Lions and tigers and wombats? Now all you animal lovers can visit the San Diego Zoo during its extended summer hours and revel in the rarely seen habits of nocturnal animals like those adorable wombats.
With stringed lights draped from exotic tropical foliage, a romantic and striking ambiance envelopes each person who enters through the tall wooden gates that mark the entrance to the San Diego Zoo.
One of the largest zoos and research facilities in the world, the San Diego Zoo is one of the few organizations to have two giant pandas, which are on loan for fertility research and to produce offspring. And since three-year-old baby panda Hua Mei will return to China this August, she is a must-see during extended viewing hours.
Many other animals, from hippos and giraffes to wolverines and boa constrictors, are all available for your viewing pleasure. But now many of these exhibits open during the day are also open for viewing during the warm summer Southern California nights.
But apart from the notable animal habitats and the dream-like atmosphere, various other shows and events are scheduled to entertain and educate the zoo’s patrons during the day.
“”Stilt birds”” features 10-foot tall puppets led by a shaman, while “”Jungle Dreams, The Return”” presents a fantastic musical production about coexistence on earth. And those are only two of the many attractions awaiting curious patrons.
Exciting animals, colorful spectacles, exhilarating shows and live music give every reason to visit the zoo, and the admission prices aren’t bad either: $19.50 for adults, $11.75 for children between the ages of three and 11, and children under the age of three are free. Students get a special discount on annual passes — a bargain you can’t pass up. For a schedule of events planned daily, visit http://www.sdzoo.com, and by all means, visit this major San Diego attraction at its greatest!
