| 7th | Top gondola lifts |
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 Entrance to the zoo with an elephant topiary |
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| Date opened | 1915 |
| Location | Balboa Park, San Diego, California, USA |
| Land area | 107 acres (0.4 km²) |
| Coordinates | 32°44′8.508″N 117°9′5.6628″W / 32.73569667°N 117.151573°W |
| Number of animals | 4000 |
| Number of species | 950 |
| Memberships | AZA |
| Major exhibits | Absolutely Apes, Children's Zoo, Elephant Odyssey, Giant Panda Research Station, Ituri Forest, Monkey Trails, Polar Bear Plunge |
| Website | http://www.sandiegozoo.org/ |
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species. It is also one of the few zoos in the world that houses the giant panda.[1] It is privately operated by the nonprofit Zoological Society of San Diego on 107 acres (0.43 km2) of parkland leased from the City of San Diego, and ownership of all animals, equipment and other assets rests with the City of San Diego.
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The San Diego Zoo grew out of exotic animal exhibitions abandoned after the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth founded the Zoological Society of San Diego, meeting October 2, 1916, and initially following precedents set by the New York Zoological Society. A permanent tract of land in Balboa Park was set aside in August 1921, and the zoo began to move in the following year. The publication ZooNooz commenced in early 1925.
Frank Buck went to work as temporary director for the San Diego Zoo on June 13, 1923, signed to a three year contract by Dr. Wegeforth. Dr. William T. Hornaday, director of the Bronx Zoo, had recommended Buck for the job. But Buck quickly clashed with the strong-willed Wegeforth and left the zoo after three months to return to animal collecting.[2]
After several other equally short-lived zoo directors, Dr. Wegeforth appointed the zoo's bookkeeper, Belle Benchley, to the position of executive secretary, in effect zoo director; she was given the actual title of zoo director a few years later. She served as zoo director from 1925 until 1953. For most of that time she was the only female zoo director in the world. She was succeeded as director by Dr. Charles Schroeder.
Until the 1960s, admission for children under 16 was free regardless of whether they were accompanied by a paying adult.
The San Diego Zoo has been a pioneer in building "cageless" exhibits. The zoo's Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES) was founded in 1975 at the urging of Dr. Kurt Benirschke, who became its first director. CRES was renamed the division of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species in 2005 to better reflect its mission. In 2009 CRES was significantly expanded to become the Institute for Conservation Research.[3]
The zoo is extremely active in conservation and species-preservation efforts. Its Institute for Conservation Research (formerly the Center for the Reproduction for Endangered Species) raises California Condors, Pandas, Tigers, African Black Rhinos and a large number of other endangered species. Many species are bred in captivity for release into their native habitats where appropriate. It employs numerous professional geneticists, cytologists and veterinarians and maintains a cryopreservation facility for rare sperm and eggs called the Frozen zoo.
The zoo offers a guided tour bus that traverses 75% of the park. There is an overhead gondola lift called the Skyfari, providing an aerial view of the zoo. The Skyfari was built in 1969 by the Von Roll tramway company of Bern, Switzerland.The San Diego Zoo Skyfari is a Von Roll type 101.
Exhibits are often designed around a particular habitat. The same exhibit features many different animals that can be found side-by-side in the wild, along with native plant life. Exhibits range from an African rain forest (featuring gorillas) to the Arctic taiga and tundra in the summertime (featuring polar bears). Some of the largest free-flight aviaries in existence are here. Many exhibits are "natural" with invisible wires and darkened blinds (to view birds), and pools and open-air moats (for large mammals).
The San Diego Zoo also operates the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park, which displays animals in a more expansive setting than at the Zoo. Animals are regularly exchanged between the two locations, as well as between San Diego Zoo and other zoos around the world, usually in accordance with Species Survival Plan recommendations.
The San Diego Zoo is one of the world's few major zoos to have almost all of its major exhibits be open-air; in fact, the only major exhibition building on grounds is the Reptile House.
