San Diego Zoo

What are the highlights of the San Diego Zoo?

The San Diego Zoo is known for its variety of rare and endangered animals, including many successful breeding and conservation projects. The park is divided into different enclosures and sections. Some of the most popular of these include Africa Rocks, Australian Outback, Lost Forest and Elephant Odyssey. You can expect to see koalas, kangaroos, leopards, giraffes, mountain lions and Sumatran tigers among the 3,700 animals.

In particular, the Australian Outback exhibition is one of the most well-known. The zoo received the first 2 koalas in the US, donated from Australia in 1925. It now has the largest colony of koalas and the most successful breeding programme outside Australia.

There are several programmes that you can join at the San Diego Zoo. Special tours, such as animals in action and early morning experiences, as well as educational visits and field trips, are among its most popular offerings. A good way of exploring San Diego Zoo is by joining its 35-minute Guided Bus Tour, which provides an overview of the entire park.

A brief history of San Diego Zoo

The world-renowned San Diego Zoo has an interesting and long history. It began as an idea of physician Dr Harry Wegeforth, who discovered that a lion had been left behind from the exotic animal exhibition at the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park. From this, Dr Harry formed the Zoological Society of San Diego along with his brother. They assumed responsibility for all the animals left from the exposition which included wolves, coyotes, bears, monkeys and lions.

The city of San Diego formally granted Dr Harry land inside Balboa Park in 1921, who then began charging visitors 10 cents for admission from 1923. He appointed Belle Benchley the position of zoo director in 1925, a position which she filled until 1953. For most of that time, she was the only female zoo director in the world. The zoo has been one of the world's leaders in "cageless" exhibitions, with the first lion area without enclosed cages opening in 1922.

Good to know about San Diego Zoo

Walking is the main form of transport in the San Diego Zoo. There are many walking trails throughout the enclosures and maps provided at the entrance so you can plan your visit. Alternatively, the Express Bus stops at different parts of the zoo so you can reach certain areas quickly.

There are plenty of services and amenities within the zoo boundary, including lockers, an ATM, restrooms, drinking fountains, cafes and restaurants, and souvenir shops. Free parking is available in front of the zoo and Balboa Park. Otherwise, the Rapid 215 and Route 7 have stops at the zoo, making it easy to reach from Downtown San Diego by public transport.