Take a Walk on the Wild Side
Written: Mar 28 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lots of biodiversity in a more natural habitat
Cons: Lots of space for animals to hide, so you might not see them
The Bottom Line: This is a great place to visit--if you love animals--lots of biodiversity in an environment closer to its natural habitat.
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| Alena's Full Review: San Diego Wild Animal Park |
The San Diego Wildlife Park began as a breeding facility for endangered species; they originally did not intend to make it into a place to entertain visitors. However, the public became curious about the facility so the wildlife park opened their doors to visitors.
You cannot however walk all the way through the park. You can see most of the park from a tram/train (free with admission), but you won't see many animals up close. To see them up close you must embark on one of the parks $90-$180 safari tours. Being a poor graduate student who was visiting with some other grad student friends, we could not afford the safari, but I gather it would be worth the money.
Currently the park is open from 9-4 (off grounds by 5). Admission price is $26.50 for adults $19.50 for children and you have to pay $6 for parking. As mentioned above this includes the tram ride around the park. Of course food, drink, and souvenirs are expensive, but keep in mind that the San Diego zoological system is non-profit, all the proceeds help feed the animals and go into their breeding program. If you have a fondness for the zoo and park like I do (being a biologist and all) and live in the area then I suggest you become a donator to the zoo for about $125 dollars you can get a pass that allows you and a guest free admission to the zoo and wildlife park and free parking at the wildlife park for a year. Plus they throw in a couple of free passes to the each park for other friends and some discount tickets too, it is really worth the fee--if you plan to go a lot. Go to the park twice and you have gotten your money's worth--plus it is a donation write-off on your taxes.
I like the wildlife park better than the zoo because it places the animals in something closer to their natural habitat. The drawback to this is that you may not see many of the animals because they have a large "pen." We did not see the lions or the cheetahs (they feed the cheetahs MWF so go these days and you have a better chance of seeing them). There are a lot of birds in the wildlife park--they have a nice bird show too. Plus you can feed the lorikeets, which is cool--they land all over you--even your head! You can also feed the Giraffes, which is neat. You can walk through the half of the park entitled the heart of Africa; this portion of the park has a tour guide booklet that lists some of the organisms (and gives some extra info about) you might see in that portion of the park. The cheetahs reside in this segment of the park, but they usually choose to sleep out of site (they sleep 20 hours a day—wow what a life!)
So what did we see? Rhinos (three species), several herding animals, a nearly extinct species of horse, Giraffe, flamingo, several other types of birds, mule deer, caught a glimpse of the tiger, apes, and other interesting animals. If you are into plants, then the wildlife park is for you as well. They have one of the most diverse collections of plant species anywhere some of which are endangered as well. This place is a wealth of biodiversity. And a wealth of information—there tour guides and signs give you lots of information on the various animals and plants in the park!
My friends and I happily spent the whole day there. We got there at 9--left around three. We took the tram early in the morning (more animals are out then) and saw lots of different animals, and then we took in the bird show--very cool and then we walked down into the heart of Africa. It was Tuesday so no cheetahs (I was kind of disappointed), but we saw lots of other cool things. This is a great place for a family to visit, school group or practically anyone who loves animals. I like it better than the zoo cause I don't feel like the animals are so restricted. Go early, there is a lot of see.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Alena
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Location: San Fernando Valley, CA
Reviews written: 466
Trusted by: 48 members
About Me:
Finally got a real job. Start teaching full time on Sept 1st!
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