Traveling somewhere can be a whirlwind of emotions that are full of excitement, hopes and worries all wrapped up into one. I currently live in San Diego, California where the sun is usually shining and there is always something to do. The best place in
San Diego, and one that I attend regularly, is The San Diego Zoo. If you ever
travel to southern California I encourage you to step into the world of
animals, life and excitement that the wonderful San Diego Zoo offers.
The San Diego Zoo
was founded on October 2, 1916, by Harry M. Wegeforth, M.D. and is located in
beautiful Balboa Park, San Diego (Zoological Society of San Diego 2012). The
park is visited by many people making it an immensely popular attraction for
tourists and residents of San Diego.
While compared to other Zoo’s in the United States, “The San Diego Zoo
ranks #2 in popularity in America”, stated by the USA Travel Guide.
When you decide upon a place to visit, whether it is a restaurant, hotel or zoo, you will formulate an evaluation upon that place ultimately choosing that place over another. The three main reasons why I chose the Zoo over ANY other place in San Diego were because of the exotic animals, the fun activities and the environmental conservations the Zoo offered.
When I first arrived at the Zoo, it was
around 10:30am and beautiful outside. For as far as I could see, there wasn’t a
single cloud in the sky. Instantly I remembered that the sun “thinks” it’s
still summer instead of fall and quickly prepared myself for the excruciating
heat. I made sure I had my water bottle and backpack full of refreshing snacks
and I set forth on my journey through the Zoo.
The main reason I
go to the Zoo is to see the lovely array of animals and because in San Diego, Ca, you won’t find tigers,
monkeys and elephants roaming the streets. How interesting that would be.
I chose this Zoo
over any other Zoo because it houses and protects over 4,000 animals and 800
different species within their natural habitats (Zoological Society of San
Diego). The animal exhibits are phenomenal and naturalistic where the animals
can feel “at home” and safe. Something I was definitely searching for when
evaluating the greatness of this Zoo.
So it’s no wonder
that, Welcome to San Diego's internet page states that, “The San Diego
Zoo is the largest and most dynamic animal parks in the world”(2010).
There are so many
different animals’ exhibits at The San Diego Zoo, that it can be a little
overwhelming at first. To house all of the 4,000 animals comfortably and as
naturally as possible, the park is about 100 acres!
When first got to the Zoo,
I got the map and planned my “attack” of the park. I tried to make sure I
viewed all of the major animal exhibits such as the giraffes, polar bears and elephants
while still seeing all the other animal friends in-between.
The giraffe exhibit is extraordinary and houses beautiful giraffes that are so sweet to watch as they roam around quietly, eating out of tall trees and snuggling their babies.
Did you know? “Giraffes are the tallest land animals and could look
into a second-story window without even having to stand on its tiptoes” (Zoological Society of San Diego 2012).
There is information like this all around the park, educating you and your family
the whole time!
One of my
all-time favorite attractions is the polar bears! The San Diego Zoo offers an
extremely unpredictable experience that you couldn’t imagine seeing, in the
beachy or extremely hot weather of San Diego. The Polar Bear Plunge is a
newly-renovated exhibit that only separates you from the Arctic by a glass
panel view room. Get an extraordinary glance into the freezing cold pools where
you can watch the polar bears play, swim and eat (Zoological Society of San
Diego 2102).
“We’re thrilled
to be able to offer this unique connection between humans and polar bears—it’s
one you won’t find in any other U.S. Zoo”. (Zoological Society of San Diego 2012)
This spectacular
event only happens every once in awhile and it is called, The Polar Bear Snow
Days. The Zoo (from a donor) empties tons of snow into the habitat and let the
Polar Bears “Jump for joy”. This is such an awesome experience for the polar
bears as well as the visitors and I really hope to see it live someday!
Another newly
redesigned animal exhibit is home to one of the largest land mammals in the
world, you guessed it, the elephant. This exhibit is huge at approximately 2.4
acres, allowing the growth and lifestyle of the amazingly massive elephants
(San Diego Zoo). This habitat has giant areas to roam, enormous “man-made”
trees to provide food and treats, and several pools of water for the elephants
to play and bathe. It is such an awesome experience to see elephants swim in
water or bathe and is truly something you want to take pictures of! And because
of this scorching day, I definitely wanted to join them in their little swim!
A friend of mine
comments on her 1 year old son’s excitement, “He is always so eager and animated to see the elephants. He
wiggles a lot in his stroller and yells “up” to get a closer look; it’s really
sweet to watch his little face”.
Whatever your
favorite animal is, I am positive the Zoo has it, and is waiting for you come
meet and see it!
By 12:30pm it was insanely hot and there was
still not a single cloud in the sky, no hope for some shelter from this intense
sun. Luckily, the Zoo prepared for the intense summers of California by
providing some luscious landscaping, comfortable benches and thirst-quenching refreshments
that will have you back on your feet in no time! Despite the heat, I knew
that there was more to see and more fun to be had, so I continued onto my
journey.
