ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The next time you head out to the Albuquerque BioPark, you’ll see much more than the just the animals.

The ABQ BioPark is now a Certified Autism Center, recognizing their work to create a more inclusive and soothing experience.

Quiet zones and sensory guides are just a sneak peak as to what’s to come to the BioPark. There’s much more than just making their space inclusive to everyone too. They started with getting a handful of their staff trained on autism specific training.

“We’re opening the doors in a really welcoming way to make sure people feel comfortable when they come to the BioPark and they feel confident that they can experience it,” said Allyson Zahm, the guest experience manager at the BioPark.

Zahm added the BioPark is the first and only Certified Autism Center in Albuquerque.

“80% of our staff have gone through training so they know how to recognize and serve folks who have sensory processing disorders who are neurodivergent or who are on the autism spectrum,” she said.

Zahm said the BioPark will add more sensory friendly events. They will also have an hour every month for the BioPark to “slow down.”

“The BioPark will be kind of slowed down, quieted down and less stimulating so they can have a really comfortable visit,” she said.

You won’t see them now but pretty soon they’ll be adding sensory guides. The guides rank on a scale of 0-10 on how stimulating an area is. That includes touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight.

“For example, a penguin chill ranks as a five on the smell because it’s really fishy in there and Australian shore ranks at a three because of sound. We have some video and some music playing,” Zahm said.

Zahm said the BioPark will also have dedicated quiet zones set aside for to take a moment to reset. They’re hoping to make the whole park inclusive for everyone.

“One thing that we’ve noticed, as we’ve done sensory-friendly events, is that inclusion really fosters inclusion. We find that, when we do a sensory friendly event, others folks take advantage of it, because it serves a need that they have,” she said.

While the sensory guides haven’t gone up yet, she said you can get those at the front desk. You can take them along with you through the park.