Hippies.
Pic: These are NOT California natives
Pic: This is NOT our backyard.
Pic: Vega is NOT romping here.
Pics: Where in California are you?
And Hippos...and other desert-dwelling animals.
Pic: A small petting zoo with more than just goats!!!
Pic: Animal areas in the San Diego Wild Animal Park are very open.
So Richard and I became members at the zoo and that allows us admission to both the zoo in San Diego and Wild Animal Park in Escondido. I was disappointed that there was not a bigger variety of animals in the Park (lots of different gazelles though!) but the place is very cool.
Pic: I am sorry I could not get a picture of the gorilla in the cave...HE was ENORMOUS! But this one was cute too.
Picture: Animals can coexist.
Pic: Three adorable tiger cubs playing in the pool. Given the heat, I nearly joined them.
Pic: Is everything adorable when it's smaller?
Picture: He's 7-weeks-old and as cute as can be!
Picture: This baby is 776-pounds!
One special thing they do at both parks that we (or at least I) WILL be doing before we leave CA is an event called "Roar and Snore." They have permenant tent locations (that are actually pretty nice) and you pay to sleep overnight in the park. They do an after-hours tour (which they say in the spring mating season can get pretty interesting) and then you eat and sleep in the park. It looks like an awesome experience (anyone want to join me?).
Pic: Lions do not like illegal parkers! But find them tastey!
And Hippos...and other desert-dwelling animals.
Sadly, because of what humans are doing to the planet, many animals are at risk of extinction. In the 1960s, a veterinarian looked at 18,000 acres in Escondido (north of San Diego, about 2 hours from Los Angeles) and determined that, while not all humans find Southern California to have the 'perfect' weather (some of us who like snow will remain nameless), there are many animals who needed a quiet place away from the devastation of humans to try to stage a comeback.
Pic: A small petting zoo with more than just goats!!!
Pic: Animal areas in the San Diego Wild Animal Park are very open.
I am generally not a big fan of zoos, I hate animals in small cages. But I admittedly give the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park a pass because of the overall work they do helping animal populations world wide. I also think many of their habitats are better for the animals than other zoos.
So Richard and I became members at the zoo and that allows us admission to both the zoo in San Diego and Wild Animal Park in Escondido. I was disappointed that there was not a bigger variety of animals in the Park (lots of different gazelles though!) but the place is very cool.
Pic: I am sorry I could not get a picture of the gorilla in the cave...HE was ENORMOUS! But this one was cute too.Picture: Animals can coexist.
The park features one wide-open area that is Africa where they let many of the non-predator animals cohabitate - gazelles, deer, rhino, giraffes, wildebeests, warthogs, ostrich, antelope..... Much more like the actual lives the animals would lead in the wild, with one noteable exception....the zebra. These gorgeous creatures are apparently the ornary instigators of the Serengeti...known to bite off the tails of others, including their own family members (and you thought your sibling rivalry was bad!).
The organization also does remarkable work with breeding and reintroduction, so it is a very educational experience and we got to see a bunch of baby animals including a rhino, cheetah, pelican (in the nest), countless gazelles, a bunch of young elephants including a 7-week-old that was adorable and a litter of tiger pups you just wanted to take home and cuddle. (Vega vetoed that.)
Pic: Is everything adorable when it's smaller?
Picture: This baby is 776-pounds!
We were not able to get on the special tour we wanted to do (there is a tram tour included in the ticket, but then a ton of extra, special tours you can buy) because it was sold out, but we'll definitely go back and either make a reservation ahead of time or know to buy our tickets as soon as we are heading into the park.
Pic: One of the extra tours you can do is a zip line over the park.
One special thing they do at both parks that we (or at least I) WILL be doing before we leave CA is an event called "Roar and Snore." They have permenant tent locations (that are actually pretty nice) and you pay to sleep overnight in the park. They do an after-hours tour (which they say in the spring mating season can get pretty interesting) and then you eat and sleep in the park. It looks like an awesome experience (anyone want to join me?).
Pic: The Camp Site, the balloon tour in the background. You can fly high over the park and get the birdseye view.
Pic: Lions do not like illegal parkers! But find them tastey!Pic: If you look at the end of the log the comes in from the left and hits the ground. There are actually 3 cheetah sisters there. I swear. Don't tell Richard you can't see them, he already wants a new camera.
So we continue to survive L.A. - and fortunately, so do many animals that need a little survival help.
