A day at the San Diego Zoo

We arrived in San Diego on the 14th day of our trip, and one of the things we really wanted to do was the Zoo. We have mixed feelings about zoos, but the SD Zoo is considered one of the best in the world, and we feel they have done a responsible job of balancing human entertainment with education, and of actively working to sustain and protect the wildlife of the world. Every exhibit has sustainability tags, so you know how endangered the animal is, and in some cases, there really are only a few animals of the species left in the world. One major item that was a surprise to us was that the plants were just as important to the Zoo (tropical plants, cacti, etc.) and it was just the same where this plant might be one of the last in the world. They included information on their work with conservation organizations to cultivate more and share with other countries or zoos around the world.

First off was a grand tour of the zoo by double decker bus that gave us a bird's eye view of the zoo (so we could plan the day and figure out how to see most of the zoo - it is huge). We also got to see two cut little newborn Sloth Bear cubs, which is very rare event and many of the zoo staff had never seen before! We were not able to get a great picture of the cubs, but this is the dad, lounging in his hammock. ❤️

Next up was making sure we saw the Giant Pandas! There are 2 of them there on loan from China - the male Yun Chuan (yoon chu-an) and female Xin Bao (sing bao). The first time we went see them they were sound asleep. But we tried again at the end of day and enjoyed watching Xin Bao thoroughly enjoy eating a big batch of bamboo.

We also also signed up for behind the scenes animal experience/enrichment program that allowed some focused time with some of the zoo's ambassadors. As you can see below Liz had a great time! It was SO worth it!

We spent a good deal of time walking and exploring nearly the whole zoo. It was a fun, full day that started at 9am sharp and we left at closing time of 5pm. Here are a few of the animals we enjoyed seeing, most of them in really lovely, large enclosures. Cheetah, Okapi, Coatis, Hippos, Flamingoes, Zebras, Red Pandas!, Koalas, and more!

We did a quick ride on the sky tram! It had a great view of the park and offered a very quick way to get to the other side of the zoo.

Finally, the last photo of where it all began.

We really did enjoy both the Safari park and Zoo. It certainly brought back old memories and the desire to see animals in their natural habitat (Africa!).