San Diego Zoo Safari (Wild Animal) Park

You can't miss these guys when you walk in the gate of the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park (formerly known as the Wild Animal Park) in Escondido, California. Well, actually, if you didn't look up high overhead you might not see them, but you certainly can't help hearing them.


This Hyacinth Macaw is named Sampson. I was speaking with one of his keepers for a bit, apparently he really likes attention from people.

I didn't get these guys' names. I'm not sure I would have been able to hear it over the noise they were making.

There were only a few meerkats out today. 

This guy was staring intently, looked he was about to snag something with the pointy beak.

I got there fairly late in the afternoon, and it's starting to get warm again after a few cool days. The male lion was on top of the Range Rover, working on his tan. Out cold, from the looks of it. I was there for quite a while, he never moved.

The two females were napping in the shade of a nearby tree. Every now and then they would stick a head up . . . 

. . . and then it was back to sleep. At one point one of them rolled over onto her back. She looked just like Aldo when he wants his chest rubbed.  

These are some pretty big cats. I wouldn't be surprised if they're close to 200 pounds each.

These two antelopes are probably what that big male lion was dreaming of. Either that or the 2 lionesses under the tree.

Even though it was warm it was still a nice afternoon for a walk around the Safari Park.

Click here to see more from this afternoon at the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park.