The San Diego Zoo
Sure, you have a zoo in your city. It’s probably even a rather nice zoo. But odds are it’s nothing like the San Diego Zoo.
The San Diego Zoo covers 100 acres. You cannot see it all in one day, even if you hurry. It’s just that big. It’s home to 800 species, with more than 4000 animals, and more than 700,000 exotic plants.
The San Diego Zoo is one of the few in the world which has successfully bred pandas. You can watch them even when you’re not at the zoo through the panda cam, but you really will want to visit them. Expect a line, but I’ve always found it worthwhile to see these very rare animals. Pandas are not the most active of creatures, but they are beautiful.
For much of the year, the park closes around 5 or 6 p.m., but during the summer you might get to enjoy the Nighttime Zoo. The animals are often more active as the day cools off, so this is a great time to see the animals who were just resting when you saw them earlier during the day.
Monkey Trails is the newest exhibit. You can get very close to a variety of primates. The habitats are beautiful, encouraging the primates to play naturally. But there aren’t just monkeys in Monkey Trails. You’ll see a variety of other animals as well.
Polar Bear Plunge is great fun too. Above ground you can watch the polar bears play, but you can also view them under water. The bears might come check you out too. There’s a similar exhibit for the hippos.
Love predators? Check out Tiger River. You’ll get to see tigers in what looks like a very natural habitat. Tiger River is designed with a rainforest in mind. In addition to tigers, you’ll see crocodilians, a fishing cat and other animals that live in the rainforest.
I could keep going, but it’s impossible to cover the entire zoo in one page and keep things readable. However, I will note that young children will love the petting zoo. They can come up and pet a variety of barnyard animals, such as sheep and goats. They change the animals around so the animals don’t get too grumpy with the kids, but you still need to pay attention as the animals will make it clear if your child should back off.
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