Hotels & Trave

Exhibit Experience at the ZOO San Diego Zoo

Very Nice Zoo Mesker Park Zoo Very Nice Zoo for a medium size zoo and the price is very reasonable. Our ...

Very Nice Zoo Mesker Park Zoo Very Nice Zoo for a medium size zoo and the price is very reasonable. Our ...

Our experience at the San Diego Zoo was disappointing for us, since we have a very fine zoo in our own backyard, Madison, Wisconsin, where the admission is and always will be free according to the land lease agreement.

That being said, as a group we were driven around on a double-decker bus for a tour of the zoo. It would have been wonderful, especially for those who were a little slower on their feet, had the bus stopped at each exhibit so we could see the animals before moving on to the next one.

That was not the case. Instead, we kept on a steady pace throughout the park until we were done. The animals we saw were at the beginning of the ride……….giraffes and elephants, and then every other area seemed empty.

The highlight for many was having a behind the scenes tour of the giraffes, where we were shown how their hooves were filed down or replaced by having the giraffes in a holding box, padded all around and keeping them immobile through the midsection while work was being done. That way the animal handlers were safely away from a moving body, and the animals felt more secure. Their heads and legs were not contained, and ladders were used by the caretakers or vets to examine the neck areas as well as the teeth of the giraffes.

The giraffes all had names and came to the fence as they were called, looking over at us and eating on branches as they were held up for them.

Giraffes have enormous eyelashes and huge brown eyes. Their tongues are very long too!

It was interesting to see one youngster kneel down on the ground. It is very awkward for them to make that maneuver, and I’d never seen it done before.

Across the way was where the elephants were kept, and it looked like a very small island, not en expansive space their size would seem to dictate. An interesting fact about them was they expel more than 300 pounds of excrement per day. How would anyone like to be shovelling that all day? Someone is making some money from the by-products sold in the souvenir shops at the zoo. It is called “Elephant POOP Paper”. You can buy notecards, stationary, picture frames, tablets for taking notes, and the like…..and no, it doesn’t smell!

The San Diego Zoo is situated in a hilly area, so walking can be a chore for those who have walking difficulties, or lung problems. It is quite spread out, but I think it would be best seen on foot, so you could stay at each exhibit as long as you’d like.

As with any tour, your time is limited and there was no way we could see the entire park and be ready to get back on the bus for our hotel in time. Since there was about on an hour free time, some opted to ride the Skyfari Aerial Tram with views of the park from overhead. They thought it was worth it for the view. Others like me went into the shops to look around.

All in all, it was a good day, however slightly disappointing.

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