That morning, we saw giraffes, gorillas, elephants (one getting a pedicure,) penguins swimming with sharks, and hippos in the Lost Forest. Danny told us how the San Diego Zoo held a huge store of frozen genetics for over a thousand species. Its purpose was, of course, to prevent animals all over the world from dying out as some were doing in their native environments.
I remembered how many people hated zoos, and I agreed about how wrong it was to separate elephants from their family, but the way the world was with people indiscriminately killing animals for sport and for animal parts, I was glad that zoos, like this one, were now driven by the needs of conservation and preservation.
Danny told us that the close proximity of species in zoos also allowed scientists to research diagnostic treatments for animals in the wilds, and it allowed wild life specialists to become more informed about the animals’ dietary needs, since the decreasing areas of their homelands was also a major factor in the decline of endangered wildlife. Without the natural vegetation these animals were dependent on, fatality would be imminent. Anyway, thanks to Danny, I learned lots more things about the way places like the San Diego Zoo were helping wildlife to flourish.
A couple hours into on our tour, we made a brief stop in the VIP Garden where we got zoo cookies, coffee, and an up-close giraffe visit. We followed that up with an amazing visit to the Giant Panda Habitat where we learned that pandas bleat like sheep. Danny told us these bear relatives can also roar, but we never heard them do that. One of the cubs began to squeal, though, kind of like a pigling, but a bit more frantic, like the little black and white baby was protesting something.
Later, we stopped for lunch at Albert’s Restaurant which was right inside the Lost Forest Zone. The menu was short. The two guys started grumbling about the fancy foods, so Timothy ordered them exactly what I’d said I wanted: the cauliflower fried rice. The two seemed okay with that when Timothy told them they’d get steak in theirs. When the waiter came over to take our order, Timothy told our server to double the meat in each of the guards’ portions. That made Bob and Terry’s faces burst into full tooth-displaying smiles. My, they were handsome when they got rid of their growly faces.