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<\/a>Scott said the Zoo founder liked to poke a hole in the ground with his cane and toss in a few seeds<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the results can be seen today,\u201d he said. \u201cWe receive as many compliments about our botanical gardens as we do our animals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scott pointed out that Zoo history personifies\u00a0progression through the years for animal transitions from confinement to large habitats resembling their native lands.<\/p>\n
He noted that expansions have included the Polar Bear Plunge, Elephant Odyssey, Tiger River, two huge aviaries, Gorilla Tropics, Outback and Sun Bear Forest.<\/p>\n
Even now, they\u2019re starting on Africa Rocks, an 8-acre, $68 million diverse enclosure, the largest undertaking in Zoo history. It will be completed in 2017.<\/p>\n
The exhibit will transform the 1930s-era Dog and Cat Canyon, one of the oldest areas of the Zoo, into an engaging African landscapes.<\/p>\n
Africa Rocks will be home to African penguins as the Zoo begins its participation in an international species survival plan for these endangered aquatic birds.<\/p>\n
The Africa Rocks project is funded by\u00a0more than 6,500 donors. The habitat can be sectioned off into separate exhibits, depending on animal-care needs. Mesh passageways will span the visitor walkway and allow the leopards to cross from one exhibit to another.\u00a0Other animals including zebras, African penguins, several species of lemurs, baboons and ground hornbills will live in habitats that resemble their native homeland.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t had penguins here in 30 years,\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n
Additionally, discussions have included the possible expansion of the children\u2019s zoo, which was built in 1957.<\/p>\n
And to think back to 1923 when Ellen Browning Scripps donated money to construct a surrounding fence for safety and to establish an admission fee.\u00a0First charge\u00a0was 10 cents.<\/p>\n
Wegeforth\u2019s executive secretary, Belle Benchley, became the first woman Zoo director in 1925 and was succeeded in 1953 by Dr. Charles Schroeder, a noted veterinarian.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the changes, we\u2019ve had a better understanding of the animal needs by building complex environments for the them,\u201d Scott continued. \u201cWe want to make sure the animal will experience a new life and make the landscape the best way we\u00a0can with the botanical gardens\u00a0hills and valleys.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the zoo is managing the endangered, so they won\u2019t have to go in the wild to replenish certain species. \u201cWe haven\u2019t had to take animals out of the wild for many years,\u201c he stressed.<\/p>\n
San Diego Zoo Global is a conservation organization dedicated to the science of saving endangered species worldwide. It includes Safari Park and the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research.<\/p>\n
There have been animals that took star billing like Albert, a huge gorilla, Ken Allen, the orangutan escape artist, and a cockatoo called King Tut.\u00a0A bronze statue of King Tut stands where he was perched for several decades.<\/p>\n
Many others joined Zoo ambassador Joan Embry as she made guest appearances on late night talk shows with Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and others.\u00a0Embry is still associated with the Zoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve worked with several zoos throughout the country and I would say the relationship we have with the city of San Diego is unprecedented,\u201d Scott said. Scott was director at the Oklahoma City zoo for\u00a0six and a half years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have recently opened a parking structure for our employees and freed up space for our visitors,\u201d Scott concluded.<\/p>\n