Just like humans, animals can get sick, too. They can contract diseases, break bones, and get scrapes and bruises, and just like humans, animals also need medical attention. But where do exotic animals, like giraffes and gazelle, go for treatment? The Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park is the answer. This animal hospital was built specifically for big birds and hoofed animals. Before the actual building was made, a team of vets went around the world looking at all different kinds of animal hospitals to see how they could make the Wild Animal Park’s hospital ideal.
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Let’s face it, we can’t all afford to go on a safari in Africa, or see the jungles of India and witness the wildlife. But luckily for us, the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park has a Photo Caravan tour where you, your friends, and family can participate in a safari for a reasonable price.
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Do you think you have what it takes to be a zookeeper?

A zookeeper’s day starts bright and early by coming into the San Diego Zoo and checking on the animals to make sure they are doing fine. Each animal has a specific diet that they have, so the zookeepers have to make sure that the animals are given the right diet. During the day, animals are put on exhibit for the public to see. Another part of a zookeeper’s job is to record how the animals are doing. This is so they can make sure the animals are doing fine, growing, and staying healthy. A zookeeper’s day does not end until all tasks are complete and the animals are doing well.
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The Rolling Safari tour at the Wild Animal Park is really fun! You get to ride around on an off-road Segway X2 with a tour guide who talks about the animals that are within view. A Segway can potentially travel at 12.5 miles per hour, but the tour speed is set to 8 miles per hour. Eight miles an hour might not seem too fast, but our group went on the tour on a day when it was 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and we didn’t even notice the heat because of how excited we were!
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One of the tiger cubs looks for mom.

Do you ever wonder what life is like for tiger cubs and their mother and father? What do they eat? What do they do for fun? I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to witness the tiger behind the scenes. These Malayan tiger cubs, Jin (female), Menderu (male), and Seri (female), and their mother, Mek, and father, Paka, seem to live very comfortably in their enclosure. And their day starts at the crack o’ dawn!
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