprints, and all that — I never thought that it would come together like it did, but really went to school to play soccer. I played soccer at a very high level, injured myself, lost my ride, and at one point, mom said, ‘You’ve got to do something. You’ve got to get out of the house, go to school, do something.’ And I was lucky that at the time, Niagara Community College in Buffalo was one of only two colleges in the whole country that had animal zoo focused curriculum. And I came across it just looking through the course curriculum and I started at the Buffalo Zoo in the program, which was two days a week at the zoo. It was pretty cool, I got hired right after that.
Q: How did you get involved with elephants? And when did you fall in love with them?
A: So my boss made me work elephants in Buffalo, and it was because it was the only area I didn’t know. There may have been some kicking and screaming involved on my part, but you know what? Once I was in there, it didn’t take long to realize how amazing these guys are, and what a relationship you can build with the elephants. It really is a two way communication, they’re, hands down, some of the most intelligent animals I’ve ever been around, and I spent a lot of time with great apes — they’re definitely the most human-like, but I swear a lot of the elephants I’ve been around are smarter than the people that take care of them. They’re amazing animals, and there’s a lot of cooperative working together.
Q: Tell us about this new role and what drew you to the San Antonio Zoo. What were you excited about specifically here?
A: When this position opened — I’ve known Tim for a long time. We’ve overlapped in some things professionally, and I’ve always admired all that he does for the zoo and how forward facing this zoo is on everything they do. I’m not a social media guy, and he’s awesome at it. Like it literally blows up my feeds. I love that aspect how transparent, how innovative, how forward facing this zoo is, and just the progress and how things have changed here, because I used to come here and help with the elephant years ago, and it’s a different place than it was before Tim got here. And so I liked all those aspects of it. I like the direction it’s going, and I wanted to be a part of this team that helps build and move this zoo forward.
