January 10, 2017
This post takes you on the amazing Behind-the-Scenes Tour available at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Last month my birthday fell on a Tuesday during winter break, so it was pretty much a me-and-the-kids day. When I’m looking to do something special with the kids I look first to either the San Diego Zoo or the San Diego Safari Park. Both are part of the same entity, and both are awesome in different ways, though the Safari Park has the Orfila Winery en route – and that is a compelling factor in its favor.
Last year I celebrated my birthday with a Caravan Safari, which was spectacular… so this year we opted for a Behind the Scenes Safari. This is our eldest daughter with our guide Lauren in the front of our tram, starting the tour. Lauren was nice enough, especially considering that one of our kids had some near-meltdowns (per her usual) and it was through sheer dumb luck (and a lot of my re-direction) that she didn’t actually meltdown, or else Lauren’s face would have looked a lot more stressed, believe me.
Our first visit was to some off-display little warehouses which were housing some of the animals which regularly serve as “Animal Ambassadors.” This is a Victoria crowned pigeon.
I wonder: if you are anything short of an Ambassador for our country, are you then somehow less successful in life than this bird is? I mean she is literally the Ambassador for her entire species. What are you? Just one of countless billions.
Everyone was amazed that I ID’d this beauty on the spot as a caracal. I nodded and accepted all of their kudos, but the fact is that I know this from watching too many episodes of Wild Kratts when my youngest was little, which is kind of sad, really.
Next up we stalked the elephants. Here they are playing with toys because they are intelligent and so can get quite bored, yet the toys have to be strong enough to withstand their destructive power.
It’s like they don’t quite know their own strength. If they would only learn how to be more gentle, they might get things like human puzzles! But right now they would probably just eat the cardboard puzzle pieces, which is a real waste when hay is just as nutritious, and cheaper.
We witnessed a mother, father, and their elephant son mixing it up a bit. Now I’m no animal behaviorist, but I know conflict when I see it! Then just as quickly as it began, the fight was over, with the possible victor (?) huffing and puffing a bit as they walked away. I guess in human parlance this would be called a “strut.”
Next up were the okapis. I’ve always coveted their velveteen-like fur until I learned that it leaves an oily residue when you run your finger over them. Now while many of you are thinking, “Gross!” I should remind you that these are rain forest animals, and last time I checked, they don’t make raincoats for okapis. So the oily fur helps the water bead off of them during showers.
Don’t be so critical!
Next we rode all around the big safari mainlands. The flamingos are more white than pink here, and the gist from Lauren was that the Safari Park is keeping it real rather than dyeing their food to make them pinker for your camera lens. What she didn’t know, though, was that I have Lightroom, and Lightroom will let me manipulate the amount of pink in any given shot so that these birds look more like I want them to.
A wild raven, smart enough to take advantage of the free food in the park. Probably the smartest animal in the park, including most of the primates.
Antelopes. I think. No! I checked and I think they are actually Nile lechwe.
An African Crowned Crane. And NO, it’s leg’s aren’t broken! It’s doing this on purpose to throw you off. Then just when you get close enough to catch it, it will spring up and run away, leaving you standing there looking very foolish for falling for this trick.
See the rhinos have already seen it a thousand times.
They are so cute, right? These are wide-lipped African white rhinos. And believe it or not, they are genetically programmed to become this large and fearsome-looking from eating little blades of grass and nothing more.
This one is a baby – about that I am sure.
Basically, cattle. Granted they are a lot prettier than your feed lot cattle, but still the same thing.
Here are some Caravan tourists feeding the one-horned rhinos their apples.
Why is one of the rhinos so wet? It looks like a Lil Jon concert, and believe me I know from experience.
Name the three species in this photo! No, really. Name them?
Some kind of deer?
Cheetah!
Looks at the fluffy fur on the shoulders – this one is still growing up.
Giraffe, with some Arabian oryx (judging by the straight horns). Oryx are antelopes where both sexes maintain their horns.
A lioness surveying her territory. Don’t worry, she didn’t have access to any of the prey animals, above – nor did she have access to us.
It’s like you think this Park had no legal counsel whatsoever.
It might catch some action or it might catch one of these epic nap sessions that make the tigers look like victims of Jonestown.
I really wondered if they were all three okay or not. But their stillness does give you the opportunity to zoom in on how cute they are!
Hope you can make it out to the Safari Park to enjoy these guys.
Thanks for looking! xo
