Visiting San Diego Zoo

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (Psalm 24:1)

Spent Father's Day this year in a foreign land, without my family around me. Strange feeling. Wished they were around.

Since I had the free day, my colleague (who travelled to San Diego with me) thought we might as well do some sightseeing in San Diego. So we decided to visit the world-famous San Diego Zoo, which some claimed is "the world's best" - even superior to our own Singapore Zoological Gardens.

Not trying to spiritualise things, but I have always thought that being with animals up close helps me to appreciate the beauty and diversity of God's creation. It is always a wonder when we gaze at the exotic animals of all shapes and sizes. What a creative God we have! (took these pictures myself - gives you an idea of how close we can get to the animals!)

I had an enjoyable time in the zoo. Had the "been there, done that" feeling of satisfaction...I mean, wouldn't it be a waste to travel all the way to San Diego and then leave without visiting their most famous attraction?

My verdict? I must say it is a very impressive and well run zoo. They call themselves the "world's best". We only claim to be "one of the world's best". Maybe Americans are generally more bold about their claims, or perhaps there is a zoo rating system that I am not aware of.

To be fair, I have not been to our zoo for the last 2 years, so I am not aware of their latest improvements. But what I can list down are the areas that San Diego Zoo impressed me:

(1) The nice Californian climate. Nothing that we can do about here. But I was in the SD Zoo from about 11am -2 pm in mid June, and I could comfortably walk through the entire park without feeling hot. It was sunny and yet the air actually felt cool! Amazing! Try walking in the Singapore sun at noon for 3 hours and you know what happens to you...:)

(2) Caring for the aged and the young - Sturdy prams (with shade) for babies & toddlers; motorized tri-cycle buggies for the elderly. All these are made easily available to all who need them. Many organisations talk about embracing pro-family values. Good to see one that walks the talk.

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(3) Walkways that reach the height of tree tops, to get visitors closer to animals and birds that inhabit the higher grounds.

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(4) This one impressed me the most: in many exhibits, there are signs reminding visitors that some of the animals they have in the exhibits are actually handicapped. (eg loss of limb), but they continue to be part of the zoo's exhibits because it is the zoo's core belief that like humans, even disabled animals need to be accepted and treated with dignity.

I like that.

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