San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park

San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park is fantastic! I'm sure the regular San Diego Zoo is amazing as well, but this is the Wild Animal Park; totally different. They have a lot of land to let the animals roam. We were there not too long after the raging wildfires in the Fall of 2007. As we approached the Park, we saw lots of burnt acres of land and the Park was severely threatened by the fires. Thanks to the brave firefighters, it was saved.

They have an outstanding African Elephant program going. We saw4 calves roaming around and whacking each other with their trunks. They are so cute to watch. We sat on the overlook and watched them while we ate our sack lunches. You can always tell when animals in captivity are happy because they reproduce. These pachyderms are ecstatic!

They have a really neat philosophy regarding the placement of animal habitats in their big open areas. The put natural predators within sight and smell of their natural prey. This helps the animals to continue their natural hunting and self-protection instincts. The gazelles, gnus, and water buffalo tend to rest in groups where each animal faces a different direction to keep an eye out for predators. Plus, it gives the cheetahs and lions something to dream about.

This poor guy is literally the last man on earth. He is the last male of his species in the world. To add insult to injury, he isn't very lucky with the ladies. He seems to have a self-confidence problem. Bummer.

I just thought that this was a nice shot of this bird in flight. I don't remember what species it is but it looks pretty good.

Anyway, next time you go to San Diego be sure to spend a half-day at the Wild Animal Park.