San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Wednesday we headed north to the Safari Park. This place was beautiful and the mission of conservation and care of the earth and the animals was clear. We had a wonderful time. I loved everything about it but the food. It was awful!

Shawn thought that the kids would love to do an extra "safari", so he paid for one and surprised the kids with it later in the day.
The African loop was my favorite park to walk through. It was really quiet and peaceful and we were essentially alone on the path. We passed only a couple of people.
The flamingos are always fun to see.

Here is a mama with her egg in a nest. So cool! 

 

 

 The African Tram tour was really great. I loved our guide, he was really interesting and knowledgeable, but also a lot of fun.

 Sadly, this Northern white rhino and the one below are two of only three left. The remaining four wild northern white rhinos are believed to have gone extinct in 2008. The tour guide said there are 8 remaining, in total. They will go extinct in just a few years, and that is really sad.

I didn't get a picture of the zebras, but they are not allowed to live on the slopes with all the other animals, apparently they are very territorial and mean and hurt others. Everyone else lives in harmony, so the zebras have to live by themselves off to the side in a smaller fenced area.

So the surprise? A Cheetah safari! We got to wait in a special area, we were in the shade, with chairs, water, and the perfect unobstructed view of the cheetah run. Anyone can watch the run, but it's hard to see and very crowded! Then we got to meet the cheetah up close and personal. We also got a surprise visit from another ambassador at the park. Bubba the warthog!

 Kira taking pictures of me taking pictures of her!

 BUBBA~so cute! ;-)

 

 

Best seats in the house! Such a great view of the track! 

 Kira waiting! She was so excited.

I took one shot of her jumping out of the truck to chase her lure, and then just watched. They recommend that, because it happens in under 6 seconds and you will miss it if you try to just take pics. :)

Shawn got it on video though! So cool! It's kind of long, but it's full of really cool information about Cheetah's and their dogs! Watch to find out what I'm talking about!

After the run, they brought Amara into our seating area. It was so cool to be that close to a Cheetah. Amara is the diva though, and no one pets her, even trainers are not allowed. So she was rather standoffish and annoyed. Just like a cat. When aren't they annoyed by humans? It was a little unnerving to see this pic later and realize she was licking her lips when she walked in the gate!

She was gorgeous.

  

Lucky for us, she had trainers with snacks. 

 See? Annoyed.

  But beautiful!

 I didn't take a ton of photo's this day. I woke up with a raging headache and it just wouldn't quit. So I just enjoyed the quiet mostly and the beauty of the park.
Here are a couple of random pics. If you look close in this one, there is a baby rhino. He was covered in mud and heard our tram go by. 

 Cute kids waiting to meet Amara the Cheetah.

 This tree was gorgeous! Look at those enormous yellow blooms!