In our last months of living in California, we went on several weekend trips to make it easier for our realtors to sell our house. In reality, it was easier for us, because we didn’t want to live in a constant state of “keeping everything perfect” as we waited for prospective buyers, so we hit the road and made the most of our time in California.

One of our weekends was to San Diego, where Dan splurged on annual passes to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. At that point, we thought that we would be moving from Big Bear Lake, back to the Los Angeles area. We had no idea that life would soon take us to Colorado and that it would be the only weekend that we would use our passes.

I have fond childhood memories of visiting the San Diego Zoo with my amazing Godparents ( Aunt Lee and Uncle George), who lived in San Diego for many years. Among my most cherished possessions are the Christmas ornaments that Uncle George used to send to me every year, and among those are two from the San Diego Zoo Association, which he specifically sought out when I started volunteering at the Los Angeles Zoo as a teen.

We arrived when the zoo opened, on a cloudy, humid day in late September.

The San Diego Zoo is massive, but we didn’t encounter huge crowds during our visit. We able to really enjoy the animals without excessive noise, which is always better for both visitors and the residents. One of my biggest pet peeves is noise at the zoo, as a child I was always taught that visiting a zoo is like visiting a library, whispers only.

Our first stop was the koalas. In my experience, usually the koalas ( or as Dan calls them “drop bears” from his years of living in Australia) are usually in the trees resting. Like this…

But we encountered one very active koala. He was racing around his enclosure and scratching on the door, all in anticipation of food from his keeper. We had a nice chat with his keeper as she was prepping his food. Apparently, this guy is the only koala who is extra eager in the mornings.

It was early and I had not had any coffee yet, so a nap was in order.

On the African Rocks we saw Hamadryas Baboons.

We continued around the zoo to see several smaller exhibits, including our favorite animal and world’s largest rodent, the Cabybara!

Elephant Odyssey is one of the most popular areas of the San Diego Zoo.

The llamas provided the crazy moment of the day. They were all very calm until a visitor walked by with a service dog, which caused them to respond aggressively, bucking, growling, and running wild. The dog, a sweet golden retriever, was clueless at the chaos that it was causing. We researched and learned that llamas are very territorial, guard animals with regard to perceived threats, including dogs.

Next, it was on to big cat territory.

The last time that I visited the San Diego Zoo was back in the late 90’s, when I was taking an animal biology class and I had to complete an animal observation project. I really wanted to study Bonobos, which are a species of great apes that we did not have at our local Greater Los Angeles Zoo. Bonobos are the closest living relatives to humans and they walk upright, on two legs for sustained periods. They are incredible to watch. My mom, who was always very supportive, drove with me to San Diego ( 4 hours each way) and read a book, while I spent the entire day with the bonobos. It was a long day and one of many memories of my mom always supporting my goals and education.

I was absolutely delighted to discover that the zoo has a popular orangutan named Karen! Coincidentally, I also love to twirl on bamboo polls and roll around on the ground.

One of my all-time favorite zoo encounters was with the hippos at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I was scheduled to take a behind the scenes tour and employees allowed me to enter the park prior to opening. I had about an hour before my tour/ park opening, to observe the hippos, watching a mother and baby play in the water. They were so active, including the baby giving me curious looks through the glass. I was alone with them. A truly magical moment on my Disney vacation. The hippos are always a favorite stop, even when they are napping.

When I was part of the behavioral research department at the Los Angeles Zoo, I had the privilege of contributing observation hours towards an international polar bear study, which the San Diego Zoo and Sea World, were also participants. Visiting the polar bears is always a must.

One of the non-animal highlights was a ride on the skyway. The zoo is vast. It has both the skyway and a tram system to help visitors navigate the terrain. Of course, these both come with a small extra fee. The skyway has beautiful views of both the zoo and San Diego.

This sign feels very personal.

And finally, those damn flamingos. For those not in the know, I spent over 2000 hours observing flamingos at the LA Zoo and I have a love/hate relationship with the birds.

We had a wonderful day at the San Diego Zoo. It’s a stunning park that does so much for conservation, education, and animal welfare. I was disappointed that we didn’t have the opportunity to use our passes more than once, but it was also a good feeling that the money spent on the passes went to a great organization.