The logo of the San Diego Zoo's conservation research center features a California condor.

When we pulled into the Beckman Center for Conservation Research parking lot, one of the first things I noticed was how nicely maintained the building was. It truly shows how much money and maintenance is invested into conservation research. The San Diego Zoo feels that conservation research is extremely important, because without the awareness they raise and the effort they make, the risk of animal extinction would rise.
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We all know that the Zoo is huge! There are lots of people moving about and lots of animals to see. It seems like it’s almost impossible to see the entire Zoo in one day and see all of your favorite animals. Of course, the San Diego Zoo realizes this and has set up a bus tour system so you can see all of your favorite animals and more!

The bus tour starts from the loading dock, which is near the entrance of the Zoo. The bus is a double decker, and passengers can choose to sit either on the bottom or the top (with a nice view, I might add) and it can hold 104 passengers. The bus then goes through Tiger River, where you can see plants and animals from Southeast Asia, then goes through Ituri Forest, which is modeled after the central African rain forest (of the same name). (more…)