The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, California is one of the largest, most famous Zoos in the world. San Diego Zoo is one of the most progressive one in the world having home for more than 4,000 rare and endangered animals and 800 species and sub species. On 100acres of parkland San Diego Park is been privately operated by the nonprofit Zoological Society of San Diego. It is leased from the City San Diego, assets and equipment, the ownership of all the animals rests with the San Diego City.

THE PAST MEMORIES:

After the 1915 Panama-California Exposition the San Diego Zoo grew out of exotic animal exhibitions. The Zoological Society of San Diego was founded by Dr. Harry Wegeforth, and initially the precedents were set by The New York Zoological Society. The ZooNooz magazine was published in the early 1925. In August 1921 the Balboa Park’s permanent land was set aside and the zoo started to move on from the year 1922.

The San Diego Zoo is one the world’s famous zoo among all the number of zoos’ due to the way they maintain their exhibits, they place all the major exhibits in the open air and the major building is the Reptile House which is on the ground.

In the year 1975 the Zoos’ Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species that’s the CRES was launched. San Diego Zoo is a great pioneer for building such a wonderful place for the animals. To reflect its mission in a better way CRES was renamed as Conservation and Research for Endangered Species in 2005.

ATTRACTIVE ASPECTS OF THE ZOO:

The San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park is also been operated by The San Diego Zoo, which displays the animals in more expansive conditions than in the zoo. Due to Species Survival Plan recommendation, Animals are been transferred in the other zoos around the world, they are also been transferred regularly in between both the parks.

The San Diego Zoo provides us with a guided tour bus that traverses near about 75% of the park. There is a gondola lift overhead known as Skyfari.  Vonroll ltd of Switzerland built the skyfari. It’s a fast way to move from one end to the other end of the zoo and have an aerial view from overhead. It is one of the famous Vonroll 101 type.

In a particular habitat, exhibits are particularly been designed. Exhibit includes the ranges from featuring Gorillas that’s from the African rain forest to the Artic tundra and taiga during summertime featuring polar bears also. The existence of some of the largest free-flight aviaries are here. Many exhibits naturally have in them darkened blinds and invisible wires to see the birds and open air moats and pools for the view of large mammals.

Zoo provides society membership over the general admission fee for only a slight premium and now nearly has 250,000 members currently. ZooNooz named zoo’s magazines subscription, guest passes and year-round re-entrance rights are been provided by the Society memberships. To maintain the animals and support zoological science, education, conservation the income used is from the attractions of the park for example the Center a research for Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES) is been maintained by it.

For many plants and animals in the zoo; cool, sunny maritime climate really suits. They have a great extensive collection of mammals, birds, reptiles besides that they have a rare collection of plant but it maintains the ground as an arboretum. Its raises some rare animal foods, for its gardening efforts, for example to feed koalos they planted 18 different varieties of eucalyptus trees, on taking a long term loan from China they raises 40 different varieties of bamboo for Pandas.

Besides the zoos normal publicity efforts and the web page efforts, Joan Embery started a short TV show since number of years.  “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and the recent one is “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” are the TV shows by Joan Emberry.

In species-preservation efforts and in conversation they are very active. Species such as Condors, Tigers, Pandas from California, Black Rhinos from Africa and a large number of endangered species are been raised by the Center for Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES). To maintain the Cryopreservation facility for rare sperm and egg known as frozen zoo; many professional employs like cytologists, veterinarians, geneticists are there.

DISPLAY OF ANIMALS:

 

• Panda Research Station; There are just four zoos in United States having Giant Pandas for a view and San Diego Zoo is one out of the four, as from September 2008, and it’s quite successful in terms of reproduction of Pandas. Female panda Hua Mei and male panda Mei Sheng are the first two giant panda cubs in the U.S history which were born in U.S and they were survived till the adulthood. They were born in San Diego Zoo in the year 1999 and 2003. After some period of time two more giant pandas named Su Lin and Zhen Zhen both are female pandas were born. Bai Yun and Gao Gao are the two resident giant pandas parents were the two female pandas were born. Its quite rare to see the view of these animal species,but In the Giant Panda Discovery Center the pandas are been displayed in such a way that the visitors can interact with the pandas and can experience how the animals smell like, look like and sounds like.
• Ituri Forest; It is one of the famous exhibits which is having different species sharing one exhibit. In the exhibit you can find animals such as Spotted Neck Otters, Allen’s Swamp Monkey and Giant Forest Buffalo coexisting and sharing exhibit with each other. Guenons a monkey specie is also been seen in the forest. The hippo exhibit which includes a great view of underwater area and several species of some exotic fishes are the most prominent inhabitants of the Ituri forest. Bongoes and colorful turaco birds are seen in the forest. 30 species of birds are staying in the forest and Congo peafowl is also been seen. Yellow trumpet trees, some Bamboo trees, Banana trees, Sausage trees are some of the horticultural highlights of the Ituri forest.
• Forest Trails and Monkey Trails; from the rainforests of Asia and Africa Monkey Trails showcases monkey and other animals. The Monkey Yard is the older exhibit for monkeys and now it is been replaced by the recent Monkey Trails which is the most recent and one of the most up to date exhibit. Monkey Trails, as the name already suggests, are home for Monkeys, such as Guenons, Mangabeys, and colorful Mandrill. The Monkey Trails showcase is not only for the monkeys itself but there are also many other animal species such as pigs like visayan warty hogs, bornean beared pigs and red river hogs. The clouded leopard is been seen in the zoos’ “Wild Ones” show and it also makes its home in the Monkey Trail. The species like slender snouted crocodiles, some species of turtles and fishes, pygmy hippos are seen in the underwater viewing areas. An African Aviary is filled with exotic birds like sociable weavers, amethyst starlings, and yellow-rumped tinkerbird. Amphibians such as green mambas, pancake tortoises, fire stinks; many species of reptiles and many species of arthropods such as scorpions, all these animals are in smaller exhibit. There are also sparrows like birds which built spectacular communal nests which resemble haystacks in the tree. Monkey Trails have some horticultural highlights such as cycads, the ever colorful bog garden and the fiscus tree.
• Polar Bear Plunge; At the San Diego Zoo one of the most famous highlights is the Polar Bear Plunge. In this area of the zoo there are over 30 species in which arrays of the animals representing the artic are the Polar Bear Plunge Houses. Tatqiq, Kalluk, Polar Bears and Chinook are the important animals of the area. Reindeer and Caribou are the two animals in the area that make there homes in the Polar Bear Plunge. Bears and Deers are been separated by huge moats but while visiting it would appear as if they are in the same exhibits to the guests. There is an underwater viewing area were we can have a beautiful view of Polar Bear Swimming,  as we walk down the Polar Bear path. Home to the diving ducks, the artic aviary lies in the same path. The long-tailed ducks, harlequin’s duck, the smew and the buffleheads are some of the diving ducks in the zoo. In the aviary houses there are more than 25 species of ducks. There are two cat species in the area one is a Pallas cat and the other is a Serval. Cat species are last stop to see along the polar bear path journey. Some of the trees along the path which can be seen are the giant redwood tree, manzanita and different types of pine trees.

ZOO: POPULAR IN WORLD:

The new Jurassic park named ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ has been made in the San Diego Zoo, the world famous zoo in the city San Diego. The work is under construction.

An album ‘The Beach Boys’ in 1966, from the San Diego Zoo they had various album photography and the cover for the Pet Sounds.

In ‘Madagascar’ a DreamWorks featured film, the Central Park Zoo animals were assumed that they were in the San Diego Zoo due to the extensive habitats and the pristine white beaches and the movie Madagascar was landed.

A song called “San Diego Zoo” is been made by ‘The 6ths’on the direction of how to get there in the zoo.

THE IN AND OUT DETAILS:

In the whole World the San Diego Zoo is having the largest number of New Guinea Singing Dogs that’s three. New Guinea Singing Dogs are extremely endangered. One dog is there for the event programs and shows and the other two are in the exhibit for breeding.

At the San Diego Zoo, with the help of Zoological facility the world’s only albino koala was born and it was named as Onya-Birri, which means ‘ghost boy’ in an Australian Aboriginal language.  Outside Australia San Diego Zoo is having the largest number of koalas.

Admissions for the children under 16 was free in 1960s and 1970s if they were been accompanied by paying adults.