San Diego Wild Animal Park and Sea World

We decided to visit the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative. Soon after arriving at the park, the sky clouded up and the drizzle started. Drizzle we could handle. The heavy rain and winds are what made it tough. By the time we got on the tram to visit the African savanna area, we were freezing. My bones don't bend as easily when I'm cold and wet. Lucky for us there was a sale on fleece jackets. Maybe it was the cold weather or maybe my trip to Africa has changed me but watching the African animals in this park was disappointing. The dik diks were just laying there. When I saw dik diks in Africa, they were looking around, munching, and looking lively. These dik diks in San Diego were listless and inactive. It was the same thing with the wart hogs. The warthogs in Africa were absolutely the cutest things because of their dramatic posturing. The warthogs in San Diego were sleeping in the rain. Animals in a zoo don't act the same as animals in the wild. We saw giraffes and zebras, musk ox and elephants, monkeys and great crested cranes, gnu and wildebeest. I enjoyed watching the kids enjoy the animals. The next day we went to Sea World. At Sea World the exhibits are separated by species. Go in one building and see the penguins. Exit through a store selling all penguin items. Go in another building and see seals. Exit through a store selling all seal related items. It is true that Sea World is very commercial. And seeing sea lions. whale and dolphins o obeying hand signals can be a little disturbing, especially the whales. Whales are huge mammals who live in family groups. To me whales are too majestic to turn circles, splash the audience, or flip their bodies up on a platform on command. I was torn because somehow all this whale performing didn't seem right but where else would the average person see such beauty, such strength, and such intelligence? When I saw the trainer stand on the snout of the whale as it broke the water and lifted the orca's entire body straight up in the air, I was overcome with the beauty and elegance and the communication between the two performers. Who wouldn't want to do that? I enjoyed watching the kids enjoy the exhibits and the show. In the top photo you can see my nephew petting a dolphin. "Soft and smooth," were his exact words. The sun shone on us at Sea World. The temperature was in the upper 50's and the wind was slight. If I look closely at my left foot, I can see a slight tan mark from my sandals and I think this was the day it happened. My right foot must have been in the shade during the Shamu Show.