San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park, the San Diego Wild Animal Park when it opened in 1972, is an 1,800 acre zoo near Escondido. The park houses a large array of wild and endangered animals including species from the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America and Australia including the largest collection of hoofed mammals in the world. Free-range spaces are populated by animals including antelopes, giraffes, buffalo, cranes and rhinoceros. The park is also noted for its California condor breeding program. The park also has the world’s largest veterinary hospital. The San Diego Zoological Society became interested in developing the Wild Animal Park in 1964 with the idea of providing a supplementary breeding facility for the San Diego Zoo. Visited by 2 million people annually, it houses 3,000 animals representing roughly 400 species, as well as 3,500 plant species.
Escondido, San Diego County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt