SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – Yesterday, I walked through a USDA Biocontainment facility in San Francisco. I even took my kids!
When most people picture a high-security government lab when they hear that phrase. In reality, any U.S. site that imports living organisms capable of harming agriculture or ecosystems must meet strict U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA/APHIS) containment rules–basically, they need lots of movie-like tech to keep those critters inside the facility so they don’t go out and mess with native species.
And here in San Francisco at the California Academy of Sciences, our city happens to have the one of the most dramatic and accessible ones in the world: the Osher Rainforest.
Inside Golden Gate Park’s California Academy of Sciences, a 90-foot-tall glass sphere keeps temperatures near 85 °F and humidity above 70 percent, mimicking Borneo, Madagascar, and Costa Rica all at once.
More than 1,600 animals—250 free-flying birds, hundreds of butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, and even a 100,000-gallon Amazon Flooded Forest tank—call the dome home.
Because many of those butterflies and other invertebrates come from overseas farms, the entire rainforest is built to USDA specs. Again, there’s some pretty neat, high tech stuff going on here!
- Air-lock vestibules prevent hitchhiking insects from escaping with visitors.
- Fine-mesh screening covers every vent and drain.
- Daily emergence-chamber checks ensure no contaminated cocoons slip through.
- Quarterly USDA inspections (and surprise spot checks) audit logs, waste-handling, and staff protocols.
Why it’s the coolest containment facility on the planet
You can walk through it!
Most USDA-regulated spaces are behind glass or in big, anonymous warehouses in the middle of nowhere.
Here you’re in the habitat. You get a layer-cake view of the tropics. A spiral ramp winds from flooded Amazon floor to Borneo treetops—then an elevator plunges back under the river so you exit inside the aquarium.
In late 2023 the dome closed for a three-month, top-to-bottom scrub: 90 percent of exhibits were bleached, replanted, and upgraded before 463 fresh butterfly pupae moved in.
Visitor tips
- Go early—the first hour is when newly emerged butterflies make their maiden flights.
- Bring layers; 85 °F inside feels tropical compared with foggy Golden Gate Park.
- Watch your step; USDA rules require staff to ask you to check for stowaways on clothing at the exit air-lock.
Cal Academy: 55 Music Concourse Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118
