Home | Family
San Diego Zoo is famous all over the world for being the torch bearer on zoological issues ever since it was founded in 1916. Millions of people visit the zoo precisely because of this apart from public relations opportunities and press coverage. So go ahead! Avail the chance to see the animals in their natutral environment. A visit to the zoo can be a learning curve for both children and adults. It emphasises on the role that zoo's can play in protecting the animals. The zoo traces its roots to Panama-California International Expedition of 1916. It was the brainchild of Dr. Harry Wegeforth. Dr. Harry Wegeforth planned to establish a permamnent zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego and therefore animals from all over the world were brought here. He selected a board of directors which included his brother and a standing member of Natural History Society. A meeting was conducted in this regard by Dr. Wegeforth in October 1916. San Diego Zoo was finally alloted a place in Balboa Park and began to shift into its new home. Its natural canyons and mesas proved to be of great help in setting up paddocks and cages in natural confines. Two elephants, Empress and Queenie arrived from India three years later and proved a great hit among the visitors of the zoo. Bus tours were started in the year 1926. These buses were manned by experts and they would provide facts and figures about the animals to the enthusiastic visitors as the bus passed them. These buses also provided an opportunity for the underprivileged children to see the zoo. The zoo continued to flourish until the World War II. World war II forced the Board of Directors of the zoo to start doubting its viability. After the war drought, more visitors than ever returned to the zoo, especially in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when the zoo’s attendance jumped to two million visitors a year! As always, the zoo’s main fan base was with the children in and around the San Diego area. From school trips to afternoon treats, the children of California love their zoo. The San Diego Zoo progressed in leaps and bounds in 1970s and 1980s. Its progress was further boosted by the appearances of animal expert and goodwill ambassador John Embery on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. These were higly memorable encounters and added to the popularity of the zoo resulting in more visitors to the zoo. Also during this time, the zoo began to make the transition from a place that shows animals to the public to a place that looks out for the welfare and well being of animals all over the world. By implementing breeding programs and installing natural habitats, the zoo began to shift their focus from the visitors to the animals. Today, the San Diego Zoo is a great place to learn about animals from all corners of the globe. You get to learn some valuable lessons about the state of our planet and the animals that live on it. Of course, it still holds great charm for everyone from eight to eighty.
Lucille Linhares is the owner and operator of F san diego, the #1 source on the internet for information about san diego. For more articles on san diego visit: www.fsandiego.com/articles Click here to get your own unique version of this article from the Unique Articles Submissions Service
Article Source:- Link Building
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
