Scenes from the Safari Park

Karen graciously invited me to an afternoon of animal magic and I accepted. What an afternoon!

We began as we often do... Ogling the tigers.

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park breeds critically endangered Sumatran tigers through a collaborative partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP). This breeding program carefully pairs specific tigers to maintain genetic diversity in the zoo population.

We were informed that this was the first time the Park has put tigers, who are procreating, out in the public. This couple, Jillian and Dumai, had a male cub born in 2024. Hopes are high for another cub soon. We felt a bit like voyeurs as we, and the masses, followed the pair to watch the magic happen (the 13th attempt at impregnating occurred while we were there).

It was exciting to see the newest addition to the African fox family. This adorable animal is known for its enormous ears that are over 5 inches tall.

Baby bat-eared fox kits weigh just 3.5 to 5 ounces at birth and are fully grown by 6 months.

We spent quite a bit of time delighting in the new litter of four male cheetah cubs born to first-time mother Kelechi. The brothers, named Nyasi, Owadgi, Ohani, and Nkala, were napping for the most part but any movement (a stretch, a yawn, etc) was oohed and ahhed at my the observers. Hysterical.