San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in San Diego, California, housing over 12,000 animals of more than 680 species and subspecies on 100 acres (40 ha) of Balboa Park. The zoo is the most visited in the United States.[6][7] Travelers have cited it as one of the best zoos in the world.[8][9] The zoo was a pioneer in the concept of open-air, cage-less exhibits that recreate natural animal habitats.[10] It sits on land leased from the City of San Diego.[11][12]
San Diego Zoo
1916 (Precursor Panama–California Exposition in previous year)
Balboa Park, San Diego, California, U.S.
99 acres (40 ha)[1]
3,700+[1]
650+ (incl. subspecies)[1]
4 million (2018)[2]
Absolutely Apes, Children's Zoo, Elephant Odyssey, Panda Trek, Lost Forest, Monkey Trails, Polar Bear Plunge
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
Bus Route 7; Rapid Bus 215
The zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). Its parent organization, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, is a private nonprofit conservation organization, and has one of the largest zoological membership associations in the world. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance also operates the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Zoo Corps[edit]
Zoo Corps is a volunteer program at the San Diego Zoo that enlists high school students to teach guests at the zoo about the animals they are seeing and their place in the ecosystem. It enrolls students between 13 and 17 years of age. The goals are to promote public education about animals and conservation, and to help the students develop their ability to speak in public. The program runs year round in two sessions, one from May through November and one from January through May. Members of the Zoo Corps are expected to volunteer at least once a month.[93]
The program uses a series of "Kits", which are set on tables throughout the zoo. The kits contain objects that can be used to explain why an animal is endangered or to shed light on the animal's lifestyle. The four kits are "Backyard Habitats", "Saving Species", "Animal Care", and "Sustainability".
Architecture[edit]
Local architect Louis John Gill designed the original buildings, cages and animal grottos and later in 1926, the Spanish Revival-style research hospital, for which Gill received an Honor Award from the San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Gill also designed a bird cage at the zoo in 1937, then the largest bird cage in the world.[94]