San Diego Zoo San Diego Zoo News 2024

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Does the Zoo still have Striped hyenas,Mastchies tree kangaroos or California sea lions.Just an idea but maybe the zoo can turn the northern frontier area into a Pacific Northwest Exhibit
 
X213G said:
Does the Zoo still have Striped hyenas,Mastchies tree kangaroos or California sea lions.Just an idea but maybe the zoo can turn the northern frontier area into a Pacific Northwest Exhibit
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Tree Kangaroos are at the Safari Park and the other two at either park. A Pacific Northwest area to coincide with Polar Bear Plunge would be perfect, however, the geography of the zoo is an issue with any expansion especially as it pertains to areas on the tour bus route.
 
First post in almost 10 years...

Any tips for the best routes for seeing the entire zoo in a one day visit to the Zoo?

Two years ago I finished the right half of the zoo (from entrance) before hitting the left half later in the day. Figured I would ask the experts to potentially change things up.

I don't mind backtracking and a ton of walking. Will get there right as the zoo opens up.

Also, anyone ever do the "inside look" or "Inside look deluxe" experiences? Do you get anything different than what you can see with general admission?
 
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TropicWorld54 said:
First post in almost 10 years...

Any tips for the best routes for seeing the entire zoo in a one day visit to the Zoo?

Two years ago I finished the right half of the zoo (from entrance) before hitting the left half later in the day. Figured I would ask the experts to potentially change things up.

I don't mind backtracking and a ton of walking. Will get there right as the zoo opens up.

Also, anyone ever do the "inside look" or "Inside look deluxe" experiences? Do you get anything different than what you can see with general admission?
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Hi there! I posted the below route recommendation in a thread last year, and it is still my go-to route now. The only real difference is that the Owens Aviary is now closed, so just take that part out.

Do Wildlife Explorers Basecamp and the Reptile House/Walk area first. This area become much more congested the later in the day it gets.

From there, I personally go back across the entrance and start in the Australian Outback and Urban Jungle areas before going down through Africa Rocks. Once I get to the bottom of Africa Rocks, I go through the Panda Canyon and adjacent leopard exhibits before doing a slight detour to the Ituri Forest and the lower waterfowl ponds. I then go up Eagle Canyon, around the remnants of Horn and Hoof Mesa, through Polar Bear Plunge, and on to Elephant Odyssey. Upon exiting Elephant Odyssey, I go through the Kopje area and then back to the Koalifornia Boardwalk to go down Bear Canyon and Sun Bear Forest. From there, I'll go up the stairs above the tufted deer yards to the lower level of the Owens Aviary, crossing through Owens to Fern Canyon. I'll then go up Fern Canyon and hang a right to go past the orangutans/siamangs. From there, it is through the Parker Aviary to then go down and go through the other levels of the Owens Aviary and back up through the Aviary Trail. After completing Aviary Trail, I hang a right, go around the gorilla exhibit and then up through Hippo Trail before going down and through the Scripps Aviary. From there, I go down past the bonobos, mangabeys, and crowned eagle, make a U-turn, and then go back to go all the way down to Tiger Trail. Then you can take Tiger Trail all the way up to Monkey Trails and Forest Tales and explore the multiple level viewing of the primate and babirusa habitats at your leisure before heading out past the flamingo lagoon. I always finish with a quick jaunt over to the aviary at the bus loading station and then call it a day!
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I hope that this at least somewhat makes sense and is at least somewhat helpful :p

I cannot offer any advice on the paid experiences. Someone else might be better able to help you there.
 
Does anyone know if the penguins will ever have access to the large underwater kelp forest viewing area again? On my last visit it was closed off to them and there were fish in there. Seems quite strange not having it be apart of the penguin habitat as that was one of the headlines of the attraction when it opened. You are also able to get a sneak peak of the pandas from the Albert's restaurant area. Got to see one walking around which was fun to see after it being quite a while since I last saw one of the fluffy white and black bears.
 
Jonathan Petersson said:
Does anyone know if the penguins will ever have access to the large underwater kelp forest viewing area again? On my last visit it was closed off to them and there were fish in there. Seems quite strange not having it be apart of the penguin habitat as that was one of the headlines of the attraction when it opened.
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They are introducing new fish into the habitat and are giving them time to settle in. Depending on whether or not Leopard Sharks will be returning, the deep side of the pool should be opening up shortly for the penguins.
 