The cool, sunny maritime climate is well suited to many plants and animals. Besides an extensive collection of birds, reptiles and mammals, it also maintains its grounds as an arboretum, with a rare plant collection. As part of its gardening effort, it raises some rare animal foods. For example, the zoo raises 40 varieties of bamboo for the pandas on long-term loan from China, and it maintains 18 varieties of eucalyptus trees to feed its koalas.
The San Diego Zoo, although relatively small in terms of acreage, has one of the largest and most varied animal collections in the world.
Its keepers are unionized.
Monkey Trails and Forest Tales Monkey Trails showcases monkeys and other animals from the rainforests of Asia and Africa. It replaced the older exhibit known as the Monkey Yard. Monkey Trails is home primarily to monkeys such as guenons, mangabeys and the colorful mandrill, but it also showcases many other species of animals, such as pigs like red river hogs, bornean bearded pigs, and Visayan Warty Pigs. The elusive clouded leopard also makes his home in Monkey Trails. Clouded leopards can also be seen in the zoo's "Wild Ones" show. Pygmy hippos, slender-snouted crocodiles, and many species of turtles and fish can be seen in a series of water/land exhibits all with underwater viewing areas. The African Aviary is home to many colorful birds such as the amethyst starling, Tinkerbirds and the sociable weaver. In smaller exhibits are many reptiles and amphibians such as Pancake tortoises, green mambas, fire skinks, and many species of arthropods such as scorpions. Monkey Trails utilizes a new method of displaying tree climbing animals- by climbing up an elevated walkway throughout the exhibit. Some of the horticultural highlights in Monkey Trails include a ficus tree, cycads, and the ever colorful bog garden.
Panda Research Station As of September, 2008, the San Diego Zoo is one of four zoos in the U.S. which have giant pandas on display, and is the most successful in terms of panda reproduction. The first two giant panda cubs in U.S. history to have been born in the U.S. and survive into adulthood, Hua Mei (female, born to Bai Yun and Shi Shi) and Mei Sheng (male, born to Bai Yun and Gao Gao), were born at the San Diego Zoo, in 1999 and 2003 respectively. Both have since been moved to China, in 2004 and 2007 respectively. Since then, three more giant panda cubs, Su Lin and Zhen Zhen (both females, Zhen Zhen meaning "Precious"), and Yun Zi (Male, "Son of Cloud"),[4] have been born to the resident giant panda parents Bai Yun and Gao Gao. In addition to being able to view this rare animal species, the Giant Panda Discovery Center nearby has interactive exhibits that let the visitor experience first hand what the animals smell and sound like.
Polar Bear Plunge Polar Bear Plunge houses over 30 species representing the Arctic. The main animals in the area are the three polar bears, named Kalluk, Chinook and Tatqiq. Another animal that makes its home in Polar Bear Plunge is the reindeer or caribou. A large moat separates the bears and the deer, but to the guests it would appear that they are in one exhibit, making it more similar to the wild. An underwater viewing area is available to observe the polar bears swimming. Further down the path lies the arctic aviary, home to the Diving ducks including buffleheads, Harlequin duck, the smew and long-tailed ducks. The aviary houses more than 25 species of duck. The last stop on the polar journey is to look at the two cat species in the area, a Pallas cat and a Serval. Some of the horticultural highlights include giant redwood trees, many different pine trees, and manzanita. As of February 2010, Polar Bear Plunge is currently under renovation, and will reopen March 26th, 2010.
Ituri Forest Based upon the real Ituri Forest in Africa, this exhibit houses different animal species from the forests of Africa. Animals such as Allen's Swamp Monkey, guenons, Spotted-necked Otters, and giant African Forest Buffalo can be found coexisting within the exhibit. One of the highlights of the African adventure are the okapis grazing from the trees. These relatives of the giraffe are rarely seen in zoos and are scarcely witnessed in the wild. Some of Ituri Forest's most prominent inhabitants exist within the hippo exhibit, which includes an underwater viewing area and several species of exotic fish, like tilapia. One can also see bongoes and colorful turacos. In the forest, over 30 species of birds reside, including the congo peafowl. Some of the horticultural highlights include banana trees, sausage trees, yellow trumpet trees and even some bamboo.
