First visit to San Diego Zoo

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March 5th 2011

Published: April 14th 2011

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scallea

Lady Tiger

Looking for snacks

March 5, 2011

One of the fun things about being new in a town is getting to do all the tourist things. For Kyla and me, this would be a visit to the world-renowned San Diego Zoo.

Our field trip took up almost the whole day; we were at the zoo practically from open to close. Getting there early really helped. We were able to be choosey about the parking space and stash the car under what little shade was available. Being such a popular attraction, we expected huge Disney-like crowds. But the only cluster was near the front gates. After that, all the visitors disbursed, and we felt like we had the place to ourselves.

The reptile house was worth a drive-by. We joked about the scene in the first Harry Potter movie. “Make it move!” And with mock banging on the glass, “Move!” Funny to us. There was a sky tram that was really fun. Caged in a gondola, we floated over the property and saw just how expansive the zoo really was. A bus also circulated part of the zoo, which was a nice break from walking.

The highlight was seeing the big cats.

Meerkats everywhere

There were a few families of meerkats scattered around the zoo. They love to pose.

A zookeeper at the tiger cage coaxed a lady tiger toward the viewing area with treats. The cat nearly nabbed a mallard duck while we were watching. And when the treats were gone, she let out a “mild” roar in protest. We were told the lady tiger can be much louder, but her mild roar was still chainsaw decibel.

A mated pair of lions were sleeping when we passed by their exhibit. The male was actually spooning a log, draping his paw over. Those lions’ paws were probably bigger than my face. I was impressed.

The African exhibits had rhinos, elephants and giraffes, among others. Some of the giraffes looked like they were going to spit on the zoo visitors, which would have been funny as long as it was not me. The rhinos looked like they would have been happy spending all day snacking, and the elephants actually did spend all day snacking.

Of course, San Diego’s claim to fame is their panda exhibit. We don’t have pandas in Seattle, so I was really excited to see them. These guys needed to have someone shout, “Move!” They literally sat back on their bums and munched on

'It's just so much work!"

their greens. Their claws did look intimidating, but I still wanted to give them a bear hug. They look so fuzzy and happy!

Kyla and I will definitely be back.

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