Perhaps one of the things the beautiful city of San Diego is most known for is the world famous San Diego Zoo.  Located in Balboa Park, San Diego, the San Diego Zoo is one of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world, being home to over 4,000 animals of more than 800 different species.  The zoo is privately owned by the Zoological Society of San Diego, which is a nonprofit organization.  The 100 acres on which the zoo is situated, as well as ownership of all animals and equipment from the zoo are all technically owned by the City of San Diego.  The park is home to a wide collection of birds, reptiles, and mammals, as well as an extensive plant collection, but many animals tend to move between the zoo and the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, which is set on a more expansive plot of land.  The zoo is also extremely active in conservation and species-preservation efforts.

Although many of the exhibits in the zoo are based around specially designed habitats that suit the needs of the animals in it, the zoo also offers a guided bus tour called the Skyfari, which is an overhead gondola lift that provides an arial view of the park.  Some of the popular exhibits at the zoo include Monkey Trails and Forest Tales, Panda Research Station, Polar Bear Plunge, Ituri Forest, and Elephant Odyssey, which is the newest exhibit in the zoo.  The Panda Research Station is one of only four exhibits in the US that feature giant pandas, and this particular exhibit is considered the most successful in terms of panda reproduction.