• The San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park is open to the public! Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
• Read a blog and see video about the Park’s fire…

Of the over 3,500 animals that reside at the Park, two animals (a clapper rail and a kiang) were lost due to complications from the fire. More than 600 acres of Wild Animal Park property were burned. These were open buffer zone areas and not exhibit or public access space.

The California condors and other endangered bird species, as well as other animals that had been relocated to the Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center’s fire-safe area, have been returned to their home habitats.

The animals remain safe, secure, and have weathered the firestorm well. The Wild Animal Park did lose one of the empty condor breeding facilities to the fire as well as a storage facility containing Festival of Lights event materials. Winds have damaged trees throughout the Park, but again the animals and exhibits have weathered the storm.
To learn more about clapper rails…
To learn more about kiangs and other wild asses…

You can help! Many people are calling and writing in asking us how they can help the animals and staff that were affected by the recent fires. The following are two ways you can help:

1. Wild Animal Park Greening Fund: Situated in the San Pasqual Valley, the Wild Animal Park is no stranger to the threat of fires. Over the past years, we have actively worked to minimize these threats through our Greening Campaign. This campaign has enabled us to create hundreds of acres of nutrient-dense, eco-irrigated land that functioned as a safety blanket for our animals during the recent fires. Although we have converted much of the Wild Animal Park’s dry, arid, and fire-prone animal habitats into environmentally sustainable landscapes, the 1,800-acres Park needs further help. Your contribution today to our Greening Campaign will allow us to continue our greening efforts in our animal habitats at the Wild Animal Park.

To place your tax-deductible donation…

2. Catastrophic Leave Fund: During the recent fires over a dozen of our employees lost their homes. In order to support and aid these individuals during this time, we have implemented a Catastrophic Leave Fund. This fund will help them get back on their feet by helping them replace lost personal belongings and lost earnings. To support this fund, please send a check payable to “The Zoological Society of San Diego” to the following address:

Catastrophic Leave Fund
Attn: Human Resources
The Zoological Society of San Diego
P.O. Box 120551
San Diego, CA 92112-0551

Please note that contributions to the Catastrophic Leave Fund are not tax deductible.

Evacuations:
From Monday, October 22:
Certain critically endangered animals, such as the California condors, were evacuated to a safe zone in the middle of the night. Several of the Park’s other animals housed in threatened areas have also been evacuated, including education ambassador animals.

The Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center has been chosen as the safe zone for the condors and animals not located in field enclosures. The area is free of brush and other fuels, is located near the highway, and is a state-of-the-art facility equipped with sprinkler systems and medical equipment.

A majority of the Wild Animal Park animal collection is housed in open, expansive 80 plus-acre field enclosures. These enclosures contain no dry brush or coastal sage. The grass growing in these areas is heavily irrigated. Chance of fire spreading into these habitats is highly unlikely; therefore, the hundreds of animals who live in these areas will be safest to remain in the enclosures during a fire.

Historically, the Wild Animal Park experienced a fire in October 1993. Several hundred acres of habitat surrounding the Wild Animal Park were destroyed, but the fire did not spread to the field enclosures and no animals were harmed. During the 1993 fire, none of the Park’s structures were impacted with the exception of the Wgasa Bush Line Railway track, which served as a firebreak. The parking lot was used as a staging area for fire fighting units and a command center was operated from the keeper training trailer.

Heavy smoke has reached the Wild Animal Park. However, according to animal care staff, the animals are alert but are not showing behaviors of concern. The animals seem to know when they are in immediate danger and when they are not. Brush has been cleared from around the Park. Fire hoses are laid out and ready for use if needed.