EcoVivarium

[snowleopard]

In late 2016, a facility called EcoVivarium opened in Escondido, California, only 10 minutes down the road from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Has anyone visited? The establishment was formed in 2009, opened to the public in 2016 and even moved into a larger, 10,200 sq. ft. building in 2020.

Here's their website:

Home - EcoVivarium

It turns out that the last few years have been a struggle, with rising debt and the skyrocketing cost of energy and food pushing this place to the brink of closure. Here's a recent article:

An Escondido reptile sanctuary tries to stay afloat against rising utility costs

 

[SusScrofa]

I've heard of the place but never been. Its not surprising seeing them struggle; paying a minimum $180 for a guided tour to see a few reptiles simply isn't worth it when there's SDZP in the same vicinity. Are they truly even a real sanctuary?

Monkey Jungle here in Florida has switched to the same expensive "private tour" model and they're on the brink as well from what I've heard.

 

[SwampDonkey]

paying a minimum $180 for a guided tour to see a few reptiles simply isn't worth it

I see the prices below on the website. Granted it does not give any clues what each level of tour includes, which is poor website design.

Tours & Prices
Group Tours – Walk-ins Welcome
Silver Tour – (45 minutes) $15/person

Gold Tour – (60 minutes) $20/person

Private Tours – Advance Reservation Required
Platinum Tour – (approx. 90 minutes) $35/person

Totally Turtles Tour & Feeding – (approx. 90 minutes) $45/person

Snake Feeding Tour – (approx. 90 minutes) $60/person Limited Availability

Big Snake Encounters Tour – (approx 90 minutes) $150/person Limited

Special Experiences – Add to Any Tour
Meet Mac –

The Giant Water Monitor $50

Giant Snake Photo Op $25

Annual Passes Now Available – Ask for Details!

 

[SusScrofa]

I see the prices below on the website. Granted it does not give any clues what each level of tour includes, which is poor website design.

Tours & Prices
Group Tours – Walk-ins Welcome
Silver Tour – (45 minutes) $15/person

Gold Tour – (60 minutes) $20/person

Private Tours – Advance Reservation Required
Platinum Tour – (approx. 90 minutes) $35/person

Totally Turtles Tour & Feeding – (approx. 90 minutes) $45/person

Snake Feeding Tour – (approx. 90 minutes) $60/person Limited Availability

Big Snake Encounters Tour – (approx 90 minutes) $150/person Limited

Special Experiences – Add to Any Tour
Meet Mac –

The Giant Water Monitor $50

Giant Snake Photo Op $25

Annual Passes Now Available – Ask for Details!

Aha, I now see what you're talking about, its on the bottom of the home page. Naturally, I went to Programs tab on the site navigation bar because thats where I assume the booking info is on, and only saw the group tours for $10 a person after a minimum donation of $180.

While I doubt it will suddenly reverse the financial issues, it wouldn't hurt if they made the normal tour prices stand out better and easier to find. I usually use mobile, and besides for naturally thinking its on the navigation bar instead of home screen, the price section is also very easy to miss because of the long scroll. It's a little better on desktop, but still could be missed. Its a stupid decision putting that info on only the home page at the bottom instead of having it on its own page that can be accessed in the site navigation.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Aha, I now see what you're talking about, its on the bottom of the home page. Naturally, I went to Programs tab on the site navigation bar because thats where I assume the booking info is on, and only saw the group tours for $10 a person after a minimum donation of $180.

While I doubt it will suddenly reverse the financial issues, it wouldn't hurt if they made the normal tour prices stand out better and easier to find. I usually use mobile, and besides for naturally thinking its on the navigation bar instead of home screen, the price section is also very easy to miss because of the long scroll. It's a little better on desktop, but still could be missed. Its a stupid decision putting that info on only the home page at the bottom instead of having it on its own page that can be accessed in the site navigation.

Their website leaves a lot to be desired, I can see how you missed it. The main ribbon picture is too big, even on a desktop with two screens.

 

[Smaggledagle]

Their website leaves a lot to be desired, I can see how you missed it. The main ribbon picture is too big, even on a desktop with two screens.

You know the website needs work when the icon for the page is still the Wordpress logo!