San Diego Zoo
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Image:SDZooSign.jpg The San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California is one of the largest, most progressive zoos in the world. It is a private zoo, owned and maintained by the nonprofit Zoological Society of San Diego.
It is sited on 100 acres (40 hectare) in Balboa Park, on the edge of a mesa. The flat upland areas are the parking lot. Most exhibits are sited in cool, shaded valleys, with large aviaries and animal exhibits on the ridges. The Zoo offers a guided tour bus that traverses most of the park. There is an overhead gondola lift that offers an aerial view of the park, and is a quick way to move from opposite ends of the park.
Exhibits are often designed around a particular habitat. The same exhibit will feature many different animals that can be found side-by-side in the wild, along with their native horticulture. Exhibits range from an African rain forest (featuring gorillas) to the Arctic taiga and tundra in the summertime (featuring polar bears). Some of the largest free-flight aviaries in existence are here to encourage breeding. Many exhibits are "natural" with invisible wires and darkened blinds (to view birds), and pools and open-air moats (for large mammals).
The cool, sunny maritime climate is well suited to many plants and animals. Besides an extensive collection of birds, reptiles and mammals, it also maintains its grounds as an arboretum, with a rare plant collection. As part of its gardening effort, it raises some rare animal foods. For example, the Zoo raises bamboo for the pandas on long-term loan from China, and it maintains eucalyptus trees to feed its koalas.
The Zoo provides society memberships for only a slight premium over the general admission fee. Society memberships provide year-round re-entrance rights, guest passes and a subscription to the Zoo's magazine ZooNews. It uses the profits from its attractions to maintain the animals and support zoological education, science and conservation. For example, it maintains the Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES), literally the last chance for many species.
The Zoo rotates larger animals to its sister institution, the San Diego Wild Animal Park. It is extremely active in conservation and species-preservation efforts. Its Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES) raises and releases California Condors, Pandas, Tigers, African Black Rhinos and a large number of other endangered species. It employs numerous professional geneticists, cytologists and vertinarians, and maintains a cryopreservation facility for rare sperm and eggs.
In addition to its normal publicity efforts, and web page, the Zoo also produced a short TV program for a number of years, with Joan Embry. Joan Embry is the keeper who brought various animals to the Johnny Carson show. The Zoo loaned the animals.
The Zoo interns only selected graduates of the Veterinary College of the University of California at Davis. Its keepers are unionized.
The Zoo literally counts its animals as priceless. It carries the value of its animals and plants as zero dollars, which means they cannot be seized because of a bankruptcy, and could therefore be distributed to other zoos. All loans and encumbrances are on its land and vehicles.
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History
The San Diego Zoo grew out of exotic animal exhibitions that accompanied the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in Balboa Park in 1915&ndash16. Many foreign animals were eagerly brought to San Diego for the Exposition and temporarily put on display at the Park. Dr. Harry Wegeforth was instrumental in founding the San Diego Zoological Society, meeting October 2, 1916 and initially following precedents set by the New York Zoological Society. A permanent tract of land in Balboa Park was set aside in August 1921, and the zoo began to move in the following year. The publication, Zoonooz commenced in early 1925.
The San Diego Zoo has been a pioneer in building "cageless" exhibits. The Zoo's Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES) was founded in 1975.
Trivia
- The first two giant panda cubs in U.S. history to have been born in the U.S. and survive into adulthood were born at the San Diego Zoo, in 1999 and 2003. In the summer of 2005 a healthy male cub was born on July 9, 2005, at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.. A third cub was born, a healthy female cub, on August 2 at San Diego, to 13-year-old Bai Yun, a Giant Panda on loan from China.
References
- {{{Author|}}}{{|{{{3}}}}}}|show1| (1999)}}{{{{{Year|}}}}}}|show1|.}} {{|{{{3}}}}}}|show1|[{{{URL}}}}} Mister Zoo: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Charles Schroeder: The World-Famous San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park's Legendary Director{{|{{{3}}}}}}|show1|]}}{{|{{{3}}}}}}|show1|, {{{Pages}}}}}{{|{{{3}}}}}}|Show1|, The Zoological Society of San Diego}}. {{{ID|}}}
- Abrams, H., 1983. A World of Animals. (California: The Zoological Society of San Diego)
- Greeley, M.,et al. 1997. The San Diego Zoo. (California: Craftsman Press)
- Wegeforth, H.M. & Morgan, N. 1953. It Began with a Roar: the Beginning of the World-Famous San Diego Zoo (revised edition). (California: Crest Offset Printing Company)
External links
- San Diego Zoo Official Site
- PBS Nature: San Diego Zoo
- Google Maps satellite view of the San Diego Zoo