Let’s face it,
most people chose to attend a Zoo because of the amazing animals that they can
see, but there is so much, much more to this Zoo than just the animals! San
Diego is known for the remarkable city environment and stunning beaches, but
sometimes can lack that certain “whole-family” experience, unless you make a
trip to the San Diego Zoo. The
activities that the Zoo offers
are fun, exciting and educational. With the awesome double-decker bus tour, the
Children’s Zoo and the Sky Rail Ride there is definitely something “fun” for
everyone!
The first activity
that I chose to do was the double-decker guided bus tour. This tour lasts about
30 minutes and takes you through the back roads of the park, allowing for some unique
viewpoints of the animals in the exhibits. This guided bus tour is also narrated
which gave me tons of information about the animals, the park and the natural surroundings.
Sitting on the top deck of the bus gave me the advantage point to take some
AWESOME pictures of the animals I wouldn’t have been able to capture otherwise.
Along the ride
through the park, the tour guide stopped to talk about the buffalos. As she was
leaving the area, a little girl said to her mother (pretty loudly too), “I
love buffalo wings”! It was
a sweet ending to a perfect, relaxing ride!
Another fun activity
that is a PERFECT example of a “whole-family” experience is the Children's Zoo.
While this is classified as a “children’s zoo”, don’t get discouraged because families
of all ages can come and enjoy this wild and interactive experience. The
Children’s Zoo has more than 200 different animals, some of which are Spider
Monkeys, Macaws, Otters and Naked Mole-Rats. There is also the petting zoo where
children can play and touch different common farm animals, providing the
amazing interaction between animals and humans.
I loved watching the children's faces light
up with wonder as they connect with these harmless animals. Seeing these
children so happy and full of life is a truly unforgettable experience, as an
outsider, and probably even more of an amazing experience if it was your own
child.
One of the coolest
things they have at The San Diego Zoo is the Sky-Rail Ride. This is another
amazing activity the park offers that is for the entire family! When I entered
onto the "little boat in the sky", I was nervous at first but as I experienced
the beautiful sight and cool breeze, I relaxed and enjoyed the ride! This
birds-eye view is so exciting and jaw dropping, you will just want to ride it
over and over again-I definitely wanted to! Also, the fun thing about the Sky-Rail
Ride is that you will start at one end of the park and cross over to the other
side of the park, using it as a fantastic way to view the Zoo from the sky and
also save your feet from walking across the entire park! What a fantastic idea!
As I was nearing the end of my day here at
the wonderful San Diego Zoo, I felt alive, knowledgeable and excited to have chosen
this place to visit. Even though it was an intense day, full of a little
too-much sunshine and 100 acres to walk and explore, I couldn’t have imagined
spending my day anywhere else and cannot wait to return. I plan to check out
the many different shows, attractions and exhibits that I could not attend to
this time around, and hopefully get a whole-other experience!
While at the
park, you will continuously read signs and gain information on The San Diego
Zoo’s conservation efforts. From the drinking fountains that conserve water to
the recycle bins placed everywhere, you can tell they are on top of their game.
Even the spoons that you receive when you order ice-cold frozen lemonade (one
that I enjoyed very, very much) are made with bio-degradable materials including
corn!
I loved reading
the signs about all the animals they have helped bring back from near death and
provided them with the ultimate gift, life.
The Condor is a huge, black bird that mainly lives in California. According to the Global Wildlife, "In 1982, only 22 birds remained in the wild, and the species was in imminent danger of extinction" (2012). So after tons of research, work and endurance, as of April 30, 2012 the Global Wildlife of San Diego Zoo brought the number of 22 birds to an astounding 405 (Global Wildlife 2012)!
The main
conservation the Zoo attributes to is “Saving animals from the brink of
extinction” (San Diego Zoo
Global 2012). Using science and behavioral studies the Zoo has brought many
animals out of the danger zone and into a zone of hope.
As well as the wonderful Condor birds, the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservation has also made a huge impact on the world of the panda bears. They have officially increased the number of 25 pandas to 100 pandas in only a few short years, as well as, contributed their resources to other countries making that number even higher (Global Wildlife 2012).
References
Harcourts Pacific
Realty (2010). You Belong at the Zoo. 620 1st Avenue San Diego, Ca
92101. Retrived from http://www.welcometosandiego.com/explore-san-diego-attractions/san-diego-attractions/the-san-diego-zoo/
San Diego Zoo
Institute for Conservation Research (2012). 15600 San Pasqual Valley Road
Escondido,
California 92027. Retrieved
from http://www.sandiegozooglobal.org/overview
Steven (2010,
February 10). The Top 10 Zoos in America. Retrieved from http://www.wrsol.com/usatravelguide/2009/02/top10zoosinamerica/
U.S. News Travel (2012). The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. 1050 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, 4th Floor. Retrieved from http://travel.usnews.com/San_Diego_CA/Things_To_Do/San_Diego_Zoo_46770/
Zoological
Society of San Diego (2012). P.O. Box 120551, San Diego CA 92112-0551, USA. Retrieved from http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo
All pictures are property of San Diego Zoo's website.
Some pictures I took while at the Zoo:
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