We'll send you the top local news stories every morning at 8 a.m. By clicking subscribe, you agree to share your email address with Times of San Diego to receive our free newsletter and breaking news alerts. At the other end of Hippo Trail, in the river hippo exhibit, guests can see Tony, his mother, Funani, and Tonys father, Otis. Hippo | San Diego Zoo But the results are worth it, Dempsey said. Zoo visitors are eager to begin exploring. Theyve bought their tickets, gone through the turnstiles,and now theyre standing behind temporary ropes just beyond the zoo entrance when Katie Cheng, an animal trainer, maneuvers the bird cart into position. Who is that person talking over a microphone about the pandas or operating a giraffe puppet for the nighttime parade? Blanca has been trained to accept not just someone touching her belly, but putting gel on it. Directions from the EAST (westbound): From Interstate 8 (Imperial County and Arizona), take State Route 163 south to the Park Blvd./ I-5 South exit. My main reason for coming here is that it really gets me away from the news and from everything that happens outside of the zoo, Csanadi says. Or should be doing. I feel like theyre my kids.. We use the latest and greatest technology available to provide the best possible web experience.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings to continue. Why do the tarantula terrariums have yellow stickers? Her purse and cellphone case have pandas on them. When she was training Zari for dental care, Davis said, she made the mistake of moving too quickly with the file. These koalas get breakfast in bed. When Conrad Prebys Africa Rocks opens next year, the eight-acre exhibit will be populated with baboons, leopards, lemurs and African penguins. This timeline documents the 100+ year history of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, from the Zoo's inception in 1916 after the Panama-California Exposition, to the founding of the Safari Park, and beyond. Akobi was introduced to the public for the first time as it explored the. But thats still pretty impressive! Zoo veterinarians are awaiting confirmation of the test results by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory. The 15 Best Places for Exhibits in San Diego, The 15 Best Family-Friendly Places in San Diego, hippo exhibit at san diego zoo san diego . The 15 Best Places for Exhibits in San Diego. And some of the doves will just put two sticks down and call it a nest. Guest tickets will serve as their reservation and must be presented to enter the Zoo or the Safari Park. Its like clockwork, said Kresl, one of four keepers who start their shifts in the late afternoon and are in charge of animal bedtimes. Hes a 1-year-old serval, a small cat with a long neck, long legs and big ears. Elma Gonzlez Lima Brando is the Digital Editor at KPBS. Etosha may sleep 19 hours a day, but Mbari likes a nice solid 21. Shes wearing panda earrings, panda socks, a panda pendant. Sometimes the crickets come in with spiders in their package, and I have to fish them out. OPEN WIDERiver hippos can open their mouth remarkably wideat up to a 150-degree angle. Everything from bugs to femur bones comes through here.. Theres only been one in the zoos history. Not the Reptile House, which he loves. In December 2010, federal agents arrested Sven Koppler, 37, of Germany, on suspicion of illegally importing wildlife into the United States specifically, tarantulas. Peterson is an acrobat and a member of The Journey, an evening parade of walking puppets created for the Nighttime Zoos summer-evening festivities. But Miller has him on a leash, and keeping it taut reminds the cat why hes here. (It also gives the meerkats the energy to follow Girdler around the exhibit and re-dig their holes the minute she fills them in. Zoo Exhibit Balboa Park, San Diego Save Share Tips 1 Photos 18 7.0/ 10 5 ratings By creating an account you are able to follow friends and experts you trust and see the places they've recommended. Hippo Cam | San Diego Zoo Kresl has been at the zoo for 23 years. The potentially affected tigers are not showing any concerning signs of illness other than intermittent cough, fatigue and occasionally decreased appetite, and have not required treatment. We feel passionate about the animals and the people who work with them. Now Davis reaches in with a file and works on the back molars. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced Monday that Otis, a 45-year-old river hippo, was euthanized following a sharp decline in his health over the weekend. So far, she is acclimated completely, Kier says after wiping Hsi Hsis formula-covered face and sending her on her way. She is not at all interested in the humans who show up three times a day with her quart of formula and an animal biscuit for a treat. At the other end of Hippo Trail, in the river hippo exhibit, guests can see Tony, his mother, Funani, and Tony's father, Otis . The placement of their ears, eyes (in sockets raised like periscopes above the skull), and nostrils helps them continue to see, hear, and breathe when the rest of their body is submerged. Otis, our male, is just a little guy at 4,200 pounds, but some males can get to be 9,000 pounds. While they may be large, hippos are not slow. If Fergusons wardrobe is any indication, she loves her work. Plus use our free tools to find new customers. For the evening parade, which kicks off 30 minutes before closing, the 40-year-old Peterson marches jauntily with a towering giraffe neck and head strapped to his back. It would have been better, Davis said, to introduce the file slowly. Follow us and check in to your favorite animal exhibits for fun facts and trivia that you can't get anywhere else, and keep your eyes peeled for the ocasional check-in special. Not to get too graphic about it, but what goes into the hippo is pretty much what comes out, Dempsey said. Tamanduas, also known as lesser anteaters, have been a part of the zoo off and on for more than 80 years. All zoo employees wear name tags, and on Clobbers it says Zooman. Thats his nickname. Koppler pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling in early 2011 and was sentenced to six months in prison and fined $4,000. The Lemon Grove resident is 76 and has no plans to retire. Surprisingly, todays whales and hippos still share many characteristics. Some of them truly are bird brains, Brogan says fondly. Pygmy Hippo & Crocodile Exhibit - Zoo Exhibit in San Diego - Foursquare They can run fastbut not for long, Jen said. LEARN MORE Australian Wonders You'll find quite a few botanical wonders from Down Under by the koalas and our other Australian and New Zealand animals. Both species also have muscles to constrict airways in the bronchioles of their lungs. If you look down just as you are coming over the third tower, you can see the pandas. And with the help of her aunts, Mei and Eve, she is busy learning to be a takin. Training them? All pretty minor stuff, which is fine with Stewart. The zoos animal enrichment efforts have their human benefits, too. The best exhibit in the zoo", 2920 Zoo Dr (Northern Frontier, San Diego Zoo), "Just an amazing place, and my favorite zoo in the world. Welcome to the Forage Warehouse, where pretty much everything consumed by the zoos 3,700 or so animals is received, logged and packed before being trucked to animal holding areas. We all want to come back in our next lives as koalas, one of the other keepers said. Dozens were sent to the zoo, where they are kept in the Arachnid Rescue Center, a small, locked room near the Childrens Zoo. San Diego Zoo Temporarily Closes Gorilla Exhibit After - Yahoo A behind-the-scenes look at the San Diego Zoo - The San Diego Union-Tribune People dont realize how big they can get, Jen said. Wildlife health and care teams at both the safari park and zoo have been working as fast as they responsibly can to vaccinate the animals most at risk for contracting the virus.. The giraffe head is top-heavy, which takes its toll on Petersons lower back. And with the communal digging, theyre eating a family meal together, so to speak. The best exhibit in the zoo", Hippo Exhibit 2920 Zoo Dr (Lost Forest, San Diego Zoo), Bonobo Exhibit Zoo Drive (Lost Forest, San Diego Zoo). His eyes tell me that he likes to play.. The current hippo exhibit opened in 1995 and the 185,000-gallon pool, the largest of 147 at the zoo, has only had to be drained twice in 21 years. The zoo opens in an hour. At first glance, the pygmy hippo looks like a mini version of its larger relative, the river or common hippopotamus. Species will continue to disappear from the planet at an accelerated rate if we do not remain steadfast in fulfilling our mission. SDZWA Adventures. Currently, the Zoos Guided Bus Tour, Kangaroo Bus and Skyfari Aerial Tram, and the Safari Parks Africa Tram will be unavailable. The food is eucalyptus, harvested from a 13-acre farm the zoo has in the Miramar area. The practice was wasteful and time-consuming. Agents intercepted a second L.A.-bound package with 250 spiders, including 22 Mexican red-kneed tarantulas, a species protected under an international treaty. Wegeforth never wanted an ordinary zoo, but its unlikely even he imagined just how broad the collection would become, some 3,700 specimens that range from three-quarter-inch Sunburst diving beetles to 10-foot-tall elephants. Because illegal smuggling is an ongoing threat to wildlife, zoo officials believe the rescue center fits into their conservation mission, although they acknowledge many visitors are squeamish around spiders, especially large ones. Visit. Enter address: Whoops! 2 min read. First, senior keeper Victoria Girdler and enrichment supervisor Jessica Sheftel bring the toys. Image. The buildings are not the stars here.. Come Travel with Us! The zoo welcomed the newborn calf Friday to its Lost Forest habitat, according to a statement released by the zoo. Kresl loves having a shift that lets him sleep in and watch cartoons, and while he is not supposed to play favorites, he also loves having a job that lets him live out every kids Saturday-matinee fantasy. Our hippos Funani & Otis just had a male calf in January 2011 named Adhama. The man asks Ferguson, Cant you get him to turn around again?. And now some of the zoos busiest non-bees are about to get busier. When he gets to the front of the line, she knows its OK to cycle back through some of her factoids. The slightly less accomplished get wire or pipe-cleaner bases for a sound foundation they can build around. Otis had been suffering from a degenerative. When Cheka would rather watch the birds, Miller repeats the command. They can reach speeds up to 20 mph, in short bursts., Surprisingly, hippos are involved in more deadly conflicts with humans than any other African animal. In fact, cetaceans are hippos closest living relatives. Learn More. Some need more assistance than others. Theres a lot of rush, rush, rush to get ready, he said. The second of the days two Centennial Celebration animal shows is over, but as some kids from the audience gather at the foot of the stage for a meet-and-greet with Mickey the umbrella cockatoo, a very important performance is taking place. He walks around with his head on a swivel, up and down, left and right. Training them to participate in their own care is less hazardous. Everybody's Doing It With Miss Lolly Podcast, See stories by Elma Gonzlez Lima Brando, What recent Supreme Court rulings mean for higher education, Future of Child Care & Solutions to Move Forward | A KPBS Parents Event, Drones replace fireworks in Ocean Beach and La Jolla for 4th of July, The Explosive Growth Of The Fireworks Market, KAHNOP, a public art pathway of words, unfolds at UC San Diego, In post-Roe Texas, 2 mothers with traumatic pregnancies walk very different paths, Affirmative action divided Asian Americans and other people of color. By then, agents said, he had made about $300,000 selling tarantulas around the world, including to nine people in the United States. (619) 231-1515. zoo.sandiegozoo.org. Then, about 54 million years ago, hippos and cetaceans diverged. It was a big commotion.". For added safety, the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park will implement a reservation system, required for entry. Nobody will have to twist Roeslers arm to make her accompany Mundoe on his upcoming loan. They are quick to react to any potential threat, and are on the lookout for anything coming their way, Jen explained. Find great things to do See all 157 photos Hippo Exhibit Zoo Exhibit Balboa Park, San Diego Save Share Tips 7 Photos 157 8.7/ 10 68 ratings Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. She can see down the line of visitors and shell pick out a person near the back a man wearing a brown hat, for example. Diosdado has been working at the zoo for 31 years, and while he would love it if kids would stop spitting over the side of the Skyfari buckets, the decades have not made him immune to the power of the aerial zoo view.