The San Diego Zoo

Located in beautiful Balboa Park, the 100-acre (40-hectare) world-famous San Diego Zoo was founded in 1916 by Dr. Harry Wegeforth, a San Diego physician, who started the collection with 50 animals gathered from various local menageries. Today, the San Diego Zoo cares for over 3,800 animals of 800 different species, and its collection of plants and animals is acknowledged as one of the finest in the world. Visitors can enjoy entertaining tours, shows and exhibits such as Ituri Forest, Gorilla Tropics, Hippo Beach, Tiger River, Sun Bear Forest and Polar Bear Plunge. The zoo is also home to Hua Mei, the first surviving giant panda cub ever born in the United States, and an international symbol of hope for the future of giant pandas.