The longtime president and CEO of the Dallas Zoo has passed away.
The Dallas Zoo announced the death of Gregg Hudson on April 10 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 64 years old.
Hudson had served as the president and CEO of the zoo since 2006. He had more than 30 years of experience in animal conservation efforts, having served on boards for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, and the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center.
The Dallas Zoo is also part of conservation efforts to save wild African penguins, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Prior to coming to the Dallas Zoo, Hudson served as the executive director and CEO of the Fort Worth Zoo for 10 years and as the president and CEO of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden for five years.
Under his direction, the Dallas Zoo created the 11-acre Giants of the Savanna habitat in May 2010. The zoo later welcomed its one-millionth visitor of the year for the first time in 2015. It has maintained an annual visitor average of this number or greater since.
“His passion, tireless work ethic, and love for our zoo has cemented Gregg’s legacy here forever. We are simply heartbroken to lose such a visionary leader for the Dallas Zoo,” the zoo said in its statement on Facebook. “Our team is positioned to, and proud to, build on the foundation of success he built here at the zoo.”
Zoo officials described Hudson as a “north star” for many with whom he had interacted in his life.
“For all of his professional accomplishments, Gregg was a genuine, caring, wonderful person who built relationships easily, and held those relationships close to his heart,” said Dallas Zoo officials in the Facebook post. “He was a friend and a mentor to so many, not only here in Dallas, but across the country and around the world.”