San Diego Zoo Safari Park is a center for the preservation and display of endangered species. It covers 1,800 acres (730 hectares) in the San Pasqual Valley north of San Diego. The Zoological Society of San Diego, which also administers the San Diego Zoo, opened the park in 1972 to increase public awareness about the need for animal conservation.
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park features a number of separate display areas representing regions of Africa and Asia. The animals roam freely in surroundings that resemble their native habitats. The park is well known for its white rhinoceros collection and its large collection of ungulates (hoofed animals).
Visitors may stroll through Nairobi Village; the Heart of Africa Walking Safari; and an area where children may pet and feed baby gazelles, goats, and other animals. Visitors can also tour the park by rail or by safari cart. Photo safaris are also popular. Visitors may capture the animals on film from open trucks that drive through the animal habitats.
The park opened in 1972 as the San Diego Wild Animal Park. It changed its name to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in 2010.