Here’s some updates from yesterday at the zoo:
- Panda Ridge is officially open to the public and is great! A full video will be up on the channel this afternoon.
- the dominant female Meerkat is pregnant and has been aggressive with the other three members of the mob, she should be close to giving birth to her litter here soon according to a care specialist.
- I have received information from multiple sources over the course of the last couple weeks that discussions are ongoing regarding Polar Bear Plunge undergoing a renovation at some point soon. The renovation will be similar to the Hippo renovation for the habitat but the surrounding areas seem to be the main focus. The den kids play area will be demolished in favor of more modern educational material and the former Reindeer habitat will be renovated to accommodate another (unknown) arctic species. Timeline and validity of this project is up in the air, however this was being discussed in January prior to any possibility of Giant Pandas coming back.
 
RJB Wildlife said:
Here’s some updates from yesterday at the zoo:
- Panda Ridge is officially open to the public and is great! A full video will be up on the channel this afternoon.
-
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Could you please give us your review of Panda Ridge? Do you find the new giant panda space an improvement over the previous exhibit? Are there any other species from the Panda Trek complex (red pandas, Mang Mountain viper, takins) still exhibited with the giant panda, or have those exhibits all been converted to giant panda space?
 
DavidBrown said:
Could you please give us your review of Panda Ridge? Do you find the new giant panda space an improvement over the previous exhibit? Are there any other species from the Panda Trek complex (red pandas, Mang Mountain viper, takins) still exhibited with the giant panda, or have those exhibits all been converted to giant panda space?
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The video will showcase everything better than I can say it. I think Panda Ridge is a little bit better than Panda Trek as an attraction as the habitats themselves are far superior, however the decision to raise the height of the glass makes for a bad viewing experience in the middle of the day because of the reflection and glare. I have to see how it is in the opening hours in order to properly gauge how photo friendly it is. The Red Pandas and Mang Mountain Vipers return, and the Takin do not. I’ll also add that the attraction is within the Asian Passage section rather than Panda Canyon as it was previously.
 
RJB Wildlife said:
The video will showcase everything better than I can say it. I think Panda Ridge is a little bit better than Panda Trek as an attraction as the habitats themselves are far superior, however the decision to raise the height of the glass makes for a bad viewing experience in the middle of the day because of the reflection and glare. I have to see how it is in the opening hours in order to properly gauge how photo friendly it is. The Red Pandas and Mang Mountain Vipers return, and the Takin do not. I’ll also add that the attraction is within the Asian Passage section rather than Panda Canyon as it was previously.
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Really sad and somewhat perturbed the takin will not return ....

Personally, I find the renovation of the polar bear exhibit quite problematic. A Californian dry hot almost desert / xerophytic environment for an Arctic species ....? I would almost feel it is a cynical jibe at trying to highlight climate change ....! Well, just my 5 cents of rationale.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Really sad and somewhat perturbed the takin will not return ....

Personally, I find the renovation of the polar bear exhibit quite problematic. A Californian dry hot almost desert / xerophytic environment for an Arctic species ....? I would almost feel it is a cynical jibe at trying to highlight climate change ....! Well, just my 5 cents of rationale.
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The zoo has three takin subspecies off-show, two of which cannot leave the property due to import regulations. I would be shocked if at least one of them don’t return to public view in some capacity.
 
RJB Wildlife said:
The video will showcase everything better than I can say it. I think Panda Ridge is a little bit better than Panda Trek as an attraction as the habitats themselves are far superior, however the decision to raise the height of the glass makes for a bad viewing experience in the middle of the day because of the reflection and glare. I have to see how it is in the opening hours in order to properly gauge how photo friendly it is. The Red Pandas and Mang Mountain Vipers return, and the Takin do not. I’ll also add that the attraction is within the Asian Passage section rather than Panda Canyon as it was previously.
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Anyone know if a new species has taken the spot of the Mang Mountain Viper in the reptile house?
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Really sad and somewhat perturbed the takin will not return ....

Personally, I find the renovation of the polar bear exhibit quite problematic. A Californian dry hot almost desert / xerophytic environment for an Arctic species ....? I would almost feel it is a cynical jibe at trying to highlight climate change ....! Well, just my 5 cents of rationale.
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Even San Diego's hottest temperatures don't compare to the summers of zoos in the Midwest with polar bears. Columbus, Louisville, Saint Louis, and etc. Zoos such as Cincinnati have chosen to go out of Polar Bears due to the harsh conditions of the Midwestern summers and I would argue that the dryer cooler climate is much nicer then having the temperature for the bears be 80 to 90 degrees for half the year.
 
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