San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Zoo in Southern California / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The San Diego Zoo Safari Park, originally named the San Diego Wild Animal Park until 2010, is an 1800-acre (730 ha) zoo in the San Pasqual Valley area of San Diego, California, near Escondido. It is one of the largest tourist attractions in San Diego County. The park houses a large array of wild and endangered (some critically) animals from every continent, except Antarctica; this includes the largest, most comprehensive collection of hoofed mammals (ungulates) in the world. The park is in a semi-arid environment, about 30 miles (48 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean, giving it a year-round ‘feeling’ of being in Africa, with one of its most notable attractions being the Africa Tram, a half-hour guided tram ride which showcases the expansive ‘grassland’ exhibits. These free-range enclosures house the majority of the park's larger species, such as numerous antelopes, giraffes, buffalo, cranes, and rhinoceros, among others. The park is also noted for its California condor breeding program. When booked in-advance (and with additional fees), the park also offers several longer, more in-depth safari options, some of which involve riding in an open-top truck to feed the animals in the field enclosures.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park | |
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33.099703°N 117.001525°W / 33.099703; -117.001525 | |
Date opened | May 10, 1972 |
Location | City of San Diego Mailing address: Escondido, California 92027[1][2][3] |
Land area | 1,800 acres (7.3 km2) (2.8 sq mi)[4] |
No. of animals | 3500+[4] |
No. of species | 400+[4] |
Memberships | AZA[5] |
Major exhibits | African Plains, African Outpost, African Woods, Asian Savanna, Condor Ridge, Elephant Valley, Gorilla Forest, Hidden Jungle, Lion Camp, Nairobi Village, Tiger Territory |
Website | sdzsafaripark |
The park, visited by 2 million people annually, houses 3,000 animals representing roughly 400 species, as well as 3,500 plant species.[4]
Depending on the season, the park has about 400 to 600 employees. The park is also Southern California's quarantine center for zoo animals imported into the United States through San Diego.
The park has the world's largest veterinary hospital.[citation needed] Next to the hospital is the Institute for Conservation Research, which houses the San Diego Zoo's and Safari Park's Frozen Zoo, a database and storage facility containing priceless blood, tissue and sperm samples, as well as embryos and DNA, of numerous endangered, vulnerable and threatened species.
This Safari Park and the San Diego Zoo are both run by the nonprofit San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (formerly the Zoological Society of San Diego). The park is 32 miles (51 km) north of the zoo, off of Interstate 15, slightly of Escondido, California along California SR-78. The park is primarily within the San Diego city limits,[6] with an Escondido mailing address.[3]