Long Neck

Today we went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, a separate entity that specializes in breeding programs for endangered species. We have a membership and live within a 30 minute drive, so we visit several times a year. The park is massive, with huge areas for the animals to roam around as though in the wild. They have carefully segregated out the "troublemaking" animals (lions, tigers, cheetahs, elephants, and zebras-to name a few) that don't play well with others in order to maintain harmony and safety in the enclosure. No matter how many times I've been there, I still gasp when I look out at the park area and see the groups of giraffes, antelope, gazelle, water buffalo and others wandering around in such a naturalistic setting. The topography consists of rocky mountain foothills surrounding open valley areas with scattered trees.

One of our favorite things to see is the "Cheetah Run", where one of the successfully bred cheetahs runs a 100 yard dash on an enclosed track. Forget photos here, at 60+ miles per hour. Another enjoyable experience is the tram ride, where a very knowledgeable guide narrates the trip with informative tidbits about the various animal groups seen on the tour. I've been on the ride many times, and it is never the same. Instead of a canned speech, you get interpretive remarks based on the changing behaviors of the animals interacting in their habitat. This giraffe came right up to the edge of the enclosure along the small road the tram runs on. I love giraffes, and this photo was better than the cheetah, gorilla, and lion pictures I took.

The park is also a botanic garden in its own right, with beautiful landscaping and areas of preservation of endangered local habitat. It's a great place to go for exercise, as you get quite a workout on the hills. A wonderful day!