Dreams of Africa and Asia
Written: May 03 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful habitats, animal interactions, WOW!
Cons: Loud screaming children on the tram
The Bottom Line: Free-roaming animals and nice habitats; I'll take this over a zoo any day.
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| dequebec's Full Review: San Diego Wild Animal Park |
The San Diego Wild Animal Park was founded in 1972 in Encinitas, California. The Zoological Society of San Diego hoped for this park to be "a zoo of the future", displaying animals in a more natural setting than the small cages associated with zoos. Here, animals may roam more-or-less freely in flocks and herds in acres of habitat designed to resemble their natural ecosystem, complete with plants and co-habitants. Families will enjoy the tour through these habitats as well as the animal exhibits, shows, and botanical gardens.
Wgasa Bush Line Railway
The railway is perhaps the highlight of the animal park. 5 miles in length, the tram tour lasts 55 minutes and is guided by a knowledgeable tour who points out interesting tidbits of information along the way. We travel through both Asian and African habitats, seeing elephants, deer, zebra, giraffes, rhinoceri, goats, ostriches....and, if you are lucky, a lion, tiger, or a primate.
What is so special about this tour is that the pace is slow; one can really enjoy each habitat without feeling rushed. You have enough time to watch the animals interact with one another. While I loved the animal park at Walt Disney World, the safari ride was a hectic pace, and you felt a little ripped-off at the end. We saw a beautiful baby (500 pound) rhinocerous with his mother, ostriches checking out the tram, and some goats climbing a very rocky cliff.
One mildly annoying issue on the tram is that many parents bring small children and babies. Screaming and yelling will frighten the animals and will render you unable to hear the guide. Be sure to sit in the front row if at all possible. You may also walk around many of the habitats one the tour comes to an end, giving you as much observational time as you like.
Hands-On Exhibits
One of the neatest hands-on animal experiences I have had was at Lorikeet Landings. This enclosure features Australian Rainbow Lorikeets, which are bigger than parakeets but smaller than parrots. Admission to the enclosure is free, but you will want to take advantage of the opportunity to buy nectar for the birds. $1 buys you a small plastic cup of the juice which you can hold out towards the birds. The birds will then land on your arm and shoulder and drink the nectar. At one point I had 4 birds on my arm! This is very exciting, and both adults and kids have fun!
There is also a traditional petting zoo, the Petting Kraal, which mostly features a few species of deer. These animals are friendly and for the most part calm (except for one youngster who properly positioned himself in front of the pellet dispenser, steeling food away from customers). Your kids will enjoy petting and feeding these little guys.
Hidden Jungle
The Hidden Jungle can boast of one fantastic butterfly enclosure. Wow! Filled with diverse plants, trees, and flowers from many geographical region, this is the ideal environment to support a rainbow of butterflies. This is particularly neat for those of us who are Californians, as we only have a few native species here. I felt as though I was in Thailand again, seeing the bright reds, blues, and yellow, the striped patterns, and the size varieties. Give yourself time to gaze on a small area for a long period of time...you will see some discreet and beautiful animals.
Located next to the butterfly enclosure is an insect exhibit. They amaze you and gross you out at the same time. I have never seen such large beetles, praying mantises, and stick insects. EWW!
The Botanic Gardens
Separated a bit from the animal exhibits are the botanic gardens. Most gorgeous is the Fuschia Garden, which features exclusively plants of the pink hues. This garden displays many hybrids designed by park botanists, and this is the largest collection of fuschias in the country. Take some time to sit on a bench, listen to the running water of the little stream, and let your eyes feast on the beauty.
The Epiphyllium Garden wasn't too impressive. It looked a bit neglected and run-down. However, the Bonzai Garden was calm and peaceful, filled with many varieties of the "little trees".
Other Animal Exhibits
Be sure to spend time with the gibbons. These apes swing with graceful elegance from the top of the enclosure to the sides, and manipulate skillfully the jungle gym equipment. Primates are known for their cohort play, so take notice of the interactions. Most fantastic is the singing. Gibbon signing is quite distinct from the "calls" made by other animals. This singing is not a fixed song or pattern, but rather highly variable in pitch, duration, and intention. Males and females sing to show their bond; males sing for aggressive purposes. It is quite interesting, but be sure to come here as early in the morning as possible.
There are also a few animal shoes at the park. The elephant show displays the Asian elephants. It is interesting and educational, mostly for the kids. The bird show os fairly typical for zoos.
The animal nursery displays (via a transparent window) the infants being treated in the nursery. The display here is variable based on need; the day we went, there were mostly deer. You might get to see the babies being fed, and there is nothing cuter than a deer, giraffe, or rhinocerous with a bottle in its mouth.
General Information
The Wild Animal Park is open 365 days a year, from 9-4, with extended summer hours. Admission in this period of energy crises in California is $25.45/adult, $18.45/child 3-11, free for kids 2 and under. Parking is $6. 2-day packages are available for those wanting to visit the park as well as the San Diego Zoo. If you live in the area, consider membership in the Zoological Society, which gives you unlimited access to the 2 parks, guest passes, and the newsletter ZooNews; membership is $66 per person or $84 for a couple.
There are food stands throughout the park serving drinks, ice cream, burgers, salads, soups, and ethnic fast food. Gift shops are also spread throughout the park. The park promotes handicap accessibility.
HAVE FUN! My family really enjoys this park. Though some may criticize that these animals are being placed in unnatural habitats, I feel the need to applaud the work this society has done to promote the protection of endangered and threatened species through breeding programs. The habitats are very nice, and we can trust that the animals are being cared for. Bravo!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dequebec
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Member: Jennifer
Location: los angeles, CA
Reviews written: 131
Trusted by: 118 members
About Me:
No longer an editor, thanks a bunch Nirav.
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