San Diego Zoo

Situated within San Diego's Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo is home to more than 3,500 animals, representing more than 650 species, most of which are either endangered or rare. In addition to the animals, the zoo boasts a collection of more than 700,000 exotic plant species, including palms, aloe, and orchids, all living and growing throughout the zoo as part of its botanical gardens. The numerous plant species not only help make the grounds beautiful, but also serve as food for the animals. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park keeps more than 3,000 animals and 3,500 plant species.

Zoo History

The San Diego Zoo has grown considerably since it was first established in 1916 by Dr. Harry Wegeforth. A prominent orthopedic surgeon in San Diego, Wegeforth had been fascinated with animals since his childhood. In 1915, the Panama-California International Exposition was taking place in Balboa Park, where many animals had been imported to San Diego and placed on display for the public. The exposition inspired Wegeforth to open a permanent zoo in San Diego, perhaps using the very same animals once the exposition ended. He wrote an article in the local newspaper explaining his plan, and the response was overwhelming. Donations of both money and actual animals poured in to help Wegeforth achieve his vision.

Wegeforth did end up acquiring the animals from the exposition. For many years thereafter, the animals continued to live in their circus-like cages while Wegeforth and the other members of the board of directors of the San Diego Zoological Society tried to find a suitable location for the zoo, and to gain approval for its construction. Finally, in August 1921, approval was granted by the Park Commission to build the San Diego Zoo on a 100-acre plot of land in Balboa Park. In 1922, the San Diego Zoo was finally realized, and it remains in its original location today.

The Zoological Society created a 1,800-acre Zoo Safari Park outside San Diego near Escondido. San Diego Zoo (SDZ) Global manages both the main zoo and the park and, as of 2018, employed nearly 2,800 workers.

Endangered Species

In 1975, the Zoological Society of San Diego established the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES). Its scientists and technicians are responsible for researching and developing projects to help animals in danger of becoming extinct. CRES famously worked with a pair of endangered giant panda bears named Shi Shi and Bai Yun, who were on multiyear loan to the San Diego Zoo from China. Through breeding programs like San Diego's, giant pandas were eventually upgraded in status to "vulnerable" from endangered.

Another conservation project is the Frozen Zoo, a cryogenic freezer where the sperm, ova, and other cells of endangered animals are stored, in the hope that the animals' DNA can be used to prevent crises involving endangered or extinct animals. For example, in 2018, artificial insemination was used to impregnate white rhinos, then on the verge of extinction.

Similarly, the Botanical Conservation Center was established in 1999 as a seed bank dedicated to conserving rare, endangered or threatened plant species.

As of 2019, the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research sought to help conserve over one hundred endangered species through hundreds of partnerships globally.

Natural Habitat

It was Wegeforth's intent to build a zoo where the animals could live outside of cages, in areas resembling their natural habitats as closely as possible. Canyons, mesas, and canyons were built in the zoo, and plants and trees were planted throughout the area. Today, for example, the gorillas live in an area called the Gorilla Tropics, where stereo speakers emit sounds that were recorded in the gorillas' natural African environment. In addition, fruit trees are planted in the area so that the gorillas can snack on figs and bananas just as they would in the wild.

For safety's sake, there are some exhibits that must be placed behind glass walls. The San Diego Zoo's Hippo Beach exhibit has a 105-foot glass window, behind which visitors can watch the hippopotamuses swimming underwater. In addition, the Polar Bear Plunge exhibit provides visitors with a view of polar bears diving and swimming in the water. Sometimes the animals swim right up to the glass, allowing visitors to come face to face with some of nature's most beautiful and fascinating creatures.

An animal-welfare study done at the zoo in the 1980s inspired a shift in zoo design and animal care across the country. In place of cages and concrete floors, many zoos thereafter constructed more naturalistic settings for their animals.

Visiting the Zoo

Millions of people visit the San Diego Zoo each year, eager to see animals that they would not be able to see anywhere else. For example, a baby giant panda named Hua Mei, who was born at the zoo on August 21, 1999, was the only giant panda born in North America in a decade; Hua Mei was relocated to China in 2004 went on to have nearly a dozen offspring herself. All the pandas at San Diego were repatriated to China in 2019.

In addition to these rare specimens, there are thousands more animals for visitors to enjoy. Some of the most popular animals at the zoo include the white tiger, spectacled bear, white rhinoceros, hippopotamus, gorilla, komodo dragon, giraffe, okapi, elephant, crocodile, meerkat, camel, cheetah, brown bear, lion, macaw, and owl.

The San Diego Zoo also has an Animals in Action experience, where visitors can see, touch, and experience some of the animals up-close. The zoo also offers guided cart and tram tours, a miniature train, and a tethered balloon ride at its safari park. Video cameras allow certain animals, such as koalas, tigers, and elephants, to be live-streamed online, and the SDZ Global's Kids Channel, launched in 2013, brings the zoo experience to children in hundreds of hospitals around the country.

Bibliography

"About San Diego Zoo Global." San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Diego Zoo Global, 2014, www.sdzsafaripark.org/visitor-info/about-san-diego-zoo-global. Accessed 15 May 2019.

Dance, Amber. "San Diego’s Frozen Zoo Offers Hope for Endangered Species around the World." Knowable Magazine, 16 Jan. 2019, www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/san-diegos-frozen-zoo-180971276. Accessed 15 May 2019.

Phippen, J. "Do We Need Zoos?" The Atlantic, 2 June 2016, www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/06/harambe-zoo/485084. Accessed 15 May 2019.

Robinson, Philip T. Life at the Zoo: Behind the Scenes with the Animal Doctors. Columbia UP, 2007.

San Diego Zoo, 2019, zoo.sandiegozoo.org. Accessed 15 May 2019.

Stephenson, Lynda Rutledge. The San Diego Zoo: The First Century. Zoological Society of San Diego Library, 2015.