San Diego Tribune Article
San Diego’s Wild Animal Park
The Wild Animal Park is one of the best places to see animals in San Diego, other than the San Diego zoo. Spread out over an amazing 1,800 acres, the animals have ample room to play and roam around in the animal park. The sight of the animals playing in the park like they would do in their natural habitat almost convinces you that you are observing them in their native Asia or Africa.
The animal park enjoys a reputation of having saved numerous endangered species of animals from almost certain extinction. During its thirty years of existence the animal park has seen a dramatic increase in the number of animals that were once considered endangered species. Currently all wild Arabian Oryx are descendants of the Arabian Oryx that have been reared and nurtured at the Wild Animal Park.
Visitors can choose to wander down any of the numerous paths in the parks and observe the smaller animals. Though this is a delightful experience in itself, more is yet to come when you ride the Bush Line Railway. This hour-long exciting railway journey offers you the once-in-a-lifetime chance of observing rarely seen animals including the rhinoceros and the white rhino in their natural environment.
Summer is a popular time for people to visit the zoo. A record ten to fifteen thousand visitors throng to the zoo on a typical summer day, so it best to be there early to avoid long waiting lines. In winter the zoo is not so crowded, with an average of 2,000 visitors. In summer it’s great to walk around the park for a while and then go for a ride on the railway. You can still walk around some more after you disembark from the railway. It can get quite hot in the park in summer so make sure you carry along a good sunscreen. And don’t forget to take plenty of water as well to keep you from getting dehydrated in the scorching Californian summer.
San Diego’s Wild Animal Park is located 32 miles to the north of Escondido in San Diego. The area that the park is located in is peaceful and serene, making it a better place for the resident animals. The San Diego Zoological Society runs the operations and management of this park as well as the San Diego Zoo, which is popular the world over. With the zoo and the park, the Zoological Society does an excellent job of preserving wildlife that is on the brink of extinction as well as creating awareness among people on the diversity of animal life.
When you do visit San Diego next, either alone or with your family, do not forget to put the Wild Animal Park down on your list of must-do things in San Diego. It’s a great place to learn some more about endangered wildlife species as well a wonderful opportunity to see some of the rare animals from all over the globe.
