Can't afford a real safari? Try this instead!
Written: May 21 '01 (Updated May 22 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: You never know what you will see!
Cons: You never know what you will see.
The Bottom Line: The Wild Animal Park offers the next best thing to taking a real safari in Africa or Asia.
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| pipet's Full Review: San Diego Wild Animal Park |
Wow! That male northern white rhino nearly got it! His romantic advances didn't impress the 2 female white rhinos - he moved in just a little too close, and one of the females charged him! Was I visiting the Garamba National Park, in Congo, seeing the last remnants of a critically endangered population, you may wonder? No, I was on the Wgasa Bush Line Railway at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
If you like seeing wildlife in action, the San Diego Wild Animal Park is for you. Territorial disputes and competition, herding behavior, courtship, defensive behavior - it's all on view! The Wild Animal Park is located right outside the city limits of Escondido, about 30 miles NE of San Diego proper. It's operated by the Zoological Society of San Diego (i.e. the same folks who operate the World-Famous San Diego Zoo).
The Wild Animal Park is an 1800-acre wildlife preserve devoted to breeding endangered species with the eventual hope of reintroducing them to their natural habitat. Originally, this was the only purpose of the park. However, the expense of feeding all the animals soon became overwhelming, and the park was then designed to allow visitors to help fund the preservation efforts. (The current food bill for the Wild Animal Park is about $60,000 a month.) Whatever your feeling about zoos and keeping animals in captivity may be, the Wild Animal Park does have real success stories, and it is recognized throughout the world for its efforts. In fact, several species have been reintroduced, but in most cases reintroduction efforts are not possible because of poaching and habitat destruction.
Vast enclosures
The large size of the park allows for huge enclosures of animals - it's the secret of their breeding success. The animals feel more at home, and so behave accordingly. This allows you, the visitor, to witness the natural behaviors of the animals. Most of the enclosures consist of rolling, grassy terrain, shortly mowed by all the grazing animals, with palms and some more exotic tree species such as the acacia, and an occasional pond here and there. The multi-species enclosures are roughly divided by region (East Africa, Asian Plains, etc.) to give as realistic a view as possible of the types of animals one would see grazing together in the wild.
Babies!
In addition to seeing natural behaviors, you can count on seeing lots of little ones. Although the peak birth time is in the summer/late summer, there are some exceptions, and some animals take quite a while before they mature so even during your winter visit you are afforded with views of babies. With all the babies present, you can guess that many of the animals partake in "romantic" activities, so it's even possible you may see the reproductive goals of the Wild Animal Park at work (we've seen the Gibbons in action as well as some type of deer).
Drawbacks to the large enclosures
Of course, large enclosures and natural behavior can have drawbacks. For the most part, you can't enter the enclosures, so you have to hope something interesting is going on within your eyesight. The type of activity you see depends on several factors - the time of day, the season, feeding times, etc., and it is really hard to predict how much you will see on any single visit. Don't get me wrong, you'll see natural grazing behaviors no matter what, but you may not see a particular animal as close as you would like, and the animals may not always be involved in exciting behaviors. Make sure to bring along a pair of binoculars if you can, and if you plan to take pictures, a telephoto/zoom lens is a must.
Wgasa Bush Line Railway
The vast size of the park could be intimidating to visitors, but the Wgasa Bush Line Railway allows one to easily see the vast majority of the park. The railway is an open-air train ride that takes you on a 5-mile journey around most of the park. It lasts 50-55 minutes, and the train operator will stop the train periodically to point out particular animals and behaviors. The tour guides range from very good to excellent. Whatever you do, do not skip the train ride! In fact, I recommend riding on it twice if your schedule allows; every ride is different!
Wear comfortable walking shoes
Although you can see the majority of the park on the train ride, you'll be missing out if you don't walk to the Heart of Africa exhibit or Condor Ridge. If you love plant life, don't miss the 1.25-mile Botanical Garden walk. Additionally, you can get panoramic views of the East Africa enclosure, and if you are lucky, the Sumatran Tigers, if you take the 1.75 mile Kilimanjaro Safari Walk.
Well, not everything can be realistic
Speaking of tigers, I must mention that the predators have their own accommodations at the Wild Animal Park. Although it would be very realistic, it would be a bit much for most visitors to watch the lions and tigers stalk and eat endangered species before their very eyes. Don't expect to get great views of the lions, tigers, and cheetahs, either. They're typical cats; they sleep all the time! Also, there are a few, smaller enclosures for the more aggressive animals or the terribly shy animals since they either upset the rest of the grazing population or they are upset by the rest of the animals, respectively.
There are also areas of the park that are more zoo-like, although these exhibits still have naturalistic settings. Typically, the more "tropical" animals are in these areas of the Wild Animal Park. The gorillas, lemurs, red river hogs, and various other animals call home to such enclosures.