Elephant Odyssey This exhibit opened on May 26, 2009 in the area once known as Hoof and Horn Mesa. The main feature of the exhibit is the 2.5-acre elephant habitat—more than 3 times the size of the Zoo's former elephant exhibit, in what used to be Elephant Mesa (now the "Urban Jungle"). The herd includes one male (Ranchipur) and eight females (Tembo, Devi, Sumithi, Cha Cha, Mary, Cookie, Tina, and Jewel) and blends the Zoo's herd of one African and two Asian elephants with the Wild Animal Park's four Asian Elephants. Two elephants, Tina and Jewel, were brought to the zoo August 22, 2009. Elephant Odyssey also features a glimpse of the past with the Fossil Portal and life-size statues of ancient creatures of Southern California next to the exhibits of their modern-day counterparts. The ancient life represented include the Columbian Mammoth, the saber-tooth cat, the American lion, the Daggett's eagle, and the Giant Ground Sloth. Elephant Odyssey's other animal exhibits include African lions, jaguars, tapirs, guanacos, tree sloths, Secretary birds, dung beetles, turtles, frogs, camels, pronghorn, horses, rattlesnakes, and for the first time at the Zoo, the California condor.
The first ever YouTube video was shot in San Diego Zoo and was uploaded to it on, April 23, 2005, by the co-creator, Jawed Karim.
 Caribbean Flamingo pool |
 Maloo (born April 10, 2001) is a Queensland Koala |
 Buergers' Tree-kangaroo |
 Two Addax |
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Balboa Park-Hillcrest is an area of San Diego, located in the heart of the city just north of Downtown. Balboa Park [1] is a massive urban park with beautiful open spaces, gardens and vegetation, the renowned San Diego Zoo, the historic Old Globe Theatre, and numerous museums. Hillcrest, just to the northwest of Balboa Park, is a dense urban community that has recently undergone a lot of gentrification and is home to many locally-owned businesses and most of San Diego's gay nightlife.
Being in the heart of the city, Balboa Park and Hillcrest are accessible by a number of major streets. Park Boulevard runs north-south through the park and the eastern edge of Hillcrest, connecting to Downtown to the south. 5th and 6th Avenues also provide a direct connection to the area, where one can continue north to Hillcrest or into Balboa Park via Laurel Street/El Prado over the Cabrillo Bridge. Laurel Street continues west towards the San Diego International Airport. Washington Street and University Avenue provide the major connection through Hillcrest, connecting to neighborhoods east and west.
SR-163 runs north-south through the neighborhood, connecting Hillcrest to Downtown to the south and Mission Valley to the north. However, there is no direct connection into Balboa Park from SR-163.
Parking can be very congested however, parking is available if you look in the right places. Parking lots are located throughout Balboa Park. There are two large parking lots in the park. One is for the San Diego Zoo and one is at Inspiration Point (on the east side of Park Boulevard north of Presidents Way), which is served by a free tram which connects the lot to many of the museums in Balboa Park. The tram runs 8:30AM-6PM daily, with extended hours during the summer. On-street metered parking is also available and can be paid for with coins and pre-paid Parking Meter Cards. Soon many meters will also accept credit or debit cards.
The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) [2] operates buses in San Diego, which can be a good way to avoid parking hassles. The MTS has one line which directly serves Balboa Park, the Route 7, a frequent service which runs along Park Boulevard and connects Balboa to downtown to the south and several neighborhoods to the northeast. Hillcrest is quite well connected, with routes running south to downtown (along the western edge of Balboa Park) and in other directions.
2920 Zoo Drive (off of Park Blvd at Zoo Place), +1 619 231-1515, [19]. 9AM–4PM (extended hours in the summer). $35 adults, $26 children, free for children under three (includes Guided Bus Tour and Bus/Aerial Tram rides; multi-park passes including admission to the San Diego Wild Animal Park and Sea World are also available).
An absolutely enormous and world-renowned zoological institution, the San Diego Zoo showcases more than 4,000 rare and endangered animals, including many exotic animals from all over the world, such as apes, hippos, polar bears, tigers, bears, lions, elephants, koalas, kangaroos, zebras, reptiles, hundreds of species of birds, and a whole lot of species of animals that are less well-known. The San Diego Zoo also has one of the largest populations of giant pandas outside of Asia.
The many expansive and well-designed exhibits throughout the park provide a natural setting for the zoo's animals, such as large bird aviaries, Polar Bear Plunge (a large arctic area), Ituri Forest (an African rain forest), Panda Research Station, Tiger River, Absolutely Apes, Wings of Australia, Reptile Mesa, a Children's Zoo (with a lot of farm animals), and many more specialized areas. The terrain of the park, with plateaus, steep canyons, and wide flat areas, creates an expansive setting with many hidden corners and less-beaten paths.
The zoo is so large that you really need to devote several hours to seeing it all. Visiting in the winter will mean fewer crowds and cooler weather, but visiting in the summer has the benefit of extended hours. Buses provide a way to get around the zoo. A special guided bus tour using double-decker buses takes you around much of the zoo without stopping, while the Express Buses (both double and single-decker) allow you to get on and off in different parts of the zoo. In addition, the Skyfari aerial tram provides a quick shortcut to get from one side of the zoo clear out to the other, providing magnificent views of the zoo. If you decide to walk around, moving walkways make traversing some of the steeper sections easier.
Most of the museums in Balboa Park contain gift shops specializing in merchandise and items specific to that museum, like art shops at the art museums, science toys at the science museums, zoo stuff at the zoo, etc. There's also a general gift shop at the Balboa Park Visitors Center in the House of Hospitality, where you can purchase postcards and the like. In addition, the Spanish Village Art Center contains a number of art studios where you can purchase arts and crafts directly from the artist.
The Thursday Club, in Balboa Park, is one of the largest antique markets in the city and is held annually, usually sometime in March. Crowds start lining up for this event early in the morning, and bargains galore can always be found at this very well attended event.
Expect food to be overpriced in Balboa Park. Most food options in the park revolve around museum cafes, as there aren't many stand-alone restaurants in the park. You can find a cafe in the Casa de Balboa building, the House of Hospitality, the Natural History Museum, the Science Center, the Old Globe Theater, the Sports Museum, and the Museum of Art. A tea pavilion is located at the Japanese Friendship garden, just south of the House of Hospitality. There are also snack carts located around Balboa Park. The San Diego Zoo also provides a number of eating options.
Hillcrest, on the other hand, has numerous fine restaurants:
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File:San Diego Zoo entrance Entrance to the zoo with an elephant sculpture | |
| Date opened | 1915 |
|---|---|
| Location | Balboa Park, San Diego, California, USA |
| Land area | 100 acres (0.4 km²) |
| Coordinates | 32°44′8.508″N 117°9′5.6628″W / 32.73569667°N 117.151573°W |
| Number of animals | 4000 |
| Number of species | 950 |
| Memberships | AZA |
| Major exhibits | Absolutely Apes, Monkey Trails, Ituri Forest, Polar Bear Plunge, Giant Panda Research Station, Cat Canyon, Children's Zoo, Reptile Mesa |
| Website | http://www.sandiegozoo.com/ |
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California is one of the largest zoos in the world with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species. It is also one of the few zoos in the world that houses the giant panda.[1] And, one of the few places in Southern California to feature an Arctic Landscape.[2]
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   | San Diego Zoo - Welcome to the San Diego Zoo |
| | San Diego Zoo Panda Cam - San Diego Zoo Exhibit: Panda Cam at the Giant Panda Research Station |
| | Faces of the San Diego Zoo - Faces of the San Diego Zoo |
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