San Diego Zoo is famous world wide for its work in conservation and high standards of animal management: we decided to visit to see for ourselves.

Looking for tigers in Bandaghar in India wasn’t very relaxing. The drivers knew that to get a tip they had to find a tiger so we drove frantically round the park, our rapid pace throwing up clouds of dust and causing us all to be thrown around uncomfortably. Anything of lesser importance was irrelevant, bird life and small antelope scattering in our wake.

However there was an animal scientist from San Diego with us who spoke highly of the city’s zoo. Now 10 years later we were there, and a foot away on the other side of the glass was a beautiful sleeping tiger. Suddenly her eyes opened and in her deep brown irises I glimpsed the dusty forest of Bandaghar again and mourned her lost freedom.

Of course, this tiger had never known freedom and never would, born and raised in captivity and now an animal ambassador at the San Diego zoo. In an ideal world there would not be any zoos, but I fear in our world that one day they will be all that is left.

San Diego is a king amongst zoos, their animals kept in beautifully landscaped pens which are rearranged regularly to prevent boredom, their careful diets apportioned in such ways as to entertain the animal’s intellect as well as to satisfy its hunger.

However, at the end of the day, a zoo is still a prison. We watched the repetitive behavior of a polar bear: swim, rear out of the water, fall back, repeat endlessly. Other cats paced their enclosures ceaselessly.

But what is the alternative? San Diego zoo prides itself on its fight against extinction, not least with their own California Condor. Down to 22 in the wild, they were all caught and put in a breeding programme. When the females laid eggs, the first ones were taken away and incubated so they would lay again. Now there are over 300 living in the wild and they are back from the brink.

It is good that the zoo has the will and the funds to rescue an obscure antelope, as much as the stunningly graceful Amur Leopard, whose chunky spotted form is unfortunate enough to be confined to a small pocket on the Russian/Chinese border – surely the greatest threat to many animals, along with the loss of their habitat as humankind expands, is the despicable Chinese medicine industry. And Russian women love fur.

Nevertheless, we spent an enjoyable day meandering through the landscaped hilly parkland. Don’t waste time with the inane chatter on the half hour bus tour, just wander and unexpected delights will open up before you. One of the most delightful exhibits was actually the traditional entrance display of flamingos with their soft oranges and incessant chattering, just like supermodels on skinny legs.

We particularly enjoyed the Madagascan lemurs and the huge walk in avaries with their jewel like bee eaters. The panda was a big draw – have a look on entry to see what is happening that day and when: feeding time can be the best time to guarantee a panda sighting. The snow leopards were only just coming alive at 5 pm when we had to leave and we never saw the lions move at all, though we heard distant roars from the carpark.

So on the whole we found the zoo a positive experience, I think their heart is in the right place and they are doing great things for animal conservation. Sadly in many cases, one wonders if there will ever be a safe habitat for these animals to return to – they are threatened for a reason and it can be near impossible to reverse the process.

Visit for yourself: you will see some beautiful animals and you may find a new appreciation of what we stand to lose as we relentlessly exploit the world’s resources.

Don’t forget to check out the shops: there are some cool t-shirts, great coffee mugs with brilliant designs, and unique notebooks made from panda and elephant poo! Food stalls are everywhere: you will never starve in America!

Notes 

Find more information on San Diego Zoo here. Entrance is $56.  $5 off leaflets readily available in hotel receptions and tourist offices.

30 miles north of San Diego, there is the partner operation, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park with 400 species in a more natural free range environment – new in 2018 was Walkabout Australia though I think it our case it was been there, done that!