San Diego Zoo

Let's talk about... The Zoo!

What: The San Diego Zoo
Where: in San Diego, at Balboa park
When: Hours vary by season, check the website
Cost: $40 per adult, $30 for children 3-11, Free for children under 3
Website: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/index.php

Last weekend we took a trip to San Diego and had the opportunity to wander around the Zoo. At first I was a little bit skeptical that a zoo could deliver $36 (it's usually $40 per adult, but I found $4-off-coupons at the hotel!) of entertainment, but I was wrong!

I felt like the Zoo experience was actually worth the money. While I still struggle with the idea of these animals being locked up in cages and living their lives in what amounts to a jail, I was amazed by many of the habitats that have been built. They are integrated and spaced in such a way that as I wandered through the pathways I started to feel like I was in a jungle or at the dessert or transported to the plains (excepting of course the bars, wires, and plexiglass).

I skipped the panda experience (due to an atrociously long line) but managed to wander through almost all of the rest of the Zoo in about 3 hours. There were a plethora of birds, the requisite creepy crawlers and slitherers, monkeys, bears, tigers, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, sleeping hippos, and so much more! As I meandered I learned about the animals; I was reminded of the amazing biodiversity of this planet and the fragile state so many of these populations exist in now. I had an opportunity to see animals I will probably never see in the wild and I feel the Zoo experience allowed me to better remember and respect these great and amazing creatures.

Scattered throughout are a few pictures of both the common and uncommon I was able to see while wandering the Zoo. Please enjoy, and if you are in San Diego looking for something to do consider adding this to your list.