Locale Love: San Diego Zoo and Safari Park

I would love to have the budget and freedom to be a travel writer- and while that is not my current lot in life, I am very much blessed to live in the playground paradise that is Southern California. This place has so much to offer- sometimes at a hefty fee, sometimes completely gratis. There is a reason that for April to October it's impossible to get around on the freeway here as there are so many tourists and RVs slowing things down. I have friends who will preface plans we've made by saying things like, "there's bound to be traffic," or "expect to wait in line," to which I cheerily reply that that's the bargain I struck to live somewhere so great. With that in mind, I thought to showcase some of the local gems that keep my family engaged here- and nothing is more iconic in this area than the world renowned San Diego Zoo.

If you don't live in Southern California, you're probably thinking why should I care about this zoo (voted the #1 zoo in the world by Trip Advisor in 2015)? Simple, this zoo has an immense global presence and conservationist mission.  The mission statement in its utter simplicity is a rallying call for our planet:

San Diego Zoo Global is committed to saving species worldwide by uniting our expertise in animal care and conservation science with our dedication to inspiring passion for nature.

They proudly declare "We will lead the fight to end extinction." 

And the truth is that every single one of their employees and volunteers means it.




The zoo itself, taking up 100 acres of historic Balboa Park, in the heart of the city, is home to 3500 different animals - rare and endangered- comprised of more than 650 species and subspecies.

Koala sleeping through Jungle Bells

 In addition it is home to a massive botanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants. Such entertainments as Skyfari, Animal Encounters and my personal favorite Jungle Bells at Christmas... (where all the animals are asleep, but the park is lit up),
take a backseat in my opinion to the magic of witnessing the baby animals (recently the hippo, my favorite, or the panda).


Babies!!



What I like about this amusement park- for lack of a better term in this resort area- is that unlike other

If that bear was bigger, he'd be in real trouble. 

similar organizations, the animals are not exploited. They are not set up as a side show act, taught to dance for your pleasure. You see them mostly as you would in the wild, but in  much smaller setting. Now before you go thinking that it is wrong and unnatural to have these beautiful creatures caged up on display you should know that the majority of the animals been rescued- like the two bald eagles, grounded due to irreparable injury, or the orphaned brown bear cubs, now grown.

Caught their good sides



ZIP-LINING! I'm the tiny black dot on the right.

Separately, in North County, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, more of a wildlife sanctuary, is home to more than 3,000 animals comprised of more than 300 species, with its own botanical collection of 3,500 species and 1.75 million specimens. Over 900 of the Park’s 1,800 acres are a designated protected native species habitat. It's attractions above just the animals include a controlled balloon ride, Roar and Snore camping and my favorite- zip lining over the safari.

Condor puppet feeding hatchling

I remember having a San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research representative visit my first grade class (I won't tell you how long go, but suffice it to say two decades-ish) in Connecticut. They
brought with them a California Condor, which at that point was on the brink of extinction. As of the early 80's only around 20 of these birds were left in the wild, but a year after that classroom visit- and a decade of techniques ranging from egg snatching, bait-and-switch and strategic puppet theatre
- the first condors bred at the zoo were released into the wild. And 20ish years later the number of California Condors has grown to around 417, with 240 of those free. A similar program has been implanted with success in growing the Hawaiian bird population.





And they have had success with their Giant Panda breeding program , creating a sustainable population and influencing the Chinese government to increase the number of panda reserves.

The goon squad and I make up 3 of their half million members (making it the largest zoological society in the world). We use our passes every month or so and have renewed them every year because as they will tell you in the gift shops and cafes- the money goes back to conservation. They are a not-for -profit, so it's one of the few amusement parks where I don't smuggle in a packed lunch and don't mind buying the goons one more stuffed toy they won't play with. An added bonus for us locals is that on days like MLK, coming up, or Christmas, New Years, etc., we always have at least one place we know that is open. As the animals have to be attended to, the zoo is open every day of the year.

African Shoebill... or as I call it Tyrannosuarus Bird

While I can only visit my favorite- the hippos- at the zoo, I find that I am more drawn to the Safari Park. A few years ago, one of my best friends noticed the way I geek out around birds- I was completely oblivious to it, until she pointed out to me that I am a closet birder. The Safari Park, with its Hidden Jungle, has become a place of calm for me if I'm having a rough day. The rainbow colored birds fly overhead, and the goons and I have made a game of trying to find every different species lurking in the bushes. There are giant pelicans and shoebills from
Africa that seem like the missing link to Mesozoic dinosaurs. And even better are the elephants.

The story of their rescue and transport is definitely worth the read.

The elephants at the Safari Park were rescued from destruction as a herd. Hearing their story during my first visit to the park cemented their place in my heart.

The mechanism and organization of such an operation continues to impress and, more importantly, evolve. If spending your money in the gift shop would require a much bigger expenditure in the way of airfare, the organization has many other ways to be of service or donate. This organization is the physical representation of global conscience and stewardship of the future.