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All About San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo is famous all over the world for being the torch bearer on zoological issues ever since it was founded in 1916. Millions of people visit the zoo precisely because of this apart from public relations opportunities and press coverage. So go ahead! Avail the chance to see the animals in their natutral environment. A visit to the zoo can be a learning curve for both children and adults. It emphasises on the role that zoo's can play in protecting the animals.

The San Diego Zoo started with the Panama-California International Expedition back in 1916. Animals from all over the world were brought to Balboa Park in San Diego when Dr. Harry Wegeforth had the idea to make a permanent zoo in the area. After choosing a board of directors consisting of his brother and a standing member of the Natural History Society, Wegeforth created the first meeting in early October 1916 to discuss the development of the zoo.

San Diego Zoo was finally alloted a place in Balboa Park and began to shift into its new home. Its natural canyons and mesas proved to be of great help in setting up paddocks and cages in natural confines. Two elephants, Empress and Queenie arrived from India three years later and proved a great hit among the visitors of the zoo.

Bus tours were started in the year 1926. These buses were manned by experts and they would provide facts and figures about the animals to the enthusiastic visitors as the bus passed them. These buses also provided an opportunity for the underprivileged children to see the zoo. The zoo continued to flourish until the World War II. World war II forced the Board of Directors of the zoo to start doubting its viability.

After the lull period during the war, the zoo saw more visitors than ever before. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the zoo’s attendance went up to two million visitors a year! As always, the zoo became the favorite haunt of children in and around the San Diego area who love to come there with school trips or as afternoon treats with parents.

In the 1970s and 1980s when the animal expert and goodwill ambassador Joan Embery made his appearances of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson the zoo gained immense popularity. More visitors started visiting the zoo after watching these memorable appearances.

At this time, the zoo made a paradigm shift from a place that shows animals to the public to a place that cares for the welfare and well being of animals all over the world. The zoo began to shift its focus from the visitors to the animals by implementing breeding programs and installing natural habitats.

Today, the San Diego Zoo is a great place to learn about animals from all corners of the globe. You get to learn some valuable lessons about the state of our planet and the animals that live on it. Of course, it still holds great charm for everyone from eight to eighty.

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Lucille Linhares is the chief editor for F san diego, the best place on the internet for information about san diego, For questions or comments about this article why not visit: www.fsandiego.com/articles
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