We have all heard of elephants, giraffes and tigers but have you ever heard of a Black Mangabey, a Lowland Nyala or an Okapi? Me neither. And, that is the beauty of visiting the San Diego Zoo. Not only do they have the run of the mill animals that we all know and love but they also have every other animal you have never heard about or could even imagine.
We hadn’t visited any zoos so far on our trip because we were saving our “zoo budget” for a trip to the San Diego zoo and it was worth it. They have over a thousand animals in their collection and with that many you are sure to come upon some not found in an average zoo. I was shocked when I went from exhibit to exhibit saying to myself “what in the world is that?”
above: The rare “smiley spider” and “shaded fly”.
The zoo is also a botanical garden which rivals the animals for your attention. According to one of the tour guides, the plant collection at the zoo is worth more than the animal collection. The exotic plants greet you at every turn so if you weren’t perplexed enough trying to figure out all of the creatures, you may as well give up on the greenery. Or, buy an annual pass and make regular trips until you are enlightened.
But, we only had one day so, we moved quickly along with my In-laws from exhibit to exhibit. And, my friends Rick and Nicole set us up with a behind the scenes tour of the hospital with their friend Jeff who is the head veterinary technician and has been at the zoo for 30 years. The Hippygeek, his Mother and I all have worked in hospitals so it was quite a treat to see how things work in an animal hospital.
below: Snow Leopard
Taking pictures of animals in a zoo is a challenge. There is always a fence, a post or people in your way and the animals are usually sleeping in a hidey spot and you don’t even get to see them. But, the animals here were very active and there were very few we didn’t get to see. Below are some of the familiar and unfamiliar creatures we saw.
above: Harpy Eagle above: Koala
left: Sloth Bear
right: Hornbill(?)
left: Black Mangebey
left: Lowland Nyala
right: Sabertooth Tiger and “jockey”
right: Okapi, this one couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be a zebra or a giraffe.
We had gotten to the zoo when the doors opened and they practically closed them behind us on the way out. As usual, we wished that we had had more time. But, we all passed through the exit with more knowledge of a few more creatures that share the earth with us than when we entered. I consider that a good day.
above: The evening sky as we left the zoo.
“Zoo animals are ambassadors for their cousins in the wild.” Jack Hanna
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