World-Famous San Diego Zoo

A trip to the San Diego Zoo, perhaps the city's most famous attraction, promises to be a true highlight of JAM 2005. On Thursday afternoon, June 16, private coaches will take Jenzabar guests from the San Diego Marriott Hotel to Balboa Park, home to the zoo. At 6 p.m., when the park closes to the public, we'll enjoy a special dinner and private exhibits. After dinner conference guests will be free to explore the zoo until 9 p.m., when private coaches will return guests to the hotel.

The 100 acre facility houses nearly 4,000 animals of some 800 diverse species roam in hospitable, expertly crafted habitats that replicate natural environments. Guided tours on double-decker buses are a great way to see much of the zoo from a unique perspective. The park is at its best when you wander the paths, such as the one that climbs through the huge, enclosed Scripps Aviary, where brightly colored tropical birds swoop between branches just inches from your face, and into the neighboring Gorilla Tropics, among the zoo's latest ventures into bioclimatic zone exhibits.

The zoo's simulated Asian rain forest, Tiger River, has 10 exhibits with more than 35 species of animals. In Sun Bear Forest playful beasts constantly claw at the trees and shrubs that serve as a perfect natural playground for climbing, jumping, and general merrymaking.

At the Polar Bear Plunge, you can watch the featured animals take a chilly dive. Ituri Forest lets you glimpse huge but surprisingly graceful hippos frolicking underwater, and buffalo cavorting with monkeys on dry land.

The San Diego Zoo houses the largest number of koalas outside Australia, but these locals are being overshadowed by some overseas visitors: Bai Yun, a giant panda on loan for 12 years from the People's Republic of China, is the mother of a female giant panda, Hua Mei, born in the United States in August of 1999. They were joined by Gao Gao, a 13-year-old wild-born panda also on loan, in January 2003.

For a guaranteed hands-on experience there's the Children's Zoo, where goats, sheep, bunnies, and guinea pigs beg to be petted. The Wegeforth National Park Sea Lion Show and the Wild Ones Show are put on daily in a 3,000-outdoor seating amphitheater. (Source: www.sandiego.org)

Learn more about the San Diego Zoo