Shows
The Bird Show is our favorite Park show. Some of the tricks are standard fare for bird shows, but the untrainable Emu is pretty amusing; he just runs for food and does nothing else (OK, now you know, I'm easily amused). They also have an Elephant Show, and it's pretty good, but the last time we went it lasted only about 15 minutes, so we did find it awfully short. We also like something called Hawk Talk, an informal "show" of sorts where you can speak with a trainer and get a more up-close view of hawks and other raptors.
Up close and Personal
If you have not had the chance to hold a brightly colored bird before, do make sure to stop by Lorikeet Landing. If you pay $1, you will get a small cup of nectar (this could easily be shared amongst a family), and then you can try to entice the birds to eat the nectar right out of the cup in your hand. It is very likely that you will be successful; make sure to have your camera ready. Yes, the birds will even land on your head and shoulders if you so entice them, but I'd urge caution because you may end up wearing evidence of your encounter. Sinks and soap are conveniently located outside to clean up after your Lorikeet visit.
Tours and Special events
Although a little costly, you can experience a different side of the park than most visitors see by booking a special tour. Some events/tours to check out are the Photo Caravan Tours, Night Moves, behind-the-scenes-tours, and Roar & Snore Campovers (for adults as well as children), as well as some special seasonal tours. Reservations are needed. My husband and I recently went on the adult-only Night Moves tour, and we learned some interesting reproductive facts on many of the animals (we now know the record for rhino copulation is 83 minutes). As part of the tour, we rode a "safari" truck through the exhibits, and we were afforded spectacular close-up views of many of the animals. If the animals cooperate, you also get to feed the Indian rhinos and the Baringo giraffes. (Most animals are off-limits for hand feeding, including the park's mascot, the southern white rhino.) Unfortunately for us, the rhinos were too content in one of the ponds to come and eat the proffered food, but the giraffes were very eager to eat from our tour group. After our "safari," we were treated to a dessert (our choices were raspberry cheesecake and chocolate cake) and beverages (I had coffee with Bailey's Irish Cream; there were several beers and non-alcoholic beverages available as well).
If you are considering a trip to the Wild Animal Park, be sure to check out their web site for any upcoming special events. If you're visiting in April, don't miss the Butterflies and Orchids special exhibit. We were able to take some lovely pictures of Blue Morpho butterflies that just happened to land on us! If you plan to be in San Diego during the holiday season (2 weeks before Christmas and 1 week after), consider dropping by the Park for the Festival of Lights. As the name implies, the park is festively decorated with lights everywhere, and they even make some snow so poor deprived So Cal children can experience a few minutes of winter wonderland!
Something for everyone
My husband and I love the Wild Animal Park. We have annual passes and visit several times a year. We also take almost all our visiting family and friends there for a San Diego daytrip. The great thing about the Wild Animal Park is that is appeals to almost everyone. The large enclosures appeal to those who aren't necessarily excited by zoos, and the train ride is fun for all. The Petting Kraal is sure to please youngsters. Depending on your energy level, you can plan a relatively sedate day at the Park and just take the train ride and catch a few shows, or if you are energetic you can plan to explore most of the parks trails as well as take the Wgasa train ride.
Food
The Wild Animal Park has a gamut of dining options; some options include nachos, burgers, and pasta. Most of the food is of decent quality, but as is the case with many recreational areas, the food is not cheap. The consolation is that if you do eat at the Park, you are helping to maintain the upkeep of all those animals.
When to go
During the summer the Wild Animal Park has extended evening hours, and my favorite time to be at the park is on a summer evening; the animal activity seems to be best at this time. For all other seasons, I recommend visiting during any weekday if possible to avoid crowds, although during the winter (with the exception of the Festival of Lights), the traffic is lighter than during other times. During the summer days Escondido bakes at temps of 90-100 F, but summer evenings (and days during any other season) can be quite chilly (by So Cal standards), so bring a sweater or light jacket.
Price
As of 5/21/01, general admission to the park is $25.45 for adults and $18.45 for children ages 3-11. Children under 2 are free. Parking is $6. These prices are a little higher than normal due to the energy crisis in California. Check the website for current pricing as the prices may change due to further developments in the state regarding energy costs. AAA members may be eligible to receive a small discount (the discount used to be 10%). Since we enjoy visiting the Wild Animal Park fairly often, we are members of the Zoological Society. If you visit the Zoo and/or the Wild Animal Park 2-3 times a year or more, you may want to look into the different levels of membership. If you are a student, there is a heavily discounted membership available.
Related link
For details on park hours, directions, interactive maps, exhibit information, and more, check out the San Diego Wild Animal Park website:
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/homepage.php3
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
pipet
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Location: San Diego, CA
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 35 members
About Me:
A baby, school, and a new house; lots to write about but no time.
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