Best Experience Ever!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love animals, especially wild animals. And that I love going to the zoo (this dates back to my childhood and my Dad's influence!) Anyway, my absolute all-time favorite "zoo" is the San Diego Wild Animal Park, soon go be renamed the San Diego Safari Park. Going there gives a taste, granted a small taste, of what an African Safari might be like. I love it because the animals aren't in cages; instead they are allowed to roam freely over the huge acreage, much like they would in the wild. So you see them in a natural habitat, and observe their natural behaviors, which is always interesting and often unexpected.

John and I have annual passes to the park, and decided to go today (not too smart to pick a day when the temps are over 100, but who ever said we were smart?) We took our usual route, checking out the elephants to see the newest babies . . .


This little guy was born on May 12 and is the newest addition to the herd. They have had four new baby elephants born this year - all so very cute.

Next we headed over to the Journey into Africa tour, which is always our favorite. While waiting for the tram, one of the keepers handed John an ostrich egg . . .

It's the equivalent of 2 dozen chicken eggs and would take 1-1/2 hours to hard boil! The shell is not at all fragile - after all, a 350 lb. ostrich is going to sit on it - and feels a lot like ceramic or porcelain. The shell is so sturdy, the African natives cut a small hole in the top to get the egg out, and then make the hole larger, put a plug in it, and then fill it with water and use it as a canteen.

The tram ride is always interesting - and even if you ride it several times in the same day, it'll be a different experience each time, because the animals move or are doing something different. And each driver/guide has a different "spiel" and you always learn something. Here are just a few of the things we saw along the way . . .


These animals are all sitting in a circle, butts in-heads out, watching for predators. Although they are totally safe and protected, THEY don't know that, because they can hear and smell these guys . . .


who are enjoying shade and sleeping some 20 hours a day, located close by (but in a separate enclosure). This is done intentionally so that all the animals will continue to live, and breed, and exhibit the same behaviors they would in Africa. If the lions weren't within hearing and smelling range, the grazing animals won't breed. I think that's fascinating.

Here's something else we saw for the very first time . . . .

Flamingos swimming and flying. I've only seen them standing - usually on one foot. This gorgeous lake has just recently been opened for the flamingos - and they can get to any place on the entire shoreline - by swimming or flying there. You might have to click on the picture to see better.

Something else we learned yesterday . . . a giraffe is pregnant for 15 months. She will deliver the baby standing up, which is about a 6 foot drop for the new baby. And the newborn giraffe stands 5-1/2 to 6 feet tall in order to nurse. A female giraffe goes into estrus every 2 weeks!

This female just gave birth 2-1/2 weeks ago. They kept her and the baby isolated so they could bond, and just put Mom back out with her friends. Already the male is after her. They stood in this position the entire day. If she moved, he moved with her - never allowing more than an inch between their bodies. He is making sure no other male can mate with her.

No Safari Tour is complete (for me at least) without seeing . . .

Nola

Nola is VERY SPECIAL! She is 30 something years old, and has been at the WAP for as long as I have been going there, which is practically since it opened. She is a Northern White Rhino, and there are only seven like her in the entire world! Two are at the WAP - Nola and her friend. Even though zoo keepers and animal conservationists world-wide have tried every conceivable method to breed these animals, they have been unsuccessful, and most likely the Northern White Rhino will become extinct in our lifetime. Today Nola was having a "spa" day in a special enclosure where they can check her over, trim her horns, nails, etc. They take very very good care of Nola!

More stuff I learned today . . . There are at least four different species of Rhinos - besides Nola's species, there is the Southern White Rhino, the Black Rhino - all from Africa, and the Great One-Horned Rhino (or Indian Rhino) from Asia. There is no difference in coloration between the species, but they have different physical characteristics. Both varieties of White Rhino have a very large head, two horns, and a rounded jawline, and are very social. The Black Rhino has a smaller head, two horns, and a pointed jaw line - and doesn't play well with others. They prefer to be alone. The Great One-Horned variety has only one small rounded horn, a rounded jaw, and skin that looks like armor plates.

This is a Black Rhino Mom and Baby. The baby's name is "Eric" and he is only one month old and already weights in at 120 lbs. His birth weight was 70 lbs. He will gain about 50 lbs. per month!

All the grazing animals such as gazelle, giraffe, cape buffalo, ibex, etc., along with the rhinos, ostrich, and many others, happily co-exist on the African plains (and at the WAP). They tend to stay in their own little herds, but they all make happy neighbors. The only "fighting" takes place between males of the same species, because they want to protect and claim the females. The giraffe, being the tallest in the world, is the "look-out" for all the other animals. Plus they only sleep two hours/day, so they are always "on watch". If the giraffe moves, everybody moves! And we've seen that happen . . .

It seems crazy to see giraffes, rhinos, and every other animal just happily going about their own business without seeming to have a care in the world.

But the best part of the day was yet to come. I have always wanted to take a photo caravan, just never got around to it. Back in July, when the weather was cooler, I signed us up for one - which was our real reason for going today. Never gave a thought about how hot it would be! Well, it couldn't have been better . . . . the tour usually takes around 15 people, but . . . . we were the ONLY ones! (Hmmmm, wonder why?) So we had a private tour on a truck that looks like . . .

And look what we got to do . . . . Feed giraffes . . . .

It was so much fun - we weren't allowed to touch him, and we had to keep our back to him. (I wanted to hug him, he was SOOOOO sweet!) He would nuzzle my hair and I could feel his warm breath on my neck.

Even John got into it!

They had enough leaves for 15 people to take a turn - and we got to feed them ALL!

But that wasn't all . . . . We also got to feed Rhinos!

These were Mom and Baby Boy, and they are the Great One-Horned Rhino from Asia. We fed them apple slices, and they couldn't get enough! We also got to pet them! I thought they would be stiff and hard, but they feel surprisingly soft - like leather.

How cute is that!

Apple slices to them are like raisins to us, not very filling. So immediately after we ran out of apples, the baby went over to the feeding trough to finish his dinner.

As I said, one of the best days ever! Definitely something to check off the bucket list!