The San Antonio Zoo’s new front entrance opened late last year. Credit: Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Zoo

The San Antonio is jumping into the crypto game after announcing this week that the nonprofit will begin accepting donations in digital currency.

The zoo’s new donation system is a partnership with The Giving Block, a nonprofit donation platform that specializes in crypto donations including Bitcoin, Ethereum and USD Coin. Other than crypto, the San Antonio Zoo will also be accepting stock and Donor-Advised Funds as part of its partnership.

“More and more people are utilizing digital currencies, and the current administration is bolstering the significance of digital assets,” San Antonio Zoo President and CEO Tim Morrow said in a statement. “Thanks to the Giving Block platform that we have added, donating cryptocurrency to the zoo is now quick and easy, and it’s another great way to help us grow.”

The San Antonio Zoo got the idea to start accepting crypto after someone unaffiliated with the zoo made and began trading a meme coin dubbed TUPI in honor of the zoo’s first capybara born within its walls since 2000.

The Zoo will use an auto-sale feature with all donated cryptocurrency, exchanging the digital asset for cash instantly at fair market value.

Folks interested in donating can do so by visiting the San Antonio Zoo’s website.

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This article appears in Mar 5-18, 2025.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...