Day 2,471 of Traveling the World | San Diego Zoo | November 7, 2024

Jan and Mike

The zoo! More specifically, the San Diego Zoo, considered one of the best in the world. 12,000 rare and endangered animals. 100 acres of natural enclosures. Zealous about conservation programs. We have seen some of these animals in their natural environments, like koalas, camels, flamingos, and ducks (duh). But many others are either too dangerous or too rare to be able to view them anywhere except a zoo.

We felt a thrill seeing some of the beautiful animals, but the thrill was filled with some dismay that they are so limited in how far they could roam. The California condor was absolutely magnificent, and the netted area above it was fairly high, but it is sad that it cannot spread its wings and soar for miles, over mountains or deserts, seeking prey. The polar bear walked back and forth over the same short route, possibly seeking cooling water from the heat with its overly warm fur coat. The only animal for which we waited in line was the panda, but all we could see was one, sitting high up on a ridge.

The zoo was exceptionally clean and inviting. The rather steep entry price goes toward conservation and upkeep of the animals, but also gets you a free guided tour tram ride around the park, with commentary about many of the animals. Also free is the aerial sky ride, but it doesn’t allow you to see many animals – it is mostly transportation from one side of the zoo to the other. Every few steps, there are volunteers to guide you and/or give you information about what you are seeing. Food and drink kiosks are everywhere, as are restrooms. They seem to have it all down to a science.

So, should you go, or should you skip it? It is a full day of walking and gawking. We felt it was spectacular, knowing the money we spent on admission and snacks went toward helping to conserve species. For example, the magnificent California condor population was down to 27 individuals in 1987. All of those in the wild were captured for breeding, and the San Diego and Los Angeles Zoos began the task of improving the world population (breeding and releasing into the wild), as they are one of the rarest species on the planet. They were successful! At the end of 2023, there were 561 individuals in the world — quite a feat. We are glad to have participated, if only just a tiny fraction.

This was the funniest photo of the day. The flamingo’s twisted pipe-like neck resting on its back while standing on one leg — so amusing. We can’t tell you why it does that, but it is amazing that it can.
This kerfuffle took place when the flamingo on the left walked right into the flamingo on the right, who was sleeping. After a little squawking and ruffling of feathers, each continued with their day.
The elephants have snacks in bags that they can access during the day. It is designed so that they have to dig a bit and do some problem-solving to be rewarded.
The koalas are coming right up!
This koala was sitting in a eucalyptus tree, of course, having lunch.
The zoo also has lots of indigenous and exotic plants, including an extensive rainforest. We thought these cacti were exceptionally lovely.
The baboons were very busy climbing and then running after each other.
There were a whole bunch of meerkats, many of them juveniles. They also were racing around in their area, and when they rested, they stood upright like this, keeping watch for predators, of course.
This camel was making loud noises that sounded like burping.
The beautiful….California condor. It is a type of vulture and eats carrion.
Isn’t she pretty?
The pacing polar bear.
Two picturesque ducks in the polar bear’s pool!
Those glorious zebra stripes are dazzling.
Hippos. Ominous. They likely would have loved to get us without the glass separating us.
A beautiful, perfect tiger.
What are they?? Highland gorillas. You can see the human-looking hand on the female on the left. The black “blob” on the right is the alpha gorilla. Both were sleeping. When the male arose to walk around, this female awoke and ran after him within a second — amazing to see!
Doesn’t he (or she!) look evil? Crocodiles seem much more devious than alligators, although either one would just love to getcha!
The giraffes looked very graceful walking around. We were told that they only live about 15 years. We also found out that giraffes in the zoo, like the other species, all have their own dentists! It isn’t anything you’d ever think about.
Greeting visitors at the entrance is this lively, leaping lion.
We saw this from the aerial sky ride, puzzling over whether it was a church. But we deduced that it was in Balboa Park, so it couldn’t be. It is the California Tower, constructed in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition and based on some churches in Mexico. It is now the Museum of Us (formerly the Museum of Man; after the George Floyd murder, it was renamed to be more inclusive).

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