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 San Diego Zoo started with the Panama-California International Expedition way back in 1916. Dr. Harry Wegeforth brought animals from all over the world to Balboa Park in San Diego where he wanted to make a permanent zoo. He set up a board of directors consisting of his brother and a standing member of the Natural History Society, and held the first meeting in early October 1916 to discuss the development of the zoo.

The San Diego Zoo was finally ready in 1920. The natural canyons and mesas of Balboa Park proved to be a great asset for a zoo that worked within the natural confines to create paddocks and cages. Three years later, two elephants, Empress and Queenie came all the way from India to delight visitors to the budding zoo.

1926 saw the adoption of buses as a method of touring the zoo. Experts would man the buses and provide information and facts about the different animals as the bus passed. Also, the buses were used to provide underprivileged children with a way to see the zoo. The zoo began to thrive until the advent of World War II, when attendance plummeted and the board of directors began to wonder if they could keep the park open.

After the lull period during the war, the zoo saw more visitors than ever before. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the zoo's attendance went up to two million visitors a year! As always, the zoo became the favorite haunt of children in and around the San Diego area who love to come there with school trips or as afternoon treats with parents.

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.

At this time, the zoo made a paradigm shift from a place that shows animals to the public to a place that cares for the welfare and well being of animals all over the world. The zoo began to shift its focus from the visitors to the animals by implementing breeding programs and installing natural habitats.

Today, the San Diego Zoo is a great place to learn about animals from all corners of the globe. Whether you are eight or eighty, everyone is sure to enjoy a trip to the zoo and take home some valuable lessons about the state of our planet and the animals that call earth home.