All About San Diego Zoo

By: Lucille Linhares

The world famous San Diego Zoo has been at the forefront of zoological issues since its founding in 1916. Coupled with fantastic public relations opportunities and great press coverage, it is no wonder why millions of visitors flock to the zoo each year. Do not miss any opportunity to see the animals that call the zoo home in all natural environments. The zoo strives to create learning opportunities for both children and adults alike in order to enforce the importance of zoos for the protection of animals.

The San Diego Zoo started with the Panama-California International Expedition back in 1916. Animals from all over the world were brought to Balboa Park in San Diego when Dr. Harry Wegeforth had the idea to make a permanent zoo in the area. After choosing a board of directors consisting of his brother and a standing member of the Natural History Society, Wegeforth created the first meeting in early October 1916 to discuss the development of the zoo.

San Diego Zoo was finally alloted a place in Balboa Park and began to shift into its new home. Its natural canyons and mesas proved to be of great help in setting up paddocks and cages in natural confines. Two elephants, Empress and Queenie arrived from India three years later and proved a great hit among the visitors of the zoo.

1926 saw the adoption of buses as a method of touring the zoo. Experts would man the buses and provide information and facts about the different animals as the bus passed. Also, the buses were used to provide underprivileged children with a way to see the zoo. The zoo began to thrive until the advent of World War II, when attendance plummeted and the board of directors began to wonder if they could keep the park open.

After the lull period during the war, the zoo saw more visitors than ever before. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the zoo’s attendance went up to two million visitors a year! As always, the zoo became the favorite haunt of children in and around the San Diego area who love to come there with school trips or as afternoon treats with parents.

In the 1970s and 1980s when the animal expert and goodwill ambassador Joan Embery made his appearances of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson the zoo gained immense popularity. More visitors started visiting the zoo after watching these memorable appearances.

Also during this time, the zoo began to make the transition from a place that shows animals to the public to a place that looks out for the welfare and well being of animals all over the world. By implementing breeding programs and installing natural habitats, the zoo began to shift their focus from the visitors to the animals.

Today, the San Diego Zoo is a great place to learn about animals from all corners of the globe. Whether you are eight or eighty, everyone is sure to enjoy a trip to the zoo and take home some valuable lessons about the state of our planet and the animals that call earth home.

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Lucille Linhares is the owner and operator of F san diego, the web's premier resource for information about san diego, For more articles on san diego visit: www.fsandiego.com/articles
